Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have donated $900,000 to support the expansion of Pūlama Ola Kauaʻi. It is a medical respite program which is created to help people who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability to remover from illness, injury or hospitalisation.
The donation made by Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg was received by Project Vision Hawaiʻi and it will help accelerate the development and operation of a new Pūlama Ola village in Līhuʻe, according to a report by Kauaʻi Now. For those unaware, Pūlama Ola Kauaʻi offers a afe environment for adults who are recovering from illness, injury or hospitalisation also help them in accessing services which are aimed at improving long-term housing stability.
The programme also seeks to reduce stays at hospital and healthcare costs while improving patient outcomes.
Priscilla Chan’s donation to help increase capacity and support services
According to the report, the funding will be used to increase medical respite bed capacity, expand support services and integrated care for patients recovering from illness or injury, and enhance facilities and operational capabilities. The investment is also expected to support individuals transitioning into 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,” Naka said. He added that the support provides immediate resources while also affirming the importance of equitable healthcare access in rural and island communities.
New village to feature 18 housing units
The new village will include 18 individual units, each equipped with a kitchenette and bathroom. The units will serve a dual purpose as medical respite accommodation and affordable rental housing, helping residents recover while preparing for long-term stability. The initiative is part of broader efforts on the Hawaiian island to address gaps in healthcare and housing services for vulnerable populations.
Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg’s long history of giving in Hawaii
Chan and Zuckerberg own more than 2,000 acres on Kauaʻi and often give through the Chan Zuckerberg Kauaʻi Community Fund at the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation.The fund awarded $1 million to more than two dozen nonprofits in Hawaiʻi in October 2025, and $1 million to 26 nonprofits with operations on Kauaʻi in November 2024.In 2022, the couple gave $1.8 million to Wilcox Medical Center for technology upgrades. They also gave $10 million to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine to create the Kauaʻi Medical Training Track, which targets the island’s physician shortage. Their largest gift in Hawaiʻi was $50 million to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for ocean research, also in 2022.