Be sure to carefully review the Funding Guidelines before writing a grant proposal. We also encourage you to call or email in advance to discuss your plans and see if it is a good fit.

Social change organizing is inclusive and collective work that addresses the root causes of problems and works for long-term, sustainable alternatives. Please review the Funding Guidelines for a more detailed explanation.

An example of this: A small town in East O’ahu is plagued by heavy flooding when a poorly maintained stream swells with seasonal rains. As water spills out over the stream banks,
community members scramble to clear the roads, line the road with sandbags, and pile debris that washed up with the flooding into trucks. One of them takes off running, and someone calls to him, “Where are you going?! Come help us clear this debris from our town!” The man responds, “I’m going to the head of the stream to remove whatever is blocking it from flowing past our town like it’s supposed to!”

Of course, clearing the debris is an urgent need and will take the labor of most of the community to achieve. However, unless the root cause is directly addressed, the problem will continue. This is why the tagline for Hawai’i Peopleʻs Fund is Change, not Charity™.

The broad categories of work that Hawai’i People’s Fund supports include:

Action Research • Arts & Cultural Activism • Cross-Issue Organizing • Human and Civil Rights • Environmental Justice • Economic Justice • Grassroots Leadership • Political Organizing • Peace and International Solidarity • Movement Building • Youth Organizing • Public Policy Advocacy • Workers’ Rights • Indigenous Rights • Reproductive Justice *Work that supports communities building real time solutions in response to the Maui fires * Work that supports communities building real time solutions in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Priority will be given to grants that support nonviolent direct action: the strategic use of immediately effective acts to achieve a political or social goal and challenge an unjust power dynamic or system. Direct action can shut things down, open things up, pressure a target, intervene in a system, re-imagine what’s possible, create an alternative, and be led by and empower directly impacted people.

Grants are NOT to be used for ongoing program work with unanticipated expenses, one time events not connected to ongoing social change organizing strategies, or seed funding for new projects (see our regular grants program for upcoming deadlines). This Fund is not for budget shortfalls or cash flow issues. We will not fund travel to conferences outside of Hawai’i. Please note the special accommodations described in the COVID-19 response section above.

Hawai’i People’s Fund is committed to supporting grassroots organizations working to reduce the harm of current systemic failures, and welcomes strategic proposals that aim to support our beloved community during these unprecedented times.

Hawai’i People’s Fund believes the work of our grantees present VIABLE SOLUTIONS to the current crisis, and despite the challenges that urgent needs present, we choose to use this time as our chance to usher in a new way of living, loving, and being a part of something bigger than ourselves.

With business-as-usual crumbling, be assured that Hawai’i People’s Fund stands in solidarity with those individuals and organizations who have been working to upend and heal systems of oppression for over 50 years. THE HULI IS HERE.

We understand that low-income families, houseless communities, service workers, people with disabilities, people who are incarcerated, indigenous, immigrant, and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by the crisis (in addition to ongoing systemic oppression). Community organizing is essential at this moment to counter racism and xenophobia, and to provide new models of care and ensure our most vulnerable communities can stay safe.

Examples of projects/responses can include:

• Participatory mutual aid projects serving vulnerable communities (food justice, kūpuna care, childcare)
• Building solidarity economies
• Community centered indigenous traditional healing and medicine
• Organizing transportation and deployment of essential goods
• Organizing against evictions, utility shut offs, ICE and immigration enforcement
• Organizing for mental health and grief counseling resources
• Organizing to protect affected lands from predatory investors and speculators

To accommodate real-time response to community needs, the Hawai’i People’s Fund will make the following special considerations to those responding to issues related to the August 2023 fires on Maui:

• Current grantees or past grantees mobilizing in Relief and Response on Maui may seek direct awards for urgent response. Please contact the Executive Director directly at hawaiipf@gmail.com.
• Committee will make all efforts to expedite review and make determinations within a week of receipt or less

Hawai’i People’s Fund’s Urgent Action Grants support grassroots, social justice organizations in Hawai’i facing unforeseen, urgent threats, critical junctures in organizing, breaking opportunities or shifts in political landscape, that critically affect their organization and constituency. This fund is intended to help organizations achieve a timely and specific outcome or impact within 3-6 months, usually as part of a long term goal to achieve systems-based change.

The Funding Guidelines lay out all the elements that are looked at and looked for in your proposal. Please review the grant application procedures carefully. A complete application will help the UAGC make their decision. An application should be succinct and clear about its goals, objectives and intentions in how you will work long term towards making progressive social change in Hawai’i.

A clear description of the strategies that are/will be used for action is critical. The UAGC will be looking at the commitment to leadership development and diversity. Work that is inclusive and empowering rather than providing services is prioritized.

Yes. In some cases, funding may be extended to a non-501c3 organization, however, if there is no financial account in the name of your organization, a fiscal sponsor is required.

A fiscal sponsor is an organization with 501c(3) status, a designation with the IRS allowing that entity to receive tax-deductible donations. A fiscal sponsor will partner with you to receive and distribute your grant funding. Note that most fiscal sponsors will charge a percentage for this service and will offer varying levels of support. Please keep in mind that we do NOT fund individuals.

The Urgent Action Grantmaking Committee reads the applications and makes a decision regarding funding proposals. The UAGC is made up of members of the Hawai’i People’s Fund Board of Directors and Grantmaking Committee. It is comprised of your peers, people who are working/have worked for social justice and social change in Hawai’i.

Applicants will typically be notified 2-3 weeks of receipt, though the UAG Cmte is known to make decisions on a much shorter timeline.

The maximum request is $5,000. For requests addressing needs in Maui Komohana, the maximum request is $7,500. We expect the amount to be an honest reflection of need as reflected in a well-prepared budget.

Hawai’i People’s Fund is a community-based public foundation. All money for grants is raised primarily from community members, and in part from other foundations that support grassroots activism for social change. In addition to supporting organizations, we are building a stronger sector of progressive philanthropy.