Ed Freedman, Maui-based philanthropist and founder of the nonprofit Stable Road Foundation, was recently honored with a 2024 Business Excellence Award by The Chief’s Digest.

Freedman was one of ten global leaders to receive the Business Excellence Award for 2024. The annual award is given to founders and CEOs who achieve exceptional success in their field, with Freedman receiving this year’s honor for nonprofit leadership.

“Our team at Stable Road Foundation made an incredible impact in 2024, as our work to help Maui rebuild transitioned from supporting the immediate recovery to building a bridge to a sustainable future,” says Freedman. “We’re honored to receive this award—but the most rewarding thing is seeing that we made a real, tangible impact on the lives of people in our community.”

Under Freedman’s leadership, Stable Road Foundation has taken a hands-on approach to aiding Maui’s rebuild after devastating 2023 wildfires swept the island and destroyed much of its infrastructure.

In 2024, the Foundation was involved in a wide range of projects whose direct impact on the lives of Maui residents earned Freedman plaudits from local community leaders and national media alike. These included a $250,000 donation toward the construction of the Sacred Hearts School’s new long-term temporary campus, serving 225 students from grades pre-K through 12, as well as $400,000 for an innovative housing project that yielded seven new units for homeowners on their own land.

Ensuring universal access to clean water (particularly among Maui’s most at-risk communities) was another of Stable Road Foundation’s priorities in 2024. The Foundation’s work delivering water to unhoused communities around the island was especially notable, with thousands of gallons delivered each week to populations living in areas with still-damaged infrastructure. This project has been funded, staffed, and equipped to continue as long as Maui’s vulnerable communities need.

Founded in 2017 by Freedman, Stable Road Foundation focuses primarily on supporting children and protecting the natural environment. The Foundation has worked extensively around the world with remote communities recovering from natural disasters, which equipped Freedman and the team with invaluable experience for assisting Maui’s recovery.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219826928/en/