FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2, 2024
For press inquiries, contact: Matthew Nagato, 415-655-4434
Partnerships rooted in trust will advance health equity in communities across the islands
HONOLULU, HI – Just over a year after launching a $15 million initiative to support the vital work of Hawai‘i’s Community Health Centers, Stupski Foundation is pleased to announce an additional $5 million in grant funding to reaffirm its commitment to trust-based partnerships that are changing systems for good.
“Our deepened partnership with these health centers reflects a commitment to working together in a significant and meaningful way,” said Dr. Sulma Gandhi, Stupski Foundation’s Hawai‘i Health Lead. “By providing an additional $5 million to this cadre of health centers, we are reinforcing our support and continuing our collaboration with the communities we serve, guided by principles of trust and respect.”
The additional funding will help the centers continue their work addressing social determinants and health disparities, which worsen the health inequities affecting 30,000 Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
Of the renewed and continuing support, Mary Oneha, CEO of Waimānalo Health Center, said, “This additional funding from the Stupski Foundation isn’t simply financial; it reinforces a shared vision about what the future should be. It’s a demonstration of trust in the work we do to support our communities.”
Emmanuel Kintu, CEO of Kalihi-Pālama Health Center, added, “The trust at the center of our relationship now means that the communities we serve will move closer to health equity, closer to better health and well-being, even closer to gaining and harnessing agency over their lives.”
The additional $5 million in funding highlights Stupski Foundation’s commitment to returning resources and decision-making authority to communities. The flexible, unrestricted grants ensure that funding aligns with the specific needs and priorities of each community, rather than imposing external programmatic directives that are the standard of more typical grantmaking.
“This approach reflects our belief in shifting and sharing power so that change to our systems of health are possible,” Dr. Gandhi noted. “By trusting our partners to address their community needs in the most effective way, we honor their expertise and support their work.”
Cheryl Vasconcellos, Executive Director of Hāna Health, summarized the sentiment of this renewed partnership: “Our collaboration is based on mutual respect and a shared commitment to community well-being. This next phase of support is of course welcomed, but it’s also a new way forward in how we can work together to meet our communities’ needs.”
As it continues to spend down, Stupski Foundation remains dedicated to fostering partnerships in Hawai‘i that are built on listening, collaboration, and respect in its ongoing support for community-led health solutions.
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Stupski Foundation is a private foundation returning its assets to the communities it calls home in Hawaiʻi and the San Francisco Bay Area by 2029 to support just and resilient food, health, and higher education systems for all. Learn more at stupski.org.