Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. (MEO), chartered on March 22, 1965 is a private non-profit Community Action Agency. The current annual operating budget is $17 million dollars. MEO provides outreach and information, and administers human service programs to low-income persons, the youth, elderly, immigrants, ex-offenders, persons with disabilities and medical needs, and other disadvantaged individuals and families on the islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. The agency was organized as a Community Action Agency under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to strengthen and coordinate efforts to eliminate poverty by providing opportunities in education, employment and training, transportation and other areas to help people, help themselves.

Pacific Whale Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to save whales from extinction. Our mission is to protect our oceans through science and advocacy. We are an international organization, with ongoing research studies in Hawaii, Australia, and Ecuador, and are active participants in global efforts to address threats to whales and other marine life. A pioneer in non-invasive whale research, Pacific Whale Foundation was an early leader in educating the public, from a scientific perspective, about whales and the need for ocean conservation. Now celebrating 35 years as a nonprofit organization, Pacific Whale Foundation conducts humpback whale research in Hawaii, Ecuador and Australia as well as studies of odontocetes (dolphins and toothed whales) in Hawaii. Our work has been published in scientific, peer-reviewed journals, as well as in books, reports and informational materials for the public. Pacific Whale Foundation also support studies of blue whales in Chile.

Our Vision: We envision lives fulfilled in a vibrant economy. Our Mission: We lead and inspire innovation in business, education, and community. IT WASN’T THAT LONG AGO when Maui County’s economy was dependent upon two economic sectors — agriculture and tourism — industries that were constantly vulnerable to forces beyond our control. Then in 1982, community, business and elected leaders created the Maui Economic Development Board, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to achieving a balanced economy and more rewarding choices for our residents. The MEDB team worked tirelessly with an extensive network of public, private and nonprofit partners to build homegrown solutions to countywide problems. Priority was given to honoring our community’s environmental and cultural values as we sought to transform education, prepare a workforce for the Information Age, and build community dialogue and consensus about our future. Our initial focus on the growth of a technology sector put emphasis on building a supportive business climate, access to resources and collaborations among peers. Our success in technology has paved the way for adding other sectors such as agri-tech, energy and health. Today with a committed membership, strong board, and dedicated staff, MEDB perseveres. And our unwavering dedication to the vision set in 1982 has created meaningful pathways that now benefit the lives of residents throughout Maui, Molokai and Lanai.