An update from Ulupono Initiative

Sep 10, 2026

Aloha,

In 2009, Ulupono Initiative was created with the goal of building a more self-reliant and resilient future for Hawai‘i. That mission and purpose is what drove me to join the team in 2012. Over the past 17 years, so much has changed — our global and local communities, the way we approach our work and investments, and our organizational leadership.

Thanks to the generosity of community partners we’ve worked with throughout the years, our team has learned more than we could have ever anticipated. I am so grateful for the opportunity to grow here both professionally and personally. Becoming a proud father of three along the way has definitely given me new perspective.

After reflecting on where we’ve been and imagining a different way of approaching our work, we and our board of directors believe we have an opportunity to help steward change in Hawai‘i for generations to come by following the community’s lead. This will require significant change.

How we are evolving

Since inception, Ulupono and the other Hawai‘i-based Omidyar Group organizations have worked independently. While this is important for organizations like Honolulu Civil Beat and Public First Law Center, it is not critical for the others, such as Ulupono Initiative, Hawai‘i Data Collaborative, and Hawai‘i Leadership Forum. When our three teams reflected together on the work and imagined the future, we recognized the potential to have greater impact by combining our efforts.

To do this, I am excited to share that we are reshaping our approach and structure:

• First — we are changing how we work, grounded in and guided by four principles: foundational health and well-being; reimagining the economy in relationship to ‘āina; centering indigenous wisdom and leadership; and, interdependent governance and mutual stewardship.

• Second — Ulupono Initiative, Hawai‘i Data Collaborative, and Hawai‘i Leadership Forum will be sunsetting, and the staff of all three will transition into a new organization, being formed under the leadership of our board chair, Sunshine Topping.

This evolution will take place over the next year. We don’t have a name or a scope of work for this organization yet — that will be defined over the next 18 months. We look forward to sharing milestones as new details emerge about the work ahead and who we are becoming.

What this means moving forward

Much remains to be determined about the new organization. What we know for sure is that this transition reflects our continued commitment to Hawaiʻi and our communities. This commitment is what continues to drive me and the team, now more than ever. I’m honored and excited to continue to play a leadership role working with Sunshine to help design what’s next.

In the meantime, we are thoughtfully wrapping up Ulupono’s current work and will communicate directly with partners most affected by these decisions. We will honor our existing funding commitments while pausing most new funding and initiatives until we further solidify the new organization. As a result, we are not seeking new proposals at this time, allowing us to be intentional about our wind-down and to devote considerable time to ground ourselves in the guiding principles and to listen to the community about how the new, combined entity might contribute in meaningful ways.

Thanks to our partners, we have a strong foundation to build upon. We are immensely grateful for the relationships that have shaped our work since 2009. While change can often be hard, I am eternally thankful for all we have been able to do over the years. I’ve learned so much along this journey and, as I ponder what might be, I find myself thinking about the ancestors we are becoming and the future we are building, not just for our keiki but for our great-great grandkids.

I strive to make them proud and I could not be more excited for the direction we are headed. We appreciate your grace as we navigate this process and will continue to share more as this next chapter unfolds.

Mahalo,

Greg Gaug

Interim President

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