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Kosasa Foundation
The Kosasa Foundation operates as the philanthropic vehicle for the family behind ABC Stores, the ubiquitous Hawaiʻi convenience chain founded by Sidney...
Kosasa Foundation
The Kosasa Foundation operates as the philanthropic vehicle for the family behind ABC Stores, the ubiquitous Hawaiʻi convenience chain founded by Sidney Kosasa. Paul Kosasa, Sidney's son and current CEO of ABC Stores, leads the foundation as President, with family members Susan and Ian Kosasa serving on the board. The wealth that funds the foundation's grantmaking originates from a retail empire built on serving both tourists and local communities across the Hawaiian Islands. The foundation's grantmaking concentrates on three pillars: nurturing a sustainable natural environment, empowering younger generations, and supporting Hawaiʻi's arts and culture sector. It funds organizations that educate communities in natural resource stewardship and runs programs critical to youth development. Unlike mainland foundations that may treat Hawaiʻi as a satellite geography, the Kosasa Foundation's entire deployment footprint is the islands — making it a pure-play Hawaiʻi-focused funder. The foundation also maintains a portfolio of directly held real estate on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi, including commercial properties on Waiʻalae Avenue and Center Street in Honolulu, residential holdings on 10th Avenue and Hardesty Street, and a mixed-use development project in Poʻipū, Kauaʻi. Paul Kosasa's influence extends beyond the foundation through deeply embedded institutional relationships in Hawaiʻi's civic infrastructure. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Hawaii Community Foundation, which manages several Kosasa family funds — creating a layered philanthropic architecture where family-directed giving and community-foundation vehicles operate in parallel. He chairs the Waikiki Business Improvement District board and holds directorships with the Hawaii Food Industry Association and the Japanese American National Museum. A second foundation, the Neil & Mary Kosasa Foundation, operates alongside the main entity, suggesting intergenerational philanthropic planning across family branches. The foundation represents a distinct model among Hawaiʻi's institutional funders: a single-family philanthropic vehicle operating with the staffing and public profile of a private foundation, yet maintaining the flexibility and speed of a family office. Its governance sits entirely with family members rather than professional philanthropic staff, and its real estate holdings on Oʻahu and Kauaʻi create a balance-sheet structure uncommon among grantmaking foundations of its size. This combination of grantmaking, directly held real assets, and embedded community-governance roles makes the Kosasa Foundation a quiet but structurally significant participant in Hawaiʻi's civic and environmental funding landscape.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Honolulu
Corporate office
Honolulu, HI, United States
Principals
Paul Kosasa
President
Susan Kosasa
Board Member
Ian Kosasa
Board Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Where does the underlying wealth of the Kosasa Foundation come from?
The foundation's wealth originates from ABC Stores, the convenience store chain founded by Sidney Kosasa that became a dominant retail presence across Hawaiʻi. Paul Kosasa, Sidney's son, now runs both ABC Stores as CEO and the Kosasa Foundation as President. The family has built its fortune over multiple generations serving Hawaiʻi's tourist and local markets.
How is the Kosasa Foundation related to ABC Stores?
The Kosasa Foundation and ABC Stores share leadership through Paul Kosasa, who serves as CEO of ABC Stores and President of the foundation. The foundation represents the family's philanthropic arm, funded by wealth generated from the convenience store business. Board members Susan and Ian Kosasa are also family members, making governance entirely family-led.
Does the Kosasa Foundation only make grants, or does it hold other assets?
The foundation holds a portfolio of directly owned real estate across Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. Recorded holdings include commercial properties on Waiʻalae Avenue and Center Street in Honolulu, residential properties on 10th Avenue and Hardesty Street, and a mixed-use development project in Poʻipū, Kauaʻi. This makes its balance sheet structurally broader than a pure grantmaking foundation.
What is the Kosasa Foundation's relationship with the Hawaii Community Foundation?
Paul Kosasa serves on the Board of Governors of the Hawaii Community Foundation, and the community foundation manages several Kosasa family funds. This creates a dual philanthropic structure — the family operates its own private foundation while also maintaining vehicles within the community foundation. The relationship gives the Kosasa family both direct control and institutional infrastructure for different giving strategies.
How does the foundation's grantmaking focus differ from mainland philanthropies active in Hawaiʻi?
The Kosasa Foundation is a pure-play Hawaiʻi funder — its entire deployment footprint is the islands, with no grantmaking outside the state. Its three pillars target natural environment sustainability, youth empowerment, and arts and culture, all framed around local community stewardship. This contrasts with mainland foundations that often treat Hawaiʻi as one geography among many.
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