Skip to content

Funding by state · HI

Grantmaking in Hawaii

712 grantmakers are based in Hawaii. Together they granted $605M across the 2022 and 2023 filings, the 41st most of any state, and kept 89% of it in Hawaii. Funding here stays close to home, the 4th most in-state of any state.

Hawaii's 8,491 nonprofits, by cause, size and age ↓
712
grantmakers
39th of 52
$605M
granted, FY2022 and FY2023
41st of 52
$209
given per resident, per year
40th of 51
89%
stays in-state
4th of 52

The short version

  • 712 grantmakers are based in Hawaii, granting $605M across the FY2022 and FY2023 IRS filings, the 41st most of any state.
  • 89% of grant dollars from Hawaii funders stayed in Hawaii; the rest went to organizations in other states.
  • Hawaii's grantmakers give $209 a year for every resident of the state.
  • Hawaii is a net importer of grant money, its organizations drawing $380M more from other states than Hawaii funders send to them.
  • Grant money reaching Hawaii organizations goes to animals at 2.96× the national rate.
  • Hawaii has 8,491 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s, 59 for every 10,000 residents; 91% of its public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year.

Where Hawaii sits among the states

Each dot is a state, sized by its grant dollars. Hawaii is in green.

Given per resident, per year

HI
$103$7,460

Share that stays in-state

HI
0%100%

Net flow with other states

HI
−$4.8B+$3.5B

Hawaii and the other states

Hawaii's organizations draw $380M more from other states' foundations than Hawaii's send out. Switch direction to see who it funds and who funds it.

Largest destinations
  1. California$29M
  2. New York$4.8M
  3. Washington$3.8M
  4. Washington, D.C.$3.6M
  5. Florida$2.4M
  6. Colorado$2.3M

Donor-advised funds, related-party transfers and regrants through intermediaries are left out, so these ties show where the state's own grantmakers reach.

$528M stays in-stateHawaiiGRANTMAKING$443Mimported from funders elsewhere$63Mexported to orgs elsewhere
Hawaii is a net importer of grant money, $380M more arrives than leaves.

Largest funders based in Hawaii

Grantmakers headquartered in Hawaii, sized by total grants made. Pick one for its dossier.

Organizations in Hawaii that draw the most

The nonprofits in Hawaii that received the most grant money.

Biggest funders reaching in from elsewhere

Out-of-state funders sending the most money to organizations in Hawaii.

What draws money in Hawaii, against the country

Each cause by how much of the grant money reaching Hawaii's organizations it takes, relative to the national rate. Right of the line is overweight, left underweight. Hawaii is most overweight on animals, at 2.96× the national rate. Dot size is the cause's share.

0.25×0.5×national2×4×Education29% · 1.24×Health12% · 0.93×Arts and culture10% · 1.31×Environment8% · 1.7×Human services7% · 0.72×Animals5% · 2.96×

Where the money goes by org size

Grant dollars to organizations in Hawaii, by the recipient's size, against the national average (the marker). Hawaii sends a larger share to $100k to $1M organizations than the country as a whole, and less to $100M and up.

Under $100k2% vs 1% national
$100k to $1M19% vs 10% national
$1M to $10M36% vs 31% national
$10M to $100M28% vs 33% national
$100M and up15% vs 26% national

Find funders by cause in Hawaii

Who funds each cause in Hawaii, with the largest funders and how to reach them.

The nonprofit sector · HI

Hawaii's nonprofits

Hawaii has 8,491 organizations registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 7,776 public charities, 1,420 of them congregations, and 715 private foundations. 91% of the public charities that report revenue or file the e-Postcard take in under $1 million a year, and together they report 3% of the sector's revenue. The largest 1% report 66%.

8,491
registered 501(c)(3)s
43rd of 52
59
per 10,000 residents
11th of 51
$12B
charity revenue, latest returns
42nd of 52
27%
file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ
23rd of 52

Registered 501(c)(3)s per 10,000 residents

HI
34164

Each dot is a state, sized by its number of 501(c)(3)s. Hawaii is in green.

What they do, by count and by money

Religion is the largest group by number, 21% of Hawaii's public charities and 0.4% of their revenue. Health is 6% of the charities and 38% of the revenue. Hawaii has 2.74× the national share of environment charities.

