About PID Foundation

Partners Working for You

Since 1997, Partners in Development Foundation has been dedicated to drawing upon the ancient Hawaiian cultural traditions to meet the current challenges facing today’s Hawaiian population. Using vital traditional concepts such as the ahupua‘a system of land and environmental stewardship, and ho‘ona‘auao, traditional mentorship in education, Partners in Development creates and implements programs to address the needs of at-risk groups within the Hawaiian community, such as preschool children, their caregivers, and economically depressed neighborhoods. Applying innovative yet time-tested approaches to assisting foster families and homeless communities, and teaching new informational technologies, Partners in Development seeks to create a climate of caring, knowledge and support that will reach far into the future of Hawai‘i.

Our Roots

Partners in Development Foundation, an IRS Section 501(c)(3) non-profit public foundation, was incorporated in 1997 with the goal of helping families and communities overcome difficult challenges in ways that would make them, in turn, teachers and helpers of others in need.

The Foundation’s first program was its free traveling preschool, Tūtū and Me, established in 2001 through the U.S. Department of Education and  in cooperation with the Association of Hawaiian Evangelical Churches of the United Church of Christ. This program set the pattern of PIDF’s utilization of traditional Hawaiian values in contemporary settings. Recognizing the role of grandparents raising Hawaiian children, the program sent teaching teams to underserved communities to help meet the developmental needs of these young children and support the grandparents and other care-givers in this task.

Over the past fifteen years, the Foundation has continued to build a range of programs in areas such as education, social services, culture/ language and preservation of the environment and Hawaiian agriculture. These programs now have served more than ten thousand people in communities throughout Hawai‘i.

As our Foundation plans new strategic approaches focusing on rural development, special needs education, and the health of minority groups, it remains committed not only to ensure the long-term success of the people it serves, but also to instill in them a passion and a responsibility to serve others.

Our Commitment

Partners in Development is committed to strengthening our communities through the strategic implementation of innovative ideas. From the Foundation’s inception, strong, transparent fiscal management has been a priority to ensure the success of our programs. Kuleana (responsibility) for the resources received and to the funders who provide them is a cornerstone of our organization’s practice. (See overview of the Foundation’s financial condition.) This approach to fiscal management is consistent with our traditional Hawaiian core values.  As we focus on the long-term success of the people and the communities we serve, we hope to instill a sense that those who succeed have, in turn, a responsibility to serve others in need.

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