CULTIVATING RESILIENCE FOUNDATION

Cultivating Resilience Foundation was born out of the Lahaina wildfires and the long, uneven aftermath that followed. In the hardest days, what kept many of us functioning wasn’t a perfect system, it was people. Neighbors sharing generators, rides, food, phones, shelter, information, and comfort. Community showing up again and again when official pathways were confusing, delayed, or inaccessible.

That experience made something clear: resilience isn’t a personality trait. It’s a practice. In disaster recovery, it’s built through mutual aid, trust, and the small, steady actions people take to keep each other going.

We created this foundation to strengthen what communities already do best: care for each other, rebuild, and find a way forward. We don’t do toxic positivity. We do real-world skills, credible information, and community connection, built around what recovery actually looks like: disrupted systems, stress overload, grief, and the need for steady, grounded support

More About Us

Our Purpose

We bridge the gap between what communities need right now and what systems often fail to deliver by:

translating public health information into plain language people can use
amplifying community voices and felt needs
connecting people to trustworthy resources and next steps
supporting recovery through peer connection and culturally responsive education
operating transparently, with clear boundaries and accountability

Mission

To provide trauma-informed public health education, peer support, and resource navigation that strengthen individual and community resilience, guided by community-identified needs, especially in disaster-impacted and underserved communities.

Vision

A world where communities recovering from trauma and disaster have practical, culturally grounded support and credible information, and where resilience is strengthened through connection, mutual aid, and community-led healing.

WHAT WE DO

What We Offer

Trauma-informed public health education
We translate evidence-informed health information into practical tools people can use in real life, not just textbooks.

Peer support and community connection
We create spaces for people to be heard, share stories safely, and reduce isolation. Support should not require someone to be “doing great” first.

Resource navigation
We help people identify what exists, what they qualify for, and where to go next, especially when systems are confusing or overwhelmed.

Community-informed programming
We listen first. We align education and support with what communities say they need, then build with them.

Who We Serve

Our work is for anyone navigating trauma, grief, stress, or disruption, with special attention to communities too often left behind in recovery systems, including:

disaster survivors and displaced communities
Indigenous communities and people facing structural barriers to care
individuals and families navigating complex or fragmented systems

We also elevate awareness and education related to MMIP/MMIW and community safety and healing efforts, including Red Dress Day.

How We Work

Trauma-informed: safety, choice, trust, collaboration, empowerment
Culturally responsive: honoring community context, values, and lived experience
Evidence-informed: grounded in public health and behavioral science
Community-led mindset: co-design over “parachuting in”
Transparent and accountable: clear boundaries, realistic promises, measurable learning

Focus Areas

disaster recovery and community resilience
mental health and wellbeing education
stress, grief, and trauma education (non-clinical, skills-based)
social determinants of health and resource access
Indigenous health equity and community safety awareness

Leadership

Nikima Glatt, DrPH(c), PMHNP-BC is a nurse practitioner and public health doctoral student with a background in emergency and disaster response and lived experience of disaster recovery. Her work integrates trauma-informed care, community education, and equity-focused systems thinking.

Stephen Glatt, PhD is a psychiatric genetic epidemiologist and neurobiologist who supports the organization’s evidence-informed approach, program development, and administration.

Additional collaborators and advisors will be listed as roles are confirmed and board commitments are finalized.

OUR FOUNDATION

Status and Transparency

Cultivating Resilience Foundation is a Hawaiʻi nonprofit corporation (formation filed; state processing timelines may vary). Federal tax-exempt status (501(c)(3)) is being pursued. Until tax-exempt status is finalized, contributions may not be tax-deductible. We will post updates and documentation as they become available.

Important Note

Cultivating Resilience provides education and peer support. We do not provide emergency services or substitute for medical, psychiatric, or crisis care. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, contact local emergency services.

Support the Work

You can support Cultivating Resilience by:

volunteering skills (web, writing, outreach, program support)
sharing resources and community connections
participating in events, education sessions, and community circles
donating (once donation infrastructure is live and compliant)

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