Hawaii · Nonprofit
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation (Hawaii) receives grants from 27 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,157,590 to it, the largest being TRUSTEES OF THE ESTATE OF BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP DBA KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS ($1,233,334). 10 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2024
- $1.2M
- Funders on record
- 27
- Grants received
- $2.2M
- Net assets
- $1.5M
What Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation does
Mission
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation believes in sustainable agriculture and local food systems that promote a healthy environment and strong communities. Its mission is to build a supportive regenerative agricultural system where farmers can create sustainable, vibrant and prosperous agricultural communities across Hawaii.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Cultural & Indigenous Agricultural Initiative - Develop and strengthen the Kuia Agricultural Education Center in Lahaina that teaches Hawaiian cultural and agricultural practices to the West Maui community, including children, youth, and adults. The program envisions recreating the King's Ulu Forest in Kuia, making KAEC a vibrant oasis of Hawaiian culture, native and canoe plants, and a place for families to connect to their roots while increasing their own production and consumption of local foods. The long-term vision of this program is to see a revitalized Kuia moku through a combination of agricultural education, production, and reforestation of the landscapes.
$357,187 spent41% of program spendingCapacity Growth - Capacity building for HFUF is done by hiring staff, developing programs, strategic planning, and promoting long-term financial growth and development. As the work of HFUF/HFU expands, it is vital to increase capacity to allow for continuity of work.
$145,392 spent17% of program spendingThe Healthy Soils program is an initiative to support and educate farmers in Hawaii on the importance of healthy soils, biodiversity, and regenerative farming practices. This is done through direct mentorship, technical assistance to farmers, and funding for the implementation of practices, necessary equipment, and infrastructure purchases.
$138,594 spent16% of program spendingHFU Membership, Chapter Support, and Convention - Programmatic support for HFU educational programs, chapter and membership growth, and the annual convention. Support is given via small grants directly to HFU chapters and larger grants to support HFU outreach and educational initiatives.
$92,515 spent11% of program spendingMaui Resiliency Response - In the aftermath of the Maui wildfires on October 8th, 2023, HFUF provided immediate emergency relief to Maui farmers and the Lahaina community. This included food, health supplies, housewares, and many other supplies. HFUF provided small grants to farmers impacted by the fires to support their recovery of equipment, plants, and supplies. In addition, HFUF has been a leader and involved in setting recovery strategies, especially in reducing the risk of future fires through improved land practices such as agroforestry and pasture management. Maui Resiliency is an ongoing initiative to foster awareness around fire mitigation practices, direct funding support to farmers to bolster production and resiliency for future natural disasters, and provide educational opportunities for farmers and the community. Maui's long-term resiliency is the key driver of this program, and all funds are used to provide future community resiliency.
$89,503 spent10% of program spendingFarmers Market - Direct support for farmers' markets and food hubs by fiscal sponsorship, grants, and funding support.
$36,514 spent4% of program spendingEducation & Training - This program is focused on providing educational workshops and training for Hawaii farmers, Hawaii Farmers Union membership, and staff.
$9,700 spent1% of program spendingThe Policy Advocacy program is aimed at educating farmers in Hawaii on policy initiatives, understanding the legislative process, grassroots communications to empower farmers' needs, and supporting bills through testimony and community partner liaisons.
$7,530 spent1% of program spending
The 8 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $876,935.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $341k to $1.3M (+278%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2017 20% · 2018 78% · 2019 53% · 2020 19% · 2024 5%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
99% of Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation’s revenue is contributions — more reliant on donations than three-quarters of its peers (48% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 2 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 5 funders to 13 funders, grant income rose $187k → $373k.
5 of 27 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 4% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
From the IRS filings of Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation’s funders (the co-funder graph). Top 26 of 27 funders by total. Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation leans on a few funders — its largest provides 57% of grant income and the top three 84%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
71% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 79% · 2018 99% · 2019 87% · 2020 80% · 2021 90% · 2022 89% · 2023 67% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
50% of Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 37% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
68% of Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation's grant income comes from Hawaii funders.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $96k arriving through sponsors registered in 5 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation runs a healthier operating margin than three-quarters of the 11,752 education nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 11,752 education nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Hawaii
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
92% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
100%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Part of a family of 1 related entity
- Hawaii Farmers Union United · exempt
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation?
- Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation (Hawaii) receives grants from 27 organizations whose IRS filings report $2,157,590 to it, the largest being TRUSTEES OF THE ESTATE OF BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP DBA KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS ($1,233,334). 10 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation have?
- IRS filings report 27 organizations giving $2,157,590 in grants to Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation, 10 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation?
- TRUSTEES OF THE ESTATE OF BERNICE PAUAHI BISHOP DBA KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS is the largest funder on record, with $1,233,334 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Hawaii Farmers Union Foundation find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Hawaii. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 27 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing