In Solidarity with Maui

Aloha Elemental community,

This week is heartbreaking. We grieve with our friends and family on Maui and the Big Island as fires persist and the searches continue.

The tragedy has revealed yet again how interconnected we all are. I’m in awe of how people from not only Hawaiʻi, but all over the world, have come together to help.

I want to extend tremendous gratitude to the first responders and community members who are showing up with such strength – and to our portfolio companies and so many in our community for the outpouring of love. The outreach from our partners around the world, many of whom are deeply connected to Hawaiʻi through our work together, has been extraordinary.

Thank you.

How to help now

People have different gifts to offer, and I hope you can find a way to give that feels authentic to you. This may be monetary or may include other ways to show care and support.

• At Elemental we have partnered with the Council of Native Hawaiian Advancement Kākoʻo Maui Fund (Support Maui), which has matched every donation up to $1.5M.

There are many community-based organizations who are doing hero’s work in getting help to those who need it, and there are ways to give directly to families.

• Hawaiʻi Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund
• Kanu Hawaii Maui Rapid Response
• Vetted list of GoFundMe pages for individual families

Do you have housing you could offer to someone on Maui? Maui Kokua just launched to connect people who need shelter with people who can help.

How to help in the future

In addition to immediate response, many of the local efforts are committed to building future resilience and community stewardship. Hawaiʻi is where we founded Elemental more than a decade ago and where we started working at the intersection of climate technology and community. We are now in conversation with entrepreneurs and innovators to identify ways that our local food systems, resilient clean energy resources, and local technology solutions can support near-term needs, as well as increase our resilience to climate disasters in the medium and long terms.

There will come a time when all of our collective talents and creativity can support the longer term recovery, and I have faith you all will be there – just as we will be.

There is a long road ahead, and we will fortify each other.

With gratitude,
Dawn