The Chan Zuckerberg Kauai Community Fund has awarded $1 million in unrestricted grants to 25 nonprofit organizations across the Garden Isle, continuing nearly a decade of philanthropic investment in Kauai communities.
Administered through the Hawaii Community Foundation, the fund — established by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative co-CEO Priscilla Chan — has now supported more than 75 organizations since its launch in 2015. The 2025 grants focus on strengthening local nonprofits working in education and youth, health and well-being, workforce development, food production and distribution, affordable housing, and land and culture.
According to Marissa Sandblom, who works on the Chan Zuckerberg Kauai Community Fund at HCF, the fund’s priorities are shaped by direct dialogue with community members.
“The Chan Zuckerberg Kauai Community Fund’s priorities are shaped each year by conversations with island residents, leaders and service providers,” she said.
Sandblom said these annual discussions — held with residents, local leaders and service providers — allow the team to hear firsthand about challenges and opportunities in different sectors.
“The Fund’s priority giving areas are then pulled from reviewing the common themes that emerge across the many conversations that are held,” she said.
This year’s grants provide general operating support rather than funding tied to specific programs, a choice Sandblom said is intentional.
“The fact that these hardworking nonprofit organizations can utilize the funds as they best see fit helps them to leverage the grant for greater impact in their respective missions,” she said.
Recipients of the 2025 awards include organizations addressing critical local needs — from housing and food security to cultural preservation and environmental restoration — such as Kauai Habitat for Humanity, Hoola Lahui Hawaii, Malama Kauai, Waipa Foundation and the Kauai Independent Food Bank.
Milani Pimental, executive director of Kauai Habitat for Humanity, said in the fund’s announcement that unrestricted support is vital for sustainability.
This funding provides much-needed operational support that is typically very difficult to raise via philanthropy,” Pimental said. “As a result, we will be able to continue providing truly affordable housing opportunities for Kauai.”
Sandblom noted that beyond its annual $1 million in operating grants, the Chan Zuckerberg Kauai Community Fund has supported several major community initiatives in recent years, including a $4 million grant to purchase and restore Alakoko Fishpond in 2021. The fund also backed the “Rise to Work” program, which provided temporary employment for residents who lost jobs during the pandemic, and has contributed significant funding toward affordable housing projects across Kauai.
She emphasized that all 75 organizations supported since the fund’s creation “are doing critically important work,” adding, “We want to honor their collective, impactful work that has helped to uplift our communities across Kauai.”
At HCF, staff work closely with donors, nonprofits, and public-sector partners to ensure resources complement other efforts rather than overlap.
“Our HCF team is continually meeting with stakeholders, donors, community organizations and those in the private and public sector to stay informed of their respective missions and ongoing needs,” Sandblom said.
While the Chan Zuckerberg Fund determines its priorities through its own community conversations, HCF’s perspective echoes many of the same concerns, from housing and mental health to education and cultural resilience.
“Many of the challenges raised in the community conversations here continue to be issues that face communities not just on Kauai but around all of Hawaii,” Sandblom said.
She noted that these align closely with HCF’s statewide CHANGE Framework — addressing community-centered economy, health and wellness, arts and culture, natural environment, governance, and education — which identifies key sectors for achieving equity and resilience.
Each year, once the fund’s focus areas are set, local organizations apply for grants through HCF’s online platform.
The unrestricted nature of these awards, Sandblom said, “helps provide the organizational flexibility needed to help bolster resilience” amid economic pressures facing rural Hawaii.
As Kauai continues to navigate housing shortages, cost-of-living challenges and the preservation of its cultural and natural heritage, Sandblom said the latest round of grants aims to strengthen the island’s community infrastructure, both human and environmental, for the long term.
Source: The Garden Island