Maui United Way is steering roughly $1.3 million into community-led relief and long-term recovery across Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi, backing grassroots groups that are handling everything from immediate flood response to multi-year case management for wildfire survivors. The nonprofit has earmarked $1,175,479 for a two-year Fire Disaster Case Management program and another $122,587 in Kona Low relief tied to the heavy March storms.
Grant recipients
Through its Fire Disaster Case Management Grant Program, Maui United Way awarded $1,175,479 to four nonprofit organizations: Family Life Center, Kaibigan ng Lāhaina, Jewish Community Services of Hawaiʻi and Roots Reborn. On the Kona Low Relief Response side, $122,587 went out to Maui and Molokaʻi, including $103,500 spread across 10 local groups such as Ho‘akā Mana (Molokaʻi), Kaibigan ng Lāhaina, the Maui chapter of Lahaina Strong, Living Pono Project, Makai Foundation, Maui Farmers Network, Maui Rapid Response, Our Kūpuna, Roots Reborn and Sustainable Molokai. The totals and full recipient list were detailed by Maui Now.
What the grants will fund
Maui United Way says the two-year case-management awards will support individualized disaster case management, recovery coordination, resource navigation and stronger data collection to cut down on duplicated aid and address unmet needs. The organization also activated the Maui Nui Resilience and Emergency Response Fund in April, seeded with $100,000 from Kaiser Permanente and backed by a Southwest Airlines matching gift, and reports that the fund has helped deliver more than 1,300 meals to hard-to-reach areas like Hāna and Molokaʻi. These efforts are part of MUW’s broader push to move resources quickly and equitably to communities most affected by recent storms and the ongoing wildfire recovery, according to Maui United Way.
Storms widened recovery needs
The grants follow back-to-back Kona Low storm systems in March (March 10-24), which brought prolonged heavy rain, flash flooding and infrastructure damage across the islands and triggered state recovery efforts. State emergency management has kept a Kona Low resource page online with guidance for residents, along with information on local recovery centers and federal assistance. Officials and scientific briefings documented road closures, rescues and widespread disruption that piled additional strain onto Maui’s post-wildfire recovery, according to HIEMA.
Community-led approach
“These grants reflect our commitment to community-led solutions that address both urgent needs as well as long-term recovery and resiliency building that’s greatly needed,” Maui United Way CEO Jeeyun Lee said in the announcement. The funding is designed to shore up local nonprofits and grassroots initiatives that can reach households faster than larger, centralized programs and sustain recovery over the long haul, officials told Maui Now.
What’s next
Maui United Way’s grant materials indicate that additional Community Resiliency awards and notifications are expected in early June, with an award-notification date of June 5, 2026, noted in the organization’s grant packet, according to Maui United Way. Fundraising and outreach are still rolling, and MUW recently hosted a golf tournament in Wailea to raise more recovery dollars as it prepares further funding cycles and technical assistance for smaller partners, according to Hawaii News Now.
For many island nonprofits that are still stretched thin, these targeted injections are expected to keep case managers and relief networks operating into the next phase of recovery. Maui United Way and its partner groups say the goal is to get money into the hands of organizations that have local trust and the reach to find the people who need help most.
