Scholarship Program and Invitation
to Apply for Pre-School Tuition Assistance
for trustee meeting in February, 2027
For many years, even decades, the Castle Foundation has sponsored large grants and annual scholarships for low- to moderate-income families and children. The intent was to boost enrollment in our accredited private preschools while providing greater educational opportunities for families unable to afford full tuition. Since the 1990s, several million dollars have been committed to accredited preschools.
In 2027, the State of Hawaii will fund a record $57,000,000 in private preschool subsidies. This substantial public investment is an unprecedented opportunity for early education in Hawaii. In 2026, the substantial increase to $50,000,000 led some of our highly accredited and better-resourced preschools to forgo applying for Castle Foundation funds. Several of these schools advised us that they wanted us to monitor plans for 2028 and, if the legislature reduces subsidy funds through DHS, perhaps restore our full commitment to co-funding preschool education.
In 2027, we will suspend our usual preschool application and budgeting procedures and launch a one-year trial program to support licensed and accredited preschools that show promise in serving very low-income children. These schools, listed below, have an excellent reputation for going beyond tuition assistance and offer a range of other services that help children attend and remain in school. The budgeted Foundation funds will be used at the discretion of the preschool director and board for tuition subsidies and additional support for children ages 3-5. These activities may include late-registration tuition support, purchasing instructional supplies, and assistance during family emergencies and other situations that may arise and interfere with a child’s active education and growth. Many preschools already und such programs for children from low-income families; school directors committed to serving large numbers of low-income families say this discretionary funding would be a blessing.
The due date for these applications is December 15, 2026. This is a one-year experimental program that the trustees will evaluate; it may or may not be repeated in its current form.
We therefore look forward to reading the final reports (due within 12 months of a grant) detailing how preschool directors used the funds in 2027, as well as an assessment of how many children were assisted, how they were assisted, and any results for their students and families.
The preschools selected for this one-year program are as follows:
List of Eligible Accredited Pre-Schools for Calendar Year 2027
| Makiki Christian Church Preschool | $20,000 |
| The Koloa Early School | $20,000 |
| Ka Hale O Na Keiki Preschool | $20,000 |
| YMCA of Honolulu Preschools | $20,000 |
| The Children’s House (Pearl City) | $20,000 |
| Ae Kamali’i Pre-School | $20,000 |
| Kahului Baptist Preschool | $20,000 |
| Good Shepherd Pre-School | $20,000 |
| Wailuku Union Church Pre-School | $20,000 |
| Waianae Coast Early Childhood | $20,000 |
A Full Application Should Include:
- A cover letter on official stationary signed by the pre-school director and chairman of the school’s board.
- Proposal narratives must be a maximum of two pages and include the following information:
– Brief description of the applicant organization, its purpose, its history, its governance, and its current enrollment.
– Concise summary of the scholarship/tuition aid program for pre-school students, with a statement of need, measurable program objectives, description of how the activity is to be carried out, an indication of the population to be served, and the plan for evaluating its effectiveness.
– Number of pre-school students receiving any kind of tuition assistance in the last year.
– The percentage of pre-school enrolled students in the calendar year 2024 who are on some form of public and private tuition support.
– How many pre-school students will be helped if the Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation funds the request (estimates are satisfactory)? - A current revenue and expense budget for the entire scholarship/tuition aid program, indicating other funding sources, if any, available for pre-school students.
- Additional financial information requested:
– The organization’s current operating budget (indicate start and end date of fiscal year).
– Income Statement for organization’s most recent completed fiscal year (indicate start and end date of fiscal year). Audited financial statements are preferred. - A copy of the following must be included in your request:
– List of Board members with their professional or business affiliation; and statement as to active participants of board members. - One Copy of the following items must be included with the proposal packet:
– Internal Revenue Service letter advising that the organization is tax-exempt under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Code, and its foundation status under 509 (a) (if not submitted in earlier applications).
– Organization’s charter and by-laws, if not previously submitted or amended.
Deadline & Submission
The proposal should be sent to the following mailing address by December 15, 2026:
Alfred L. Castle, Executive Director
Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation
733 Bishop Street, Suite 1275
Pacific Guardian Center, Makai Tower
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
The completed application may also be e-mailed or hand delivered. Early submissions are welcome and no late applications are accepted.
Final Report for Your Tuition Assistance Grant is due 12 months after receipt of check
All successful applicants for pre-school tuition assistance should prepare a simple final report. In the report narrative, please answer the following questions:
- How many pre-school students were assisted by the Castle Foundation grant?
- Provide a brief financial statement of funds received from the grant and funds expended. Were any funds left over?
- How was the grant distributed? Who received the assistance and over what period of time?
- How did you inform the family of the child where the scholarship came from?