Hawaii Community Foundation opens second Big Island office

Hawaii Community Foundation opens second Big Island office

By Lorin Eleni Gill – Reporter, Pacific Business News Nov 16, 2015, 4:23pm HST Updated Nov 17, 2015, 5:38pm EST The Hawaii Community Foundation has opened a second office on the Big Island, its fifth office statewide.

The new HCF Hilo headquarters is based at the Hawaii Innovation Center, which opened in 2004 and is owned and operated by the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

The 99-year-old foundation's Oahu headquarters is located at 827 Fort Street Mall in Downtown Honolulu.

Senior philanthropy advancement officer Andrea Furuli will head the new Hilo office.

“I look forward to leading the work of the foundation as it expands its presence in the Hilo community and throughout the region,” she said. “The people of East Hawaii have shown incredible support and generosity for causes near and dear to them, and we look forward to working with them even more closely to transform their generosity into lasting change.”

The East Hawaii region has been increasingly engaged in philanthropy, according to the foundation. The new office will connect donors with “giving officers” in their community.

East Hawaii organizations have been awarded in $200,000 in grants through the foundation’s East Hawaii Fund over the past four years.

Since January, roughly $66,000 has been distributed to 21 local charities in the area.

“Hawaii Community Foundation has long been a valuable resource for giving across the state,” said Barry Taniguchi, chairman and CEO of KTA Super Stores and an East Hawaii resident and past member of Hawaii Community Foundation’s board of governors. “As the foundation develops deeper roots in East Hawaii, it will provide more opportunities to focus on the community as a whole and help shape positive change and growth.”