Pierre Omidyar Funds Innovative Projects for Nonprofits in Hawaii

PAIA, Hawaii, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Giving Back of Paia, Hawaii recently received $100,000 from the Island Innovation Fund for its innovative healthy aging program, Move With Balance.

Launched in 2010, Island Innovation Fund is a new competitive grantmaking program aimed at spurring innovation in Hawai'i's nonprofit sector. The Omidyar Ohana Fund, established by eBay founder and billioneaire philanthropist Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pam is providing $3 million to the IIF over three years to support and scale creative ways of solving community challenges through an open, transparent grant process. The fund is to encourage innovation among local nonprofits doing more with less in the unstable economy. The fund is managed by the Hawaii Community Foundation.

Move With Balance consists of two innovations: 1) an effective training program that synergizes sensory, cognitive, and muscle systems; 2) an effective mentoring system that refines individual feedback, sustains motivation, and provides elders with social support.  Our exercises are based on the most current brain plasticity research.  These exercises not only enhance cognitive skills, but also help prevent falls, and support healthy aging at the root level.

Giving Back Executive Director, Karen Peterson, says, "On behalf of our nonprofit Giving Back, I am thrilled to receive this prestigious award for our Move With Balance program. I'd like to thank the Omidyar Ohana Fund, Pierre and Pam Omidyar, and the Hawaii Community Foundation for honoring us with an Island Innovation grant.

The money will help the organization pay distribution costs of instructional DVDs and educational materials for individuals, caregivers and senior centers, as well as an interactive website that connects clients for further training. They plan to expand Move with Balance to reach all seniors nationally, by offering MWB training 'kits via each of the following three implementation models. These include 1) Group Model targets organizations that serve elders such as  senior centers and assisted living facilities; 2) Caregiver Model targets professional caregivers, national caregiver franchises, and caregivers, such as physical therapists; 3) Personal Model targets independent seniors who can do the program alone or with friends, and caregivers who care for family members or loved ones. www.MovewithBalance.org and www.GivingBackMentoring.org

The selection committee picked five nonprofits with projects aimed at eliminating Hawaii's energy dependency on imported oil, increasing public participation in policymaking, reducing waste, improving health and increasing public awareness and access to historic trails. The projects were culled from 98 proposals.

Hawaii Community Foundation said the fund is encouraging nonprofits that have tightened their belts in recent years to take risks and find creative solutions to social issues. The nonprofits are selected for their innovative work, which may potentially have a broader impact in the community. "The fundamentals around dwindling resources and growing demands in all areas of the nonprofit sector is forcing change, so we're looking for innovative ways organizations will be able to meet those demands, recognizing they can't keep doing things the way they were doing it previously," said Kelvin Taketa, the foundation's president and CEO. "We're going to really have to reinvent our work."  www.IslandInnovation.org

Media Contact: Karen Peterson Giving Back, 808-573-3109, [email protected]

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SOURCE Giving Back