Empowering People.
Honoring Place.
Living Our Purpose.  

Changemakers Hawaiʻi exists

to expand access to capital, opportunity, and pathways where more businesses, families and communities can thrive.

Our work is rooted in pilina: the relationships that strengthen communities and help resources, knowledge, and opportunity circulate where they can have the greatest impact.

We’re not here simply to help people navigate systems that weren’t built for them. We’re helping build new pathways forward.

Fueling Change

‍ ‍BIG DREAMS. BOLD STEPS. STRONGER COMMUNITIES.

Starting a business takes courage. Building one that reflects who you are, where you come from, and what you believe in? That takes something more.

It takes purpose. Persistence. A willingness to learn, stumble, grow, and keep moving forward. And sometimes, it takes the courage to stand in front of a room full of people and say, “This is what I'm building, and this is why it matters.”

NEW ON THE POD

In this episode of All Things Change, we talk story with Ipo Wright, founder of Hawaiian Diaspora, about identity, kuleana, cultural connection, technology, and community building across the globe.

‍ ‍DON’T FIGURE IT OUT ALONE

There is a particular kind of pressure that comes with being responsible for something. Other people may see the mission, the product, the event, or the impact.

What they do not always see are the decisions happening behind the scenes.

Priorities with Purpose

A person standing outdoors in front of a table with shave ice and a black banner that reads "Blaze Shave Ice, Pahoa, Hawaii, Hottest Shave Ice." The person is wearing a hat and apron, and there are boats and a blue device in the background.

Blazin’ Snow                   

Zachere’s journey with Blazin’ Snow shows what happens when grit meets aloha. From mom to ʻāinapreneur, she’s carving her own path—one shave ice at a time.

A woman with short dark hair, wearing a red sleeveless top, standing outdoors with green plants and trees in the background. Overlaid text reads "Meet Mik'ala Lidstone, Philanthropono Collective."

Mikiʻala  Lidstone 

Mikiʻala doesn’t create change from the outside in. She cultivates it from the roots up — where culture, community, and ʻāina meet.

A man standing behind a table with colorful bags of cookies at a market stall. A banner in the background reads 'Shortbread Cookies' with rainbow colors. Several people are browsing nearby.

Bryson Hiro’s journey from quiet dreamer to ʻĀinapreneur changemaker is a story of perseverance, humility, and aloha.

  Hiro’s Cookies               

Group of five diverse friends standing arm-in-arm on a beach during sunset, with palm trees in the background.

inspireaction,
sparktransformation

ChangeMakers Hawaiʻi champions economic equity and justice by empowering Native Hawaiian, Indigenous, and underserved communities. Through culturally grounded programs like ʻĀinapreneur, Kanakanomics, KanakaMob, and Philanthropono, we enhance small business growth, financial literacy, workforce development, and nonprofit capacity building. Join us in creating meaningful change and transforming lives!

A group of nine people standing on a reflective surface at sunset, with mountains in the background.

plant roots with us

Change begins in connection—with each other, with ʻāina, and with purpose. By becoming a member of ChangeMakers Hawaiʻi, you’re joining a collective heartspace where ideas grow, voices rise, and community leads.

Walk with us as we imagine and build a thriving future, together.