REPORT TO MEMBERS
201 5
By supporting education and youth development, the Kūki‘o Community Fund is increasing the success of local youth in school, in work and in life.
Dear Kūki‘o Community Friends, In 2015, we collaborated locally with other major funders to tackle tough problems and we developed deeper partnerships with our educational and youth-serving organizations. This participative, wide-angle approach is deeply appreciated by our Hawai‘i Island neighbors and exemplifies our belief that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Our success is due to the generous support from our Kūki‘o community — mahalo nui loa! Through your contributions and encouragement, we increased the size of our grants to make a more concentrated impact in three areas. Kūki‘o Community Fund is investing in our local youth and thereby building a stronger community, and here is how:
ĒLAMA PROJECT AT PĀLAMANUI Funded a pilot at the new West Hawai‘i Community College campus to support students who wouldn’t otherwise pursue a college education, pg 4.
STEM LEARNING PARTNERSHIP Joined 6 other major funders on Hawai‘i Island to advance STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) learning styles and experiences most needed in the current and future workforce, pg 6.
FLEX GRANTS FOR HIGH PERFORMING YOUTH PROGRAMS Invested in Hawai‘i Island non-profit organizations who demonstrate positive, measured results from their youth-serving programs, pg 8.
With sincere gratitude and aloha, Kūki‘o Community Fund Advisory Committee Members 01
REPORT TO MEMBERS 2015
2015 KŪKI‘O COMMUNITY FUND ADVISORY COMMITTEE Kūki‘o residents and local community leaders give their time, wisdom and resources to raise funds and guide the community grant investments.
Benjy Garfinkle, Co-chair
Sally Hartman
Grant Heidrich
David Johnston
Andrea McTamaney
Hannah Springer
Danielle White
Ross Wilson Jr.
Dawn Zierk, Co-chair
STAFF The Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Hawai‘i Island-based staff leads and facilitates this committee and provides a local, professionally-managed and cost effective mechanism for the fund’s grantmaking and operations.
Lydia Clements, Director, Neighbor Islands Diane Chadwick, Senior Philanthropic Services Officer Andrea Furuli, Senior Philanthropy Advancement Officer Marlene Hochuli, Philanthropic Services Assistant
ĒLAMA PROJECT OF THE HAWAI‘I COMMUNITY Knowledge is both a useful tool and potential key to unlock doors of opCOLLEGE AT PĀLAMANUI portunity. Knowledge is both a useful tool and potential key to unlock doors of opportunity.
A college education is more important now, than it has ever been. Workforce projections show that by 2018, 65% of jobs on Hawai‘i Island will require a post-secondary education. Positions available to those without a degree or some college coursework rarely provide enough income for economic self-sufficiency. West Hawai‘i is one of the most underserved areas in the state and many of its residents have limited access to education that could unlock life-transforming opportunities and greatly improve their income earning potential. Kūki‘o Community Fund provided seed funding to pilot the Ēlama Project, at Hawai‘i Community College Pālamanui Campus in Kona to address this dire situation. The program began this fall with the first cohort of eighteen participants. Many of these students used to think that college was not for them. They faced adverse social and economic conditions, hurdles often too high to overcome. The Ēlama Project aims to boost students in West Hawai‘i over the hurdles that might have kept them from receiving more education. Not only does Ēlama disburse scholarships to pay for classes, it provides wrap-around supports like counseling, tutoring and specialized training to ensure students’ success. Plans for program expansion include a second cohort starting in the fall of 2016, bringing the total number of students to 50.
03
REPORT TO MEMBERS 2015
ĒLAMA PROJECT INCREASES YOUTH SUCCESS IN: SCHOOL Studies show that community
college students who participate in summer bridge programs and receive tutoring or counseling services are at least 10% more likely to finish degrees.
WORK Individuals with at least one year of college are 28% less likely to be unemployed and on average earn 30% more income. LIFE One year of college can lead to living
seven years longer.
“Thanks to your generous support, I am able to attend college! Growing up in a less privileged community has not only offered financial and academic challenges, but it has made me realize the value of college education.” – Casie, Ēlama Student
STEM LEARNING Knowledge is both a useful tool and potential key to unlock doors of opportunity. PARTNERSHIP More than an acronym, a way of learning In our rapidly-evolving world, there is a growing need for people who can continuously learn and apply learning to relevant issues around them. Advances in the fields of energy, health, technology, climate and policy require new levels of experience, experimentation and expectation. Educators are evolving to help prepare their students develop this love of discovery by fostering applied, project-based ways of teaching and learning. Often referred to as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), STEAM (adding Arts or Aina) or STREAM (adding Reading) — what defines this powerful learning model is the integration of multiple subjects to test ideas and design real-life solutions. The Kūki‘o Community Fund joined with other major funders through Hawai‘i Community Foundation to increase the number of Hawai‘i Island residents who succeed in the workforce by supporting more rigorous and inspiring STREAM learning and teaching. The Kohala Watershed Project, for instance, teaches hydrology through the lens of nature. Through an exploratory hike in a native ecosystem, students record sensory experiences like the change in temperature and humidity along elevation gradients and hear stories about the cultural and natural history of the site. Recognizing how fresh water access shapes their daily lives, one group of students “solutionaries” designed experiments to understand the water saving properties of the moss they observed. How does it work, is the water drinkable and how can these properties be used to save water for our schools or homes?
