Stable Road Foundation

Stable Road Foundation operates as a private operating foundation rather than a traditional grantmaking body, which fundamentally shapes how one should approach it. Founded in 2017 by entrepreneur Ed Freedman — who made his fortune in the tech industry — the foundation reflects its founder's direct, hands-on ethos. Freedman is quoted repeatedly as wanting to "feel the impact," meaning the foundation gravitates toward project-based partnerships where it can see tangible results on the ground rather than writing checks into the void.

The most effective strategy for working with Stable Road Foundation is to cultivate a direct relationship with Ed Freedman or his Director of Operations, Pablo Rendon, rather than submitting a formal application. The foundation does not list an open grant portal. Its track record shows that it operates through a small, trusted network of partner organizations — Global Empowerment Mission (GEM), Imua Family Services, Hawai'i Land Trust, The Buddy Program — that it has supported repeatedly over multiple years.

Organizations seeking support should be able to demonstrate: (1) alignment with at least one of the three core pillars — children/education, environment, or disaster relief; (2) operations in Maui/Hawaii or in underserved international communities; (3) a clear, project-specific need where Stable Road's dollars create visible, attributable impact; and (4) capacity for a true partnership, not just a grant transaction. The foundation's bias toward direct action means projects where the foundation team can participate hands-on (construction, delivery of supplies, attending events) are especially attractive.

Stable Road Foundation is classified as a 990-PF filer (private foundation), which provides insight into its financial patterns. Key findings from IRS filings (2019-2024):

2024: Revenue $1.17M (primarily asset sales $1.16M), Charitable Disbursements $1.12M, Total Assets $2.27M 2023: Revenue $862K (contributions $273K plus asset sales $573K), Charitable Disbursements $877K, Total Assets $2.84M 2022: Revenue $183K, Charitable Disbursements $237K, Total Assets $2.42M 2021: Revenue $99K, Charitable Disbursements $119K, Total Assets $3.52M 2020: Revenue $91K, Charitable Disbursements $136K, Total Assets $2.75M

The 2023-2024 spike in disbursements ($877K and $1.12M) was driven directly by the August 2023 Maui wildfires — the foundation mobilized over $1 million for fire relief through GEM, housing ADU construction, school rebuilding with FEMA/GEM, and clean water projects at Pu'uhonua o Nene shelter. This disaster response pattern is central to the foundation's identity.

Outside of disaster responses, baseline annual charitable disbursements appear to be in the $100K-$240K range, distributed across multiple smaller project grants to partner organizations. Individual grants to established partners (Imua Family Services, The Buddy Program, Hawai'i Land Trust) are likely in the $10K-$50K range based on the scale of activities described. The foundation does not publicly disclose its grants list with individual line items, but total disbursements and news coverage allow estimation.

Stable Road Foundation occupies an unusual niche — it is a relatively small private foundation ($2.3M assets) that punches well above its weight class through high-profile disaster response and media-savvy philanthropy. Here is how it compares to peer foundations in the Hawaii-focused and children/environment philanthropic space:

Key differentiators for Stable Road Foundation: (1) It has a dramatically higher giving-to-assets ratio in surge years due to disaster response; (2) It maintains a global footprint despite small size through strategic use of multiplier partners like GEM; (3) Its founder's media presence (Pacific Business News "Most Admired Leaders," Good Morning America feature) gives it outsized visibility relative to its financial scale; (4) Unlike most Hawaii foundations, it explicitly pursues international projects in the Philippines, Latin America, and Israel.

Stable Road Foundation has been exceptionally active from 2023-2025, largely driven by the August 2023 Maui wildfires. Recent highlights include:

2025: Expanded housing initiative for Maui fire survivors, celebrated construction of two new Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) for 2023 wildfire survivors (September 2025). Celebrated opening of new homes for Lahaina fire survivors (May 2025). Ed Freedman named to Pacific Business News' "Hawaii's Most Admired Leaders" (September 2025). Celebrated KULEANA film premiere about ocean plastic pollution (November 2025). $100K donation to LA fire relief (January 2025), featured on Good Morning America.

2024: Named founding member of Imua Family Services' new "Visionary Hui" (April 2024). Donated $250K to build Maui school with FEMA, GEM, and local partners (March 2024). Provided clean water to 130 residents at Pu'uhonua o Nene Maui shelter via Noah's Arc (March 2024). Won Chief's Digest Business Excellence Award (December 2024). Celebrated opening of new Sacred Hearts School (August 2024). Renewed partnership with Hawai'i Land Trust (July 2024).

2023 (post-fires): $1M donation to GEM for Maui fire relief (November 2023). $100K donation to GEM enabling $1.6M in aid to Israel-Hamas war displaced civilians (November 2023). "8 Days of Giving" Hanukkah fundraiser raised $1.6M for Israel aid (December 2023). Partnership with GivePower for clean water for Maui fire victims (September 2023). Renewed Imua Family Services multi-season partnership (November 2023).

The foundation appears to be in a sustained post-disaster recovery phase on Maui, shifting from emergency relief toward longer-term rebuild (housing, schools) while also re-engaging its pre-fire environmental and community programs.

1. Contact directly — there is no open grant portal. Stable Road Foundation does not operate a formal open grant application process. All outreach should go through the website contact form at stableroadfoundation.org/contact or through direct introduction to Ed Freedman or Pablo Rendon (Director of Operations). Cold outreach without a warm introduction is unlikely to succeed.

2. Lead with project impact, not organizational overhead. The foundation's philosophy is explicitly about "feeling the impact" — visible, tangible results. Proposals should center on a specific project with clear deliverables (e.g., "build 3 classrooms," "install solar for 50 families," "provide 6 months of clean water") rather than general operating support requests.

3. Align with Maui/Hawaii or international underserved communities. Despite being Wyoming-incorporated, the foundation's heart is on Maui. Projects based in Hawaii, or in underserved communities in Latin America, Pacific Islands, or other regions the foundation has worked in, will resonate far more than domestic US projects outside Hawaii.

4. Pitch a partnership, not a transaction. Stable Road wants to "roll up its sleeves." Frame opportunities as partnerships where the foundation team can visit, participate, and be recognized as co-implementers. Multi-year relationship potential is more attractive than one-time asks.

5. Timing matters: disaster responsiveness is a strength. The foundation has demonstrated rapid response capability during the 2023 Maui fires, the Israel-Hamas humanitarian crisis, and the 2025 LA fires. If your organization works in disaster-affected areas or has emergency response capacity, emphasize that — the foundation may move quickly when disaster strikes.

6. Emphasize children and youth when possible. Across all of the foundation's programs, children are the most consistent beneficiary. Education, mentorship, health, and recreation for kids are especially well-aligned with Stable Road's founding mission ("every kid deserves a chance to reach their highest potential").