The Castle Foundation is mainly concerned, by charter, with long-term investments in early learning, well-prepared teachers, assistance to infant-toddler providers, robust and high-quality private preschools, and universal access to early education, public or private, for children 0-5. However, sudden community emergencies occur, as do extraordinary individual and family emergencies, and we try to respond effectively.

      In the 2023 fire in Lahaina, Maui, we asked the Hawaii Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund to receive and manage our emergency funding. This Fund combines funding for many other effective organizations working with immediate relief for those impacted by the disaster and focuses on the well-being of families with young children. Using trauma-informed care, the Hawaii Community Foundation is concentrating our funds on maternal and pediatric mental and physical health and restoring Lahaina’s early care and preschool capacity. Our original investment of $100,000 was made two days after the start of the fast-moving fire, and we anticipate providing more funds as needed by the end of 2023.

     In 2024, the Castle Foundation will provide substantial additional investments in league with the Hawaii Community Foundation’s well-regarded Maui Strong Fund. This combined effort will ensure we have access to a large and experienced staff and opportunities to realize management savings. In addition, the Maui Strong Fund allows the Castle Foundation to have our financial investments in West Maui matched by other donors.
     The emphasis in 2024 is to restore as much of the early education and learning opportunities for children in West Maui. This strategic move from immediate relief to longer-term recovery will likely continue for several years. In addition to education, the Castle Foundation will support mental health and trauma-informed care efforts to assist Keiki in regaining safe and healthy grounding. The trustees intend to provide additional investments in early education and care for West Maui in the second half of 2024 as needed.

     In 2024, as part of the Castle Foundation’s continuing commitment to provide continuity to our Lahaina recovery efforts, the trustees will provide increased tuition support for Maui preschools. We are especially interested in assisting independent schools serving displaced families and young children because of the Lahaina fires. To make room for our crowded agenda and our challenged budget, we shall provide fewer scholarship dollars to unimpacted Oahu and Neighbor Island preschools than we typically do. The funds approved for distribution on all islands will be about $250,000. Some $60,000 of the $250,000 will be available to the Superintendent of Catholic Schools to be applied to Catholic preschools on Maui and. as needed, across the state.

      We also provide annual funding to Catholic Charities to provide funds for young children and families with short-term emergencies. In 2001, Catholic Charities and the Castle Foundation initiated the Mary Tenney Castle Memorial Fund for Short-Term Emergencies Experienced by Families and Guardians with Young Children. Nearly a million dollars in critical assistance has been made available to hundreds of children ages 0-5 on Oahu since 2001.

      Finally, the Castle Foundation, as exigent needs occur, provides emergency funds to maintain community and family stability which arise. We use several agencies that specialize in support for mitigating hunger, such as the Hawaii Foodbank, the Hawaii Chapter of the American Red Cross, and the Institute for Human Services.