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 2024, Hawai‘i Community Foundation distributed over $8.1 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.

As a result of these conversations, a Funding Opportunity was developed and grants awarded to organizations that could describe their kuleana for Waimea’s future, align their work with the vision, values, and priorities raised by the community, and engage the diverse people, organizations, and ‘āina of Waimea.

In July 2025, HCF awarded 24 grants totaling $450,000 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 - $23,100  

Big Island Mediation 
Community Mediation - $18,000  

Discover Your Kuleana 
Discover Your Kuleana 3.0 - $20,000 
Fiscal Sponsor: Friends of the Future 

Five Mountains Hawaii 
E Ho‘omaika‘i - $20,000 

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

Hāmākua Youth Foundation 
Hāmākua Youth Center Programs - $7,500 

Hawaii Diaper Bank 
Hawaii Diaper Bank Baby Bundle Program - $5,000 
Fiscal Sponsor: Hawaii Children’s Action Network 

Hui Aloha Puʻukapu 
Kū Kaiāulu - $25,000 

Kahilu Theatre Foundation 
Community, Culture, and Connectedness for Keiki, ʻOhana, and Kūpuna of Waimea - $18,000 

Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra Society 
Free Youth Education Concerts - $10,000 

Kauai Music Festival 
Hawaii Songwriting Festival 2026 - $20,000 

Kawaihae Canoe Club 
Mālama i ko kākou waʻa, mālama i ko kākou kaiaʻulu - $12,500 

Kona Historical Society 
Hawaii Island Beekeeper Legacy Project - $17,900 

KUPU 
Conservation Leadership Development Program - $25,000 

Māla‘ai – The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School 
Rooted in Ala ‘Ōhiʻa: Cultivating Pilina through Food, Plants, and Place - $25,000 

Malama Kai Foundation 
Ridge to Reef Ahupua‘a, Watershed Student Education Program - $20,000 

Paniolo Preservation Society 
Stories in the Saddle: A Virtual Museum of Waimea’s Paniolo Legacy - $25,000 

Parker School 
Ho‘okuleana: Strengthening Our Community Connections - $20,000 

Small World Preschool 
Accessible Early Education for our Young Keiki - $22,500 

St. James Episcopal Church 
Waimea Community Meal - $15,000 

The Queen’s Health Systems 
Queen’s North Hawaii Community Hospital – Market Research Project - $20,000 

The Rama Tree 
E Ola Ka Wai Ola! O Wau Ka Wai Ola! A Community Mālama ‘Āina Mural - $12,500 

Waimea Community Theatre 
WCT Funding for 2025 – 2026 - $25,000
 
Waimea Resilience Hub 
Waimea Resilience Hub - $18,000 
Fiscal Sponsor: Friends of the Future 

Associated Files:
Waimea Community Report

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