Pūlama Ola Medical Respite can expand its services to Kauaʻi after a donation from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s co-founder and founder, chairman and CEO of Meta Platforms.
Project Vision Hawaiʻi recently received the donation of $900,000, which will accelerate the development and operation of the new Pulama Ola village in Līhuʻe.
Pūlama Ola Kauaʻi, which was created in partnership between local health care providers, social service agencies, and community organizations, offers a short-term medical respite for adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability who are recovering from illness, injury, or hospitalization.
The medical respite provides a safe, supportive setting where people can heal while connecting to the resources they need for long-term stability. Pūlama Ola Kauaʻi helps to reduce hospital stays and costs, improve outcomes, and aid individuals in transitioning toward stability while treating every person with compassion and respect.
The donation from Chan and Zuckerberg will help increase capacity for medical respite beds, essential support services, and integrated care for patients recovering from illness or injury and experiencing housing instability. The funds will also support facility enhancements and operational needs to aid individuals in recovery and transition to permanent housing.
“Pūlama Ola represents hope and healing for our community’s most at-risk individuals,” said Ryan Naka, director of strategy and impact at Project Vision Hawaiʻi. “This extraordinarily generous gift from Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, alongside our valued partnership with Poʻipū Beach Villas, allows us to move forward with confidence.”
“Their support not only provides immediate resources but affirms the importance of equitable health access in rural and island communities,” he added.
The new village will provide 18 individual units, each with a kitchenette and a bathroom. The units will serve as a combination of medical respite and affordable rentals.
Chan and Zuckerberg own more than 2,000 acres of land on Kauaʻi and frequently make significant donations through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund at the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.
The Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund awarded $1 million to more than two dozen nonprofits in Hawaiʻi in October 2025 and $1 million to 26 nonprofit organizations with operations on Kauaʻi in November 2024.
In 2022, the couple also donated $1.8 million to Wilcox Medical Center for technology upgrades and $10 million to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine to create the Kauaʻi Medical Training Track, addressing the physician shortage on Kauaʻi.
The largest gift in Hawaiʻi was $50 million in 2022 to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for ocean research.
