The Atherton Family Foundation is accepting applications for its October 2026 program grant round supporting programs that benefit people in Hawaiʻi. Current funding areas include health, education, human services, youth development, community development, environment, arts and culture, spiritual development, and other community priorities.
Funding and deadline
Program requests are accepted at the January, April, and October deadlines. For the current round, completed applications must be submitted by October 1, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. HST through Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Grants Portal. The Foundation does not set a maximum request amount for program grants. Its published average program grant award is approximately $13,500.
Who can apply
Applicants must be a 501(c)(3) public charity or apply through an eligible 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor. Eligible 509(a)(3) supporting organizations may apply except Type III non-functionally integrated supