Pittsburgh foundation commits $1M to Hawaii recovery efforts

One of Pittsburgh’s largest foundations on Tuesday announced it is making $1 million in grants to help with the recovery efforts in Hawaii after the devastating wildfire on Aug. 8 that killed more than 100 people.

The Richard King Mellon Foundation said it will be giving the funds through three grants:

• $500,000 to the Maui Strong Fund, which has been supporting emergencyrelief efforts such as food, housing and animal rescue.

• $300,000 to Pittsburghbased Brother’s Brother Foundation, also for Maui disaster-relief efforts. The two foundations have collaborated before on relief efforts elsewhere.

• $200,000 to Maui Preparatory Academy for student scholarships, a move to address the issue that many students on Maui no longer have schools to attend. Maui Prep, which is still operating, has seen an influx of applicants.

Hawaii’s governor, Josh Green, who is from the Pittsburgh area, welcomed the contributions.

“As the governor of Hawaii, I am humbled, and as a Pittsburgh ex-pat I am extremely proud that such a generous donation is coming from the hometown of my youth,” said Mr. Green, in a statement. “On behalf of the people of Maui, I extend my sincerest mahalo, or thank you, to the big-hearted board of trustees of the Richard King Mellon Foundation.”

The governor had appealed to Pittsburghers earlier for help. He took office earlier this year.

The foundation tends to focus its efforts on the Western Pennsylvania area, but the release noted that it contributed in 1995 to conservation efforts of a significant native forest in Hawaii.

“With the foundation’s significant commitment to conservation in Hawaii, and our history of assisting with disaster-relief efforts elsewhere, the foundation’s trustees were eager to step up and help to show Pittsburgh’s support of Maui in its hour of dire need,” said Sam Reiman, foundation director.

At the end of 2022, the foundation reported net assets of $2.8 billion.