How It All Started
The Hawaiʻi Pacific Foundation was founded in 2010 by Brigadier General Edwin “Skip” Vincent (retired), whose life and leadership were shaped by both his early years in Hawaiʻi and his decades of service beyond it. Raised with a strong sense of kuleana, Skip returned home with a singular purpose: to give back to the communities that raised him.
His vision for HPF was grounded in the principles he had seen work across cultures and contexts—collaboration over control, relationship over reaction. These “soft power” values, drawn from both experience and ancestral wisdom, became the foundation’s guideposts.
In those early days, Skip reconnected with his longtime friend and former commander, Walt Kaneakua. Their conversations helped shape HPF’s path forward, and Walt’s influence played a meaningful role in inspiring the organization’s formation. Today, he continues that commitment as Vice Chairman of HPF’s Board of Directors.
HPF was structured to create lasting benefit through community investment, rooted in relationships and built for long-term impact. From the beginning, the focus was on building in partnership with the lāhui—guided by trust, alignment, and shared purpose.
Today, HPF continues that work—quietly and intentionally—through partnerships, strategic giving, and long-term investments in community-led change. Our direction remains anchored in faith, our decisions rooted in values, and our path shaped by the wisdom of our kūpuna who came before us.
