Hawaii Dental Service Foundation: Smile Fund Grant

The Hawaii Dental Service Foundation's Smile Fund provides grants up to $5,000 to support innovative outreach programs aimed at improving oral health in Hawaii. Eligible applicants must be 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations or governmental programs. Projects must be completed within 12 months, and grantees can apply once per year. The fund focuses on oral health initiatives like Dentist by One and Kupuna Smiles, while excluding individuals, endowments, and political organizations from funding.

NOTE: Applications are accepted throughout the year, as long as funds are available.
The HDS Foundation was established in 1986 by Hawaii Dental Service to improve the oral health of Hawaii’s communities. Grants are distributed to local non-profit organizations for programs and projects that provide oral health education, prevent oral disease, and increase access to dental care for underserved populations.
The HDS Foundation Smile Fund supports organizations that offer innovative and collaborative outreach programs to improve oral health in Hawaii. The Smile Fund is intended to support oral health-related projects with up to $5,000.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, an organization must be a charity with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Governmental programs are also eligibleProjects should be completed within 12 months from the distribution of funds.Grantees may apply for a Smile Fund once per calendar year.

Ineligibility

The Smile Fund will not be awarded to:
IndividualsEndowmentsPolitical organizations or campaignsResearch projectsOrganizations that discriminate by race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify and expression, age, disability, veteran status or national origin.LoansOperational expenses for United Way OrganizationsFundraising eventsThe Smile Fund cannot be used for salaries or benefits.The Smile Fund cannot be requested for projects related to other HDS Foundation grants received during the same year.