HPR Receives $200,000 Grant From Hawai‘i Community Foundation By Dabney Gough • Apr 8, 2019 HPR is expanding its local reporting and community outreach efforts thanks to a $200,000 grant over two years from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF). The two-year partnership will enable HPR to hire a general assignment reporter and extend its coverage of locally relevant community, economy, and education topics. These additional stories will air on local broadcasts of HPR-1 programs such as NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and HPR’s The Conversation; they will also be available on the HPR mobile app and on the HPR website. In addition to news reporting, HPR, in partnership with HCF, will also produce a series of town square-style outreach events to engage the community on those same issues of community, economy, and education. “We are delighted to partner with HCF on this endeavor, as it is perfectly aligned with our goal to provide the highest quality local news reporting about and for all of Hawai‘i,” said HPR President and General Manager José A. Fajardo. “It will also further our efforts to bring the community together to discuss local issues throughout the state.” The partnership was announced today by Fajardo and HCF CEO & President Micah Kāne jointly on HPR-1, as part of the station’s Spring Fund Drive. The collaboration is part of HCF’s CHANGE Framework, a platform to encourage collaborative conversations, engagement, and a will to act to address the community’s most critical challenges. The Framework focuses on providing a common set of data and research to inform how communities are performing across the state, analysis to identify gaps within each area and geography, and opportunities to create shared goals and partnerships to amplify impact. “HPR and HCF believe that a more informed community results in a more engaged community,” said HCF CEO & President Micah Kāne. “This partnership will not only benefit partners coming together around the CHANGE Framework, but more importantly the community as a whole.”
Currently, about 30% of HPR’s programming is produced and/or hosted locally. The grant will allow HPR to expand its award-winning local news coverage and provide deeper insights and findings on topics that align with the CHANGE Framework. The partnership goes into effect on July 1, 2019, and news stories will begin airing in Fall 2019. About Hawai‘i Community Foundation With over 100 years of community service, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation (HCF) is the leading philanthropic institution in the state. HCF is a steward of more than 900 funds, including more than 280 scholarship funds, created by donors who desire to transform lives and improve communities. In 2018, HCF distributed more than $62 million in grants and contracts statewide, including more than $6.3 million in scholarships. HCF also serves as a resource on community issues and trends in the nonprofit sector.