Nonprofit partnership opens nearly $5M in grant opportunities for other organizations

Friends of Hawaii Charities, Hawaii Community Foundation and the Sony Open PGA Tour have formed a partnership for a period of four years to fund local organizations that serve families in transition out of poverty as well as kupunas and young keiki. HCF will match Friends of Hawaii Charities' $600,000.00 raised each year until 2026. This totals $4.8 million for the community.

Corbett Kalama said in a press release that leveraging resources of Friends of Hawaii Charities through the Sony Open Hawaii PGA Tour in conjunction with the expertise of HCF and matching resources will produce stronger outcomes for people of Hawaii. The four-year partnership between HCF and Sony Group Corp. mirrors Sony Group Corp.'s commitment to sponsoring the annual Sony Open Hawaii PGA Tour at Waialae until 2026. This will allow us to spread blessings throughout the nonprofit community of the Islands.

Friends of Hawaii Charities, starting this year, will direct the annual funds raised through the Sony Open to three programs: HCF’s ALICE Initiative – or Asset-Limited Income-Constrained Employed Initiative – that supports 17 Hawaii based nonprofits by providing financial literacy, workforce training, career and housing support; the Kupuna Ageing in Place Program, which supports elderly support services, caregiver support, adult daycare, and caregiver support organizations for low-to-moderate-income seniors; the Promising Mind

Michelle Ka'uhane said, HCF's senior vice president and chief effect officer, that the Hawaii Community Foundation was committed to finding solutions for an equitable Hawaii. This partnership will increase the impact of our collective commitment to improving the well-being and welfare of Hawaii's families, children, and kupuna. HCF will connect nonprofits who have worked with FOHC or Sony to new opportunities via HCF's grants and initiatives for the community.

Officials said that Friends of Hawaii Charities, HCF and The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation share a common philanthropic vision - forging connections to create a Hawaii where people thrive and places prosper. They noted that this partnership builds on 'the foundation laid down by long-time charity partners, the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation'.

Pacific Business News reported that the Sony Open in Hawaii, which celebrated its 25th Anniversary this year, has raised more than $23 million since 1999 for over 350 charitable organizations. Friends of Hawaii Charities, the charity that hosts the Sony Open, has been doing so since 1998. The professional golf tournament, its signature fundraiser, must reach a minimum of $1.2million in community donations each year, according to Chad Karasaki.

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