Submitting a Proposal

Hawaiian kids and teacher at music lesson

Before funds are sought from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, the applicant organization should review the Foundation’s priorities and policies to determine whether it is eligible to be considered for funding and whether the type of activity proposed is in one of the Foundation’s funding areas.

The Foundation receives many more applications than it can fund. To assist applicants in deciding whether an application will be worth submitting, we require all applicants to contact the Foundation’s Executive Director by letter, e-mail, phone or a personal visit before making any application. A site visit may be required if the organization has not applied before or in many years.

The Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation is not an international funder and applications are not accepted outside the U.S. The Foundation only rarely funds in the U.S. outside Hawaii. All mainland U.S. applications must be invited by the Trustees to be considered for funding.

The 2025 application due dates are as follows:
1. Monday, January 6, 2025 for the Winter trustee meeting.
2. Wednesday, May 7, 2025 for the Summer trustee meeting.
2. Friday, September 5, 2025 for the Fall trustee meeting.

All applications must be received in the Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation office by e-mail attachment, regular postal mail or walk-in delivery by 5:00 p.m. of the due date. Applicants are urged to submit early applications when possible. Early applications are reviewed to determine completeness – early applications may be revised to be more competitive.

The following materials should be included in any funding request submitted for review by the Trustees. Click the tabs below for detailed information:

The letter must be signed by the Executive Director and Board Chair. The cover letter should be a broad statement of what the applicant intends to accomplish, who will benefit, why the applicant is the right organization to complete the project, and why the applicant has chosen the Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation as a prospective investor in the project. In other words, tell the trustees why your organization is coming to the Castle Foundation for your project in the amount you are asking for the project at this particular time.

A one to two-page summary of the proposal

  • A brief summary of the organization, its history, mission, goals and major achievements
  • The population to be served by the proposed project or program and any relevant characteristics (e.g. size, age)
  • The community opportunity or need for which the proposed activity is a response or solution (cite source or reference if statistics or opinions are included)
  • Program or project objectives, a summary of the activities to be funded, and any other programmatic details that might be needed to clarify the request
  • The amount of funds requested from the Foundation, the duration of time over which Foundation funds will be needed, and anticipated sources of support when Foundation funding ceases
  • The method to be used to determine the effectiveness of the funded program or project
  • Information about the staff of the organization, including those responsible for the program or project

Submit a current operating budget as approved by the organization's board of trustees.

An expense budget for the proposed activity and the revenue plan for the budget with categories of sources and amounts.
Please indicate which funders have made a written commitment to help fund the project.

  • Internal Revenue Service determination letter for the organization dated after 1969
  • Charter and bylaws for the organization if a proposal has not been submitted to the Foundation within the past five years or has had changes in governance
  • Most recently completed audited financial statements for the organization's operations showing the year's income and expenses, final balances at year's end and an explanation for anything unusual reported in the statements. The Trustees prefer two years of audited statements if available. Exceptions to the audited financial statement are made on a case-by-case basis, especially for church-related preschools or start-up organizations serving children 0-5
  • Name and phone number of contact person with whom Foundation staff may make arrangements for an interview or site visit, or from whom they may request additional information

A current list of members of the organization’s board of directors, with occupations or positions, and a statement of board involvement and functions within the organization

Organizations that have submitted their charters, bylaws and 501(c)(3) before, need not submit them again.

Applicant organizations should not bind their proposals or submit videos or other items which have not been requested by the Foundation.

Requesting a second or third-year grant to the Foundation if a Written Pledge to Support an ongoing project has been made.
If the Castle Foundation has made an explicit pledge for a specific amount of money to assist an ongoing project, the following items are needed before a pledge payment is made:
– The trustees ask for a comprehensive letter telling us how the previous year’s project or program went. The letter should include a progress report and the organization’s plans for the year funds are being requested;
– Then trustees need a recent audit or financial statement from the organization;
– The trustees ask for a project-specific budget indicating how much revenue was received in the most recently completed year and expenditures for the project.
Pledges for an ongoing project are rarely made. When they are, we have reduced the procedure to a minimum for requesting funds to expedite the receipt of the pledged grant.

Please address all correspondence and the proposal to Mr. Al Castle, Executive Director at the Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation.

Questions regarding information to be included in a proposal should be directed to the Foundation staff through phone or email.