(Estimated Foundation Budget of $200,000)
($100,000 in uncommitted funds are available as of April 10, 2026)
Since the 1980s, the Castle Foundation has made grants to various Native Hawaiian-serving early education organizations. The trustees believe that high-quality early education that reflects indigenous values, ideas, and learning culture leads to essential benefits for children 0-5 and their families. Hawaii, indeed, has been a leader in culture-based early education. Native Americans in Philanthropy is one national organization that has recognized and learned from decades of work with young children in this fashion.
Organizations that may apply for program support must be open to children of all races and ethnicities, and feature work with dual-language and culture programming. Programs that might be considered will feature, for example, innovative approaches to serving infants and toddlers, culture-based pre-school education and care, and family engagement. All 2026 due dates are listed on the Castle Foundation website.
All interested applicants should first discuss their budget and their plans to strengthen existing programs or add new ones. Generally, applicants will have multiple funders or at least a plan to procure one or more additional donors to finance their project.
Due to substantial reductions in federal and state funding for early education projects, not all current educational care and workforce-related programs are sustainable. Please remember that the Castle Foundation’s “Requests for Proposals” are not intended to provide grants to sustain vulnerable programs and their operations. Our grants are intended to improve program delivery, outcomes, and quality, and to increase the number of young children who should benefit from sustainable, well-financed, ongoing programs. The trustees may make an exception if multiple funders are willing to co-fund a program’s basic operations for a reasonable period.