Faces of
Philanthropy 2012 • Issue 1
Quarterly News from the Hawai‘i Community Foundation
The East Hawai‘i Fund:
Supporting the Community that Supports Us
OUR MISSION
With the help of KTA Superstores, the estate of Frederick Yokoyama and a committed group of residents, the East Hawai‘i Fund was established to provide a stronger link between charitable donors and the specific needs of the east side of Hawai‘i Island. This regional fund, a component fund of the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, awarded
We help people make a difference by inspiring the spirit of giving and by
has come on hard times or there is some sort of disaster, local people respond very well.” People and businesses are supporting and growing this resource by both making gifts directly to the East Hawai‘i Fund, as well as by setting up a separate fund and having the East Hawai‘i Fund’s Advisory Committee manage all or part of the grant making. The Fund does not conduct annual fundraising, but instead relies on the generosity of people who want to benefit the region or a specific focus area within, such as education, health, human services, youth, or arts and culture. “The East Hawai‘i Fund started small and grew over time,” said Barry Taniguchi, president and chief executive officer of KTA Super Stores, and K. Taniguchi, Ltd. “Similar to the early days of the West Hawai‘i Fund, it was a mechanism to encourage residents to participate in philanthropy and provide access to funding for smaller organizations that are doing good work.”
investing in people and solutions to benefit every island community.
Often times, people want to give and help their community, but do not know where to begin. “The Fund allows them an easy way to combine, or pool their financial resources to make a significant impact,” said Taniguchi, who played a key role in creating the fund, and whose family business was instrumental in providing the initial financial support. He also serves on the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Board of Governors.
East Hawai‘i Fund advisory council members (from left): Fred Koehnen, Brian Iwata, Carol Ignacio, Alan Okamoto, Roberta Chu
$42,000 in grants to 14 nonprofit organizations in 2011, and continues to grow through contributions, bequests and planned gifts from businesses and individuals. A volunteer advisory committee made up of trusted residents of East Hawai‘i, works with the Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s professional staff to match the Fund’s resources with community needs through grants. Committee members are Roberta Chu, Carol Ignacio, Brian Iwata, Fred Koehnen, and Alan Okamoto. “Giving is part of our culture,” said Koehnen, who is also the creator of the F. Koehnen Ltd. Scholarship Fund. “If you have someone that
“The nice thing about the East Hawai‘i Fund is you don’t have to have a lot,” said East Hawai‘i Fund Advisory Committee member Roberta Chu. “You can give as little as a thousand dollars, or as much as millions of dollars—depending on what you can afford to give. For reasons of flexibility, it’s an allin-one fund. If you give, you are not burdened by Continued on page 2
Serving Our Community since 1916
For more information on connecting with a cause that you care about, please contact the Philanthropic Services Department at (808) 566-5560 (toll-free at 1-888-731-3863) or e-mail clientservices@hcf-hawaii.org
www.hawaiicommunityfoundation.org