Richard Palmer Kaleioku Smart established the Richard Smart Fund at Hawai‘i Community Foundation when he created the Parker Ranch Foundation Trust to support healthcare, education, and charitable giving for the Waimea community on Hawai‘i Island. From 2001 to 2025, Hawai‘i Community Foundation distributed over $8.65 million to nonprofit organizations serving Waimea.

In 2023, HCF initiated Waimea Futures conversations to elevate community voices and engage a diverse cross-section of Waimea’s residents to update the grant program to address current interests, challenges and opportunities facing the community.

The Waimea Community Weaving Hui, a community advisory group, collaborated with HCF to apply the concepts generated from the community to support Waimea residents working together to bring about the desired future for Waimea.

In June 2026, HCF awarded 29 grants totaling $500,000 to support to support Waimea-serving organizations working to bring about the community’s desired future for Waimea.

Alex & Duke De Rego Foundation
Water Safety Ocean Awareness Education - $21,612  

Big Island Mediation
Community Mediation - $15,000  

Boys to Men Mentoring Network of Hawaii Incorporated
Kuleana for Our Keiki Kāne: Culturally Grounded Mentorship for the Future Men of Waimea - $20,000

Discover Your Kuleana
Discover Your Kuleana 3.0 - $14,900 
Fiscal Sponsor: Friends of the Future 

Five Mountains Hawai‘i dba Kīpuka o ke Ola (KOKO)
Alaka‘i Mālama - $25,000 

Friends of the Future
Tutu’s House - $25,000 

Hawaii Preparatory Academy
Mālama ʻĀina in the Upper Pasture: A Reforestation and Learning Pilot - $15,000 

Hemp Hale Initiative
Hale Initiative - $10,000 

Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society
Free Children’s Education Concerts - $10,000 

Kauai Music Festival
Hawai'i Songwriting Festival 2026 Conference - $15,000 

Kawaihae Canoe Club
Junior Waʻa Keiki Program - $7,500 

Leandra Rouse Creative
Hawai‘i Beekeeper Legacy Project - $12,688
Fiscal Sponsor: Friends of the Future

Lehua Community Birth Center
Midwifery Pathways Program: Connecting Generations of Care - $12,500
Fiscal Sponsor: AABC Foundation Inc.

Māla‘ai – The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School
Culinary Garden at WMS: Integrating Soil Health into Student Learning - $25,000

Malama Kai Foundation 
Ridge to Reef Ahupua‘a Student Education Program - $23,000 

Nalukai Foundation 
2027 Nalukai Spring Innovative Stewardship Program - $10,000

Parker School
Ho‘okuleana: Strengthening Our Community Connections - $12,000 

Prince Dance Company
He Wāʻa He Honua: A Place-Based Education and Performance Initiative Rooted in Waimea - $20,000

Project No Ke Ola Pono O Nā Keiki
Project No Ke Ola Pono O Nā Keiki - $20,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Friends of the Future

Small World Preschool
Accessible Early Education for our Young Keiki - $25,000 

St. James Episcopal Church 
Waimea Community Meal - $10,000 

The Kohala Center
The Waimea Food Story: Building Community One Plate at a Time - $20,000

The Rama Tree
Ocean Wall 3, International airport, Mālama 'Āina mural project - $20,000

Waikoloa Dry Forest Initiative Inc.
ʻŌuli Park Revitalization - $10,000

Waimea Community Association
“Welcome to Waimea” signs - $8,000

Waimea Country School
Foundations of Kuleana: Strengthening Waimea’s Future through Garden, Art, and Service - $17,800

Waimea Elementary School
Community Resource Center - $25,000

Waimea Hawaiian Homesteaders’ Association, Inc.
Paniolo Festival - $25,000

Waimea Resilience Hub
Waimea Resilience Hub - $25,000
Fiscal Sponsor: Friends of the Future

Contact Michelle Pope, HCF program officer, at mpope@hcf-hawaii.org if you have any questions.