05
REPORT TO MEMBERS 2015
“There’s nothing greater than knowing that we are helping local students of all abilities and backgrounds, moving them from consumers to producers — teaching them stewardship and ownership of their learning and their lives!” – Sally Hartman, Kūki‘o Community Fund Committee Member
STEM LEARNING PARTNERSHIP INCREASES YOUTH SUCCESS IN: SCHOOL 125 Hawai‘i Island teachers participated in training and professional learning networks funded in 2015.
WORK Over 1,200 students explored career options
through direct interaction with STEM professionals.
LIFE Students are designing solutions to address
real-life local issues including a mechanism to safely remove invasive species and adaptive wheelchairs with customizable accommodations.
FLEX GRANTS TO HIGH-PERFORMING YOUTH PROGRAMS Ensure the best environments and opportunities for our local youth to succeed The nonprofit community makes significant contributions to the positive growth and development of youth and families on Hawai‘i Island. We reach more local youth in need when we partner with organizations that demonstrate a solid fiscal foundation and are led by a strong and active board. For this reason, Kūki‘o Community Fund provides high-performing nonprofit organizations with unrestricted funding to enable nonprofit leaders to apply programmatic muscle where it is needed most. Each group selected to receive FLEX Grants has an impressive track record serving Hawai‘i Island youth. And they made the grant money go farther — 80% of grantees reported that the grant helped them leverage additional funds and 86% used funds to increase the number of youth they served. One FLEX grantee, Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture, has been enriching the lives of people of all ages through arts and culture education since 1994. Their youth programs stimulate learning through arts education in West Hawai‘i schools and at the Donkey Mill Art Center. More than 500 children attending area schools in grades K–12 receive artist instruction at little or no cost to the school. As a result, students practice self-expression, collaboration and creativity, all components that contribute to developing vibrant individuals and communities.
07
REPORT TO MEMBERS 2015
FLEX GRANTS INCREASE YOUTH SUCCESS IN: SCHOOL Youth regularly participating in high-quality
afterschool programs, like 11 of those funded in 2015, raise their Math and English grades (37%) while also improving their homework completion and class participation (72%) and their behavior in class (67%).
WORK About 18% of Hawai‘i’s workforce is employed in
agriculture, land management and scientific businesses so early exposure to local conservation, food production and forestry careers through 4 funded programs, broadens youth horizons.
LIFE Youth believe that organized, structured out-of-school activities are enormously important to them, with 85% saying that kids who participate in such activities are better off than those who don’t.
15 years of Kūki‘o Community Fund giving back to our local community
IN 2015, your collective generosity reached over 7,500 youth through $380,000 in grants on Hawai‘i Island.
