WHY WE ARE GETTING INVOLVED

About Makai Foundation

Makai Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit charity focused on rebuilding Maui after the deadly wildfires of 2023. We rely on the support of volunteers like you to help us achieve our mission. Whether you have a few hours to spare or want to get involved on a regular basis, we have opportunities for people of all ages and skill levels.

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OUR APPROACH

How We Designed Our Approach To Supporting Our Community

Even when help is needed, how help is delivered can greatly alter the experience of those affected. This is something that Makai has taken very seriously. We considered what was needed, and how to deliver it in a way that is dignified for each and every person involved.

In the wake of the disaster, everyone and their brother wanted to help Maui. We knew that it was important for us to pause and listen for the invitation (kahea). We understood that there would likely be gaps in the system. We chose to observe and identify those gaps in order to ensure that we weren't going in with just best of intentions, we wanted to ensure we had a process in place to effectively catch those who were falling through the cracks in the system. We established early on important values to guide the work we were doing in the community.

Moving at the speed of trust: It was important that we didn’t center ourselves as “saviors” in this space. We spent the first month finding the most effective ways we could be creating measurable support where it was needed most with consistency, stability, and working behind the scenes. No marketing, social media or even publicly sharing about our grants. We instead “moved at the speed of trust” and let the needs guide the way, and let the work speak for itself.

Direct Support for those falling through the cracks in the system: (100% of our first rounds of funding went directly to fire-survivors with no admin costs taken out) It was important that each dollar we raised went right to those in greatest need.

Closing Gaps: Our work was not only to identify gaps, but to work towards closing them. This meant we invested our time and energy in building good inter-agency relationships so that we can work together holistically to ensure there are less gaps for people to fall through. Makai Foundation has been an active member of the Hawaii State VOAD and first iteration of the Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG)/Unmet needs committees and working closely with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, Kako’o Maui, Maui Rapid Response, Catholic Charities, Maui Medics, Operation Hope, Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), United Policyholders, After the Fire and many other local agencies to ensure we are working within the existing ecosystem most effectively.

Commitment to Transparency: Uphold the highest standards of transparency to ensure donors are informed and confident about how their contributions are utilized. Makai Foundation Objectives for Direct Funds.

What was core for us was to ensure that we had transparency for our donors. We designed a process to identify people who had unmet needs and who were not being served by other foundations and community hubs. This was an important step to ensure there was no fraud and that each person was vetted properly. This process led to meeting with leaders in the disaster relief arena where we engaged in a collaboration with a trusted community member named Rebekah Uccellini. This choice enabled us to tap into the experience and wisdom of someone deeply steeped in both the disaster-relief space (18 years in disaster relief and 6 years in Fire-relief) who also was connected to the Lahaina community (former Lahaina resident, and teacher at Kamehameha 3 elementary school and Lahainaluna High School).

Rebekah approaches disaster relief from a “regenerative systems-design lens” which leads with intention to use systems thinking to create resilient and equitable systems that integrate the needs of the community. She was deeply committed to supporting the community in their recovery and had been volunteering her time on island August-October around the clock with Maui Rapid Response, Kako’o Maui and she designed the Kīpuka (trauma-informed, land based disaster recovery space held in the Maui Nui Botanical Gardens). We are grateful to have her on board helping to guide our efforts forward and to ensure that donations get to exactly where they are needed most in the community.

REBUILDING MAUI STRONG

Our Partner Organizations

We are also focused on supporting the rest of Maui during economic hardship that inevitably follows natural disasters of this magnitude. Many of our Partners are local business owners who are active in the community, and with Makai Foundation, pledge to support our local Maui economy during this difficult time.

SEE ALL OF OUR PARTNERS

WE NEED YOU!

Want to Get Involved?

Join us in supporting Maui during this difficult time to keep Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands, bridge the gap where insurance falls short, cut through red tape, and take care of our local families and businesses.

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