Share of charitiesShare of revenue

The thin mark on the left is the national share of charities in the same cause.

Many small, a few very large

Public charities by the revenue on their latest return. Each band is drawn twice: by its share of the charities on top, and by its share of the revenue underneath.

Charities6,288 reporting revenue or filing the e-Postcard
Revenue
  • Under $50k
    69% of charities · under 0.1% of revenue
  • $50k to $250k
    13% of charities · 0.8% of revenue
  • $250k to $1M
    9% of charities · 2% of revenue
  • $1M to $10M
    7% of charities · 12% of revenue
  • $10M to $100M
    2% of charities · 22% of revenue
  • $100M and up
    0.3% of charities · 63% of revenue

What the IRS sees

Only charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ report their finances. Financial figures about nonprofits, here and in any study built on 990s, describe 27% of Hawaii's public charities.

  • 27% file a Form 990 or 990-EZ
    2,115 charities · 26% nationally
  • 54% file only the e-Postcard (990-N)
    4,214 charities · 54% nationally
  • 19% file no return of their own (mostly congregations)
    1,447 charities · 20% nationally

How new they are

Half of Hawaii's public charities were recognized by the IRS in 2014 or later, and 34% since 2020 (32% nationally). The register lists only organizations still recognized, so the older decades count survivors.

9%
Before 1970
6%
1970s
5%
1980s
11%
1990s
13%
2000s
23%
2010s
34%
2020s

The line across each bar is the national share for that decade. The 2020s are a partial decade.

How they are doing

Financial health of the charities that file full returns, against every state.

42%
ran a deficit
42% nationally · 34th highest of 52
5.8
months of cash, median
5.4 nationally · 14th highest of 52
18%
in deficit on under three months of cash
18% nationally · 24th highest of 52

FY2023 returns from 2,170 Hawaii charities filing a Form 990 or 990-EZ and spending $50k or more; cash figures are from the 1,644 full 990 filers among them. The national health report.

Counts, causes, revenue and recognition dates are from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File, which records recognitions through May 2026. A charity is placed by its mailing address. Causes are NTEE major groups, with health's sub-groups folded in; a congregation the IRS has given no NTEE code counts under religion. Revenue is each organization's own latest return, summed, so payments between related organizations are counted on both sides.

Questions and answers

What does it mean for grant money to stay in-state?
It is the share of grants made by funders based in Hawaii that reached organizations also located in Hawaii, rather than organizations in other states. A high share means local funders mostly back local causes; a low one means the money largely leaves.
Is Hawaii a major grantmaking state?
Hawaii ranks 41st of the 52 states and territories by grant dollars from resident funders. The largest grantmaking states are California and New York; the most outward, where money mostly leaves, are domiciles like Delaware.
How can a nonprofit find funders in Hawaii?
Start with the largest grantmakers based in Hawaii, currently Trustees of the Estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop Dba Kamehameha Schools and New Moon Foundation. Out-of-state funders also reach in, led by Stupski Foundation. Grant money reaching Hawaii favors animals above the national rate, so funders active there are worth approaching.
How many nonprofits are there in Hawaii?
8,491 organizations in Hawaii are registered with the IRS as 501(c)(3)s: 7,776 public charities, 1,420 of them congregations, and 715 private foundations. Only 27% of the public charities file a full Form 990 or 990-EZ; 54% file only the e-Postcard, for organizations normally taking in $50,000 or less, and the rest, mostly congregations, file no return of their own. The count is from the IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File.
How recent is this Hawaii grant data?
It is read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file filings for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, the two years with complete coverage. US charity filings lag 12 to 24 months, so this is the most recent complete picture.

More from the funding graph

Read from IRS Form 990 and 990-PF e-file XML for fiscal years 2022 and 2023. A funder is placed by the state on its most recent filing. Grants only: payments into and out of donor-advised fund sponsors, transfers to related organizations, regrants through intermediaries, non-philanthropic payments and grants to individuals are left out. In-state share is among grants whose recipient state is known; ties with other states and the net flow count only grants placed at both ends. Residents are Census ACS 5-year estimates (2019 to 2023). Source: IRS Form 990 downloads.