Since the late 1990s, Alfred Castle has advised the Pettus Foundation (founded in 1960 in Missouri) on their grantmaking in Hawaii. For the last dozen years, he has also served as the independent trustee and managed the Foundation’s Hawaii grants. The Foundation funds in Greater Saint Louis and Hawaii.
The Pettus Foundation is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri. The Greater Saint Louis Community Foundation manages the Foundation’s Saint Louis grants; the fiscal agent and fund manager is the Northern Trust Company. The purpose of the Foundation, in general terms, is to create employment opportunities and self-reliance for those who may not have had such opportunities. It stresses economic independence, self-reliance, and career and technical training. This has been broadly interpreted also to mean some support for strong early education programs that prepare children for success in the K-12 school years and beyond. The Foundation also supports essential humanitarian organizations that help to stabilize individuals and families.
The size of the Pettus Foundation does not permit a large management staff, and no externally generated applications are accepted. All applicants are invited to apply when the trustees feel the applicant best aligns with the Pettus Foundation’s values, goals, and strategies.
Mr. James Pettus, Jr, the founder’s son, retired in Honolulu in 1977. He was a friend of Mr. and Mrs. William Donald Castle and sometimes partnered with the couple on community grants. The Pettus Foundation shares an office with the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation and has since 2001. The Foundation is entirely separate from the Castle Foundation other than the shared office.
In July of 2024, Pettus Family Trustee Lisa Hamilton passed away. A trustee since 2001, Mrs. Hamilton worked diligently to serve her father’s and grandfather’s vision for family philanthropy. A friend to hundreds of organizations and non-profit professionals, her passionate commitment to Hawaii’s well-being will be recognized through all the Pettus Foundation grants made in 2025.
Grants in 2024
|
Name of Organization |
Purpose |
Award Amount |
|
Armed Services YMCA |
Kokua Connections project support and support for ongoing preschool education |
$15,000 |
|
Feeding Hawaii Together |
Supplemental Operating Support to develop new partners and increase bandwidth of the Pantry App |
$15,000 |
|
Ho’ola Na Pua |
Support for Pearl Haven experiential programming, such as mentoring, trauma-responsive group therapy, animal assisted therapy, gardening, music/dance, etc. |
$10,000 |
|
Hanalani Schools |
Support of musical instruments and equipment for preschool students |
$10,000 |
|
Mililani Presbyterian Pre-School |
Preschool classroom improvements and low-income scholarships |
$15,000 |
|
REHAB Foundation |
Supplemental Operating Support for comprehensive rehabilitation services |
$15,000 |
|
Trinity Lutheran School |
Early Learning Revitalization Project |
$15,000 |
|
River of Life Mission |
To support expansion of Hub Spots on Oahu and strengthening of social services |
$15,000 |
|
YWCA – Honolulu |
Support of Business Programs for Women |
$20,000 |
|
Helping Hands Hawaii |
General Program Support |
$20,000 |
|
Institute for Human Services (IHS)
|
Additional Support for low-income elder care services |
$15,000 |
|
Hawaii Foodbank |
Food Purchases and Program Support |
$15,000 |
|
Kindergarten and Children’s Aid Association (KCAA) |
Supplemental Operating Support |
$15,000 |
|
Salvation Army – Hawaii |
General Operating Support |
$15,000 |
|
Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky |
Hawaii Program Support |
$15,000 |
|
Mediation Center of the Pacific |
General Program Support |
$15,000 |
|
Catholic Charities |
General Operating Support |
$15,000 |
|
Holy Nativity School |
For the Betty Pettus Memorial Scholarships |
$20,000 |
|
Institute for Human Services (IHS) |
To Support IHS’s Emergency Shelter & Support Services for Homeless Seniors in 2024 |
$15,000 |
|
YMCA |
Support for Camp Scholarships in 2024 |
$20,000 |
|
The Pantry: Feeding Hawaii Together |
Operating Support |
$15,000 |
|
Goodwill Industries of Hawaii |
Maui Relief and Purchase of an Electric Cargo Truck |
$15,000 |
|
Meals on Wheels, Hawaii |
Program Expenses |
$15,000 |
|
St Francis Healthcare Foundation of Hawaii |
Program Support for Elder Care Services (in memory of Charles McLemore) |
$15,000 |
|
|
Grant Total: |
$370,000 |
The following grants were made in Hawaii in 2023:
2023-Hawaii-grant-list-for-websiteHow to Apply
All interested applicants must be invited to apply to ensure that the foundation’s goals are furthered by the project or program suggested and funds are available.
All invited applicants should apply by December 16, 2024 for a February, 2025 Trustee meeting.
Those organizations invited to apply should keep the following preferences and processes in mind:
- Grant made by the Pettus Foundation generally range from $10,000 to $25,000.
- All applications to the Pettus Foundation in Hawaii go to independent trustee Alfred L. Castle in Care of the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation. 733 Bishop Street, Suite 1275, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. Applications can also be e-mailed to: snandmarycastle@hawaii.rr.com
- The trustees require a cover letter signed by the organization’s CEO and a board member.
- The cover letter should be followed by a description of the project or program that needs financial support. If other foundations or corporations are being asked to support the same project, let us know which ones are being asked.
- If the organization has matching funds or internal funds being reserved for the project or program, let us know (organizations should generally show internal support as an essential minimum.).
- Never ask for grants for salaries for a specific purpose. Always ask instead for general program support or operational support.
- Please include the most recent organizational audit or the past year’s financial report.
- Include a list of board members.
- Most important to the trustees is that the project furthers the economic independence of Hawaii’s residents. Economic independence, productivity projects that increase resiliency in the population and projects that increase financial literacy are valued most highly.
The Pettus Foundation is a mid-sized Missouri-based foundation that invests in projects in Greater Saint Louis, Hawaii (primarily Honolulu), and nationally where the Pettus Family is directly interested. We avoid large capital campaigns and avoid being the only funder of a project. Please get in touch with the office by email or phone to make your first contact. For the most part, however, the trustees grants to their area of interest.
Within a year, Final Report should be a simple letter telling us what you accomplished, how the funds were spent and a brief financial report indicating the funds raised and spent on the requested project. Informally, we enjoy hearing by email from our grantees from time to time sharing news with us. We honor our grantees and value serving with them to solve community challenges.
Pettus Foundation Trustees:
(new Pettus Family Trustee will be appointed by January 1, 2025)
Alfred Castle, Independent Trustee
Melissa Earthman, Corporate Trustee, Northern Trust Company