Trusted by the Native Hawaiian communities we represent, Mālama Kaʻū Foundation serves as a bridge between our people and the United States military across the Pacific. 

Led by retired military officers with combat experience — our NHO board of directors understand both the deep responsibility of those who have called these islands home for generations and the operational imperatives of the warfighters who train here to defend the nation.

Our NHO board members bridge that gap naturally — because there is no gap for us. We have served this nation in uniform and come home to these same communities our entire lives. We don’t strengthen the Department of War’s relationship with local residents by building it. We strengthen it because those residents are our parents, our cousins, our neighbors, our kūpuna. You cannot fake that. You cannot contract it out. And you cannot replicate it with anyone who wasn’t born into it.

The Mālama Kaʻū Foundation was born out of a deep love for our home, our people, and our culture. Rooted in the rugged yet beautiful Kaʻū District on the Big Island of Hawaii, our nonprofit Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO) was established to uplift our community, preserve our heritage, and ensure future generations can thrive where our ancestors once walked.