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On June 15, 1955 nine members of the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents, met in the Regents' Room Administration Building at the University of Hawaiʻi to organize a charitable corporation to be known as “The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation.” At this historic meeting Philip Spalding acted as chairman and Richard Penhallow as secretary and it was here that the Petition for Charter, Charter and By-Laws were approved and adopted. The nine incorporators each contributed a membership fee and the Foundation was started with $900.

These visionary community leaders recognized that the university needed private support in order to fulfill its ambitious mission to educate Hawaiʻi's people.

The 9 Original Incorporators:

  • Philip E. Spalding
  • Gregg M. Sinclair
  • Richard Penhallow
  • Hung Wai Ching
  • Fred K. Lam
  • Clayton J. Chamberlin
  • Katsuyuki Izumi
  • Jack H. Mizuha
  • J. Garner Anthony
Gregg M. Sinclair UH president 1942-1955

Gregg M. Sinclair
UH president 1942-1955

Original UHF Logo

By January 10, 1956 the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation had grown to include 37 corporate members and 89 individuals.

Since 1955, our fundraising success has grown exponentially:

  • In its first year the Foundation raised $28,000.
  • Five years later, the Foundation's minutes report that more than $140,000 was raised.
  • Fifty years later, in 2005 the Foundation raised $39 million.
  • The positive trajectory continues. In FY2020, we raised $84.7 million to support UH students, programs, research and faculty.

These numbers highlight the growing impact the Foundation and donors to UH have made for more than half a century.

Thank you for being part of our history!