Pu'uhonua Poni o 'Iwa

Puʻuhonua Poni o Iwa Foundation exists to support and advance the Hawaiian culture’s most vulnerable members — families, Kūpuna, and those recovering from addiction and homelessness — by creating a living Hawaiian village where culture is not preserved behind glass, but practiced, transmitted, and celebrated every day. In doing so, we serve the propagation of the Hawaiian culture in its most powerful form: a community that chooses to live it. At the heart of this Foundation is a teaching that Poni Kamaʊʻu carried all his life: that life is not about surviving — it is about shining. That taking full personal responsibility for your life means seeing the beauty you are capable of producing, and refusing to let those moments pass you by.

Our model integrates the proven Delancey Street addiction recovery framework with the timeless wisdom of the traditional Hawaiian ahupuaʻa, creating three distinct but connected village communities on the Garden Island: the Puʻuhonua Recovery Village, the Employee Housing Village, and the Kūpuna Village — each serving a distinct population, each essential to the whole.

Residents live, work, and heal together within a self-sustaining campus centered on two interrelated projects:

• A Memorial Forest of Koa and native hardwoods, honoring the legacy of donors and their families for generations.

• A working Food Forest and hydroponic farm producing fresh food for Kauaʻiʻs hungry, along with revenue-generating cash crops, lei, and flowers.

These twin pillars — legacy and sustenance — create a virtuous cycle: benefactors invest in named trees, buildings, and landscape features; that investment funds the farm and recovery programs; and residents gain skills, purpose, and sobriety while giving back to their community. The model is designed to become fully self-sustaining — and when proven on Kauaʻi, to seed the next campus, and the one after that.

"Doing Good doesn't end when the Benefactors pass away. Their Blessings live on for generations to come."

Puʻuhonua Poni o Iwa is named in honor of Poni Kamauʻu — revered Kumu Hula, Māmakakaua (High Priest) of the Royal Order of Kamehameha, and beloved Hawaiian cultural leader — whose final student, Managing Director Allen Huber, has dedicated nearly two decades to bringing this vision to life.

The Foundation is seeking a Founding Land Benefactor and lead investors to fund a $35–70 million campus that will stand as Kauaʻiʻs most significant cultural and humanitarian institution — and its most enduring legacy giving opportunity. Every dollar raised builds something permanent: a forest, a home, a life restored, a name carried forward for generations.