Together, we raised $460,000 in 2015
2015 KŪKI‘O COMMUNITY FUND CONTRIBUTORS INDIVIDUALS Anonymous (7)
Gary & Debra Fournier*
Ron & Cindy McMackin*
Paul Sarkis & Sarah Isenberg
William & Alberta Aldinger*
Benjy & Terri Garfinkle*
James Morris
Bill & Cheri Schoolcraft
John & Peggy Baker
Richard & Helen Gates*
Nancy Mueller*
Mark & Lynda Schwartz*
James & Janet Bond*
Mike & Judy Gaulke
Terry & Sharon Ritchie Mullin
Ron & Sandi Simon*
Kenneth & Laura Breitenbach*
Stephen & Tamar Goodfellow*
Hirofumi & Mayuri Nakato*
Hannah Springer*
Michael & Joan Burke
Jonathan & Sarah Graham
Winton & Carrie Ann Nicholson
John Stanton & Theresa Gillespie
Michael & Liz Byrd*
Rich & Nancy Griffith
John & Donna O’Connell Jr.*
Frank & Joan Thomas*
Carl & Christine Carlson*
Linsay Hall
Paul & Sandy Otellini*
John & Sandra Thompson*
Vincent & Ginny Coviello*
John & Jennifer Hoffee*
Carl & Mary Jane Panattoni*
William & Nancy Thompson*
Matt & Maggie Cwiertnia
John & Jacque Jarve*
Andrew & Mary Pilara
Chuck & Kate Vasilius
Kent & Elizabeth Dauten*
Richard & Kathryn Kimball*
Mike & Diane Prohoroff*
Ross Wilson, Jr. & Debbie Baker
Steven & Hillarie Dietz
Robert & Catalina Lewis*
Scott Sakata
G. Douglas & Michele Dillard Jr.
Duncan & Dawn MacNaughton
Charles & Leann Sander, Jr.*
Randall & Denise Farleigh*
JB & Susan McIntosh*
Arun & Rummi Sarin
FOUNDATIONS, TRUSTS & CORPORATIONS A. C. Kobayashi Family Foundation*
Flanagan Family Foundation*
Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation*
Gary & Jean Shekhter Grants Fund, Jewish Community Foundation San Diego*
Ashok & Maggie Varadhan, Goldman Sacs Gives* Bartz Marr Family Foundation Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation* Bobbie & Mike Wilsey Fund, San Francisco Foundation*
John & Frances von Schlegell Family Fund, Schwab Charitable Fund
Robert & Andrea McTamaney III, Goldman Sachs Gives*
John & Marcia Goldman Fund, Jewish Community Federation*
Roberts Foundation*
Gib & Susan Myers Fund, Schwab Charitable Fund*
Johnson Family Foundation
Rose Family Fund, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund
KFRZ Kona, LLC
Schlinger Family Foundation*
Goldsmith Family Foundation III*
Lisa & John Pritzker Family Fund, Northern Trust Company*
Sinnott Family Charitable Fund, Northern Philanthropic Trust
Greg & Sally Hartman, San Francisco Foundation*
Lott Foundation*
Snyder Family Foundation*
Gregg & Kate Lemkau, Goldman Sacs Gives
Mackenzie Family Fund, Silicon Valley Community Foundation*
Sykes Family Foundation*
Hazen Family Foundation*
Magaro Family Foundation Inc.
Donald Lee & Sally Steadman Lucas Foundation*
Heidrich Family Fund, Silicon Valley Community Foundation*
Michael & Susan Dell Foundation*
Vermut Family Fund, Schwab Charitable Fund
DSEA Wong Foundation*
Hoak Foundation
Michael W. Michelson Fund, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund*
Durban Family Gift Fund of the Ayco Charitable Foundation*
James H. Greene, Jr. Fund, Greene Van Arsdale Foundation*
Pablo & Nathalie Salame, Goldman Sachs Gives*
Fenton Family Foundation
Jenard & Gail Gross Fund, Greater Houston Community Foundation
Paul & Elle Stephens Family Fund, Marin Community Foundation*
Brett & Danielle White Fund, Santa Barbara Foundation* Charles & Helen Schwab, Schwab Charitable Fund*
Van Konynenburg Foundation*
Yang Family Trust Zierk Family Foundation*
* 3 consecutive years of giving or a cumulative total of $20,000
2015 GRANTEES LIST ĒLAMA PROJECT OF HAWAI‘I COMMUNITY COLLEGE AT PĀLAMANUI STEM LEARNING GRANTS Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i Kealakehe High School STEM Program Keaukaha One Youth Development Kohala Robotics PISCES Moon RIDER Akamai Internship Program
Honoka‘a Complex Schools, TechnoTrailer Hilo Intermediate School Frameworks for STEM Success! Kea‘au Elementary School Robotics Inspire The Inspiration Imagination Innovation (I3) Project FLEX GRANTS Hawai‘i Institute of Pacific Agriculture After-School All-Stars Hawaii Child and Family Service
Hawai‘i Forest Institute Hawaii Island Hoops, Inc. Holualoa Foundation for Arts and Culture Kahilu Theatre Foundation Kealakehe High School Grad Kona Pacific Public Charter School Mala‘ai — The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School Teach For America Three Ring Ranch Inc. North Kohala Community Resource Center
The Kūki‘o Community Fund was established in 2001 as a way for Kūki‘o members to: INSPIRE We connect the deep generosity of Kūki‘o residents with meaningful giving opportunities. INFORM We understand the needs of the community and the most effective ways to help. INVEST We measure the impact of our giving and collaborate with other philanthropic investors. Mahalo for your involvement and contributions, together we are making an impact!
We invite you to learn more about what we do and how we work and encourage you to join us in making a difference on Hawai‘i Island! Contributions are tax-deductible and can be made online at HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/KukioFund, be delivered to the concierge or sent to: Kūki‘o Community Fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation 827 Fort Street Mall Honolulu, HI 96813 (EIN: 99-0261283)