Committed to caring for Maui County’s K¯ upuna Every day, hundreds of k¯upuna on Maui, Lana‘i, and Moloka‘i rely on the essential senior services provided by N¯a Hoaloha. Whether it’s providing rides to doctor visits, dropping off groceries and medication, or simply stopping by to talk story, N¯a Hoaloha helps local families fill the gaps in elder care so Maui County’s seniors can live happy, independent lives. These visits are an invaluable service, but can be costly to provide. “We have seniors in some pretty remote locations throughout the county,” says N¯a Hoaloha Executive Director, Barry Gay. “It can get pretty expensive to cover the cost of transportation every year, on top of all our normal operating expenses. Gas, utilities, salaries … those aren’t things covered by typical grants or donations and that’s one of the reasons we’re so grateful for the funding we’ve received through the FLEX grant.” Established in 2013, Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s FLEX Grant Program channels unrestricted donor funding to high-performing nonprofits that have a proven track record of success and positive impact in the community. The beauty of the program is that it provides nonprofits the leeway to spend money where they need it most, whether that’s on staff salaries, utility bills, or the occasional car repair.
These types of ‘unrestricted’ funds are notoriously difficult to come by in the nonprofit world, and are indispensable to these organizations. The FLEX Grant Program offers donors a unique way to support nonprofits doing good work in the community. HCF has identified organizations to receive these grants that are demonstrating the importance of their work in the community, can show financial stability, and are using their data to continually improve their programs. “We realize that providing discretionary support to nonprofits requires a level of trust, so we spend a lot of time vetting these organizations to assure our donors that these really are high-performing nonprofits that know how to maximize donor funding for the most impact,” says Inger Tully, HCF Senior Philanthropic Services Officer for Maui County. “Ultimately, there’s no better show of support for a nonprofit than to tell them, ‘We’re going to give you a grant because we trust you to know how best to spend it.” Repairing equipment when needed, filling a gas tank, and purchasing office supplies make it possible for nonprofits to strengthen our communities. That’s the big promise of little things.
“High-performing nonprofits know how to maximize donor funding for the most impact.”
DID YOU KNOW: 950 FLEX Grants totaling $21.7 million have been awarded to Hawai‘i nonprofits since the program started in 2013. To learn how you can transform your generosity into lasting change, please visit:
HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org