We work together to make working in hawaiʻi better
Who we are
Founded in 2021, Hawaiʻi Workforce Funders Collaborative was launched in partnership by HMSA, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation to strengthen partnerships and systems to provide equitable access to quality, living wage jobs for Hawaiʻi residents.
We work across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to implement workforce equity best practices. We are a learning community to educate and align philanthropic foundations on emerging narratives and opportunities to support Hawaiʻi workers. Through our pooled fund, we serve as both fundraisers and grant-makers to fund initiatives, test new approaches to better supporting learners and workers, and share results and best practices with others across the system.
While our work is focused on Hawaiʻi, we are also part of the national network of organizations committed to equitable workforce development and thriving communities as a signed partner of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.
Team
Matt Stevens
Executive Director
Matt Stevens has dedicated his career to serving as a bridge between non-profit organizations, philanthropy, higher education institutes and state governments to implement projects that harness the power of data and technology to serve people better. With nearly 20 years of valuable industry experience, he specializes in bringing together people, process and data to serve as the foundation for sustainable, impactful collaborative initiatives. Matt holds an MS in Survey Methodology from the University of Maryland – College Park and a BS in Statistics from the University of Tennessee – Knoxville and is a resident of Kapaʻau in North Kohala on Hawai’i Island. Matt has studied group musical improvisation, mindfulness meditation, and spends most early mornings along the shoulder of Akoni Pule Highway training for his next triathlon.
LORMONA "MONA" MEREDITH
Program design lead
As a life-long learner with so many varied interests, Mona is passionate about using creative outside-the-box thinking to empower and elevate community, nonprofit organizations, and small businesses to advance their missions and projects. She has worked closely with nonprofit and community leaders, mission partners, donors, scientists, business owners, university administrators, community and cultural practitioners, educators, and conservationists. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Brigham Young University of Hawaiʻi, and a Masters in Public Administration and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is the oldest of eight and grew up in Hawai’i, American Samoa, and Samoa. A colon cancer survivor and mother of two, Mona firmly believes in the power of family, alofa (love), and positive psychology as a means of healing, personal reflection and growth.
