Hawaii · Nonprofit
Pacific Forum International
Pacific Forum International (Hawaii) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $3,910,963 to it, the largest being CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK ($2,250,000). 7 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- Revenue FY2025
- $4.4M
- Funders on record
- 19
- Grants received
- $3.9M
- Net assets
- $6.6M
What Pacific Forum International does
Mission
To engage generally in the activity of providing a private, nonpartisan international consultative forum for addressing common policy problems and issues affecting the economic development, resources, security, and stability of the countries of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, and to provide a means for an active and continuing exchange of information, ideas, and views on economic development policies, investment and trade, defense and broader security, energy, and other matters of mutual interest and concern; and the opportunity to propose international programs and policy actions to governments and international organizations.
As stated on its FY2025 Form 990.
Programs
Risk reduction, Nonproliferation and Energy - Pacific Forum's Risk Reduction, Non-Proliferation, and Energy Program examines the geopolitical, military, and technological factors shaping strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific with particular focus on major power dynamics among the United States, China, and Russia. Through track-2 and track-1.5 dialogues, workshops, and research, the program conducts research and convenes policymakers, military officials, and scholars to address: Deterrence, extended deterrence, and crisis management Arms control and nonproliferation norms The intersection of nuclear deterrence with cyber, space, and advanced conventional capabilities A growing component of the program examines energy security and strategic stability, including the strategic, regulatory, and governance implications of expanding civilian nuclear energy across the region. Pacific Forum conducts research and facilitates regional dialogue on nuclear safety, international safeguards, export controls, and civil nuclear cooperationsupporting a balanced approach to energy security, climate goals, and nonproliferation commitments.
$591,214 spent$37,949 earned by the program19% of program spendingGeopolitics and Foreign Policy - Pacific Forum's Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Program examines political, security, and regional developments across the Indo-Pacific, translating complex regional dynamics into actionable insights that inform policy and advance stability. Through integrated programming, the program researches and engages perspectives from across Northeast and Southeast Asia, the Korean Peninsula, South Asia, and the Indian Ocean. Areas of focus include: Alliance coordination and extended deterrence, including on the Korean Peninsula Bilateral and multilateral relationship-building Maritime security and geopolitical competition With engagements across Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Taipei, Singapore, and Honolulu, the program fosters a more connected, resilient Indo-Pacific.
$290,687 spent9% of program spendingNational Security and Defense - Pacific Forum's National Security and Defense Program advances practical, solution-oriented research and dialogue on the evolving security challenges shaping the Indo-Pacifica region at the center of strategic gravity, technological innovation, and economic competition. The program bridges policy development and operational execution by publishing and convening senior defense officials, military leaders, policymakers, industry partners, and strategic thinkers on issues to address deterrence and readiness requirements, alliance and partner coordination, crisis management, and defense and technology innovation. Key areas of focus include: Readiness, deterrence, and alliance resilience Gray-zone and hybrid challenges below the threshold of conflict Strengthening the defense industrial base Logistics and critical infrastructure Integration of emerging technologiesAI, space, and cyberinto defense planning Through flagship convenings such as the Honolulu Defense Forum and the Honolulu International Forum, alongside targeted publications, the program provides trusted venues for new innovative ideas and frank exchange across governments, allied militaries,…
$1,027,964 spent33% of program spendingInternational relationsGeoeconomics and Economic StatecraftNext Generation
$1,163,727 spent38% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $3,073,592.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2020, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2020, 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 2021 to 2022, from $6.1M to $4.9M (−19%).
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: 2020 47% · 2021 30% · 2022 41% · 2023 57% · 2024 62% · 2025 36%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
94% of Pacific Forum International’s revenue is contributions — about as donation-reliant as the typical peer (97% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 3 of the last 6 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.
Chief executive
Carl W Baker
Executive Director
As listed on its FY2025 Form 990.
Who funds it, year by year
2018 → 2023: the base broadened from 2 funders to 7 funders, grant income rose $24k → $905k.
4 of 19 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 3% 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 Pacific Forum International’s funders (the co-funder graph). 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
Pacific Forum International leans on a few funders — its largest provides 58% of grant income and the top three 83%; half comes from just 1 funder.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 1 funder to its left
Largest funder’s share by year: 2018 74% · 2019 99% · 2020 50% · 2021 68% · 2022 41% · 2023 36% — 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 Pacific Forum International'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
Pacific Forum International draws 100% of its grant income from funders outside Hawaii, across 9 states in all.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $107k arriving through sponsors registered in 4 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
Pacific Forum International runs a healthier operating margin than half of the 718 international nonprofits its size.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 718 international nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2025
Government funding Pacific Forum International receives
Grants and contracts to this organization from federal (USASpending) and state checkbooks, reconciled to its EIN. $9.7M on record.
- Department of State$5.5M
- Department of Defense$2.5M
- Department of Energy$1.8M
Federal grants vs contracts are distinguished; state line items keep their reported category. Matched by name + geography (the BMF), so coverage is partial and precision-first.
Organizations like Pacific Forum International
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
75% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
85%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 1 state
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for Pacific Forum International: 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 Pacific Forum International?
- Pacific Forum International (Hawaii) receives grants from 19 organizations whose IRS filings report $3,910,963 to it, the largest being CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK ($2,250,000). 7 of them have funded it in more than one year.
- How many funders does Pacific Forum International have?
- IRS filings report 19 organizations giving $3,910,963 in grants to Pacific Forum International, 7 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of Pacific Forum International?
- CARNEGIE CORPORATION OF NEW YORK is the largest funder on record, with $2,250,000 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like Pacific Forum International 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.
Play a game about who funds Pacific Forum International →
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2025 (financials across 2020–2025), and the filings of 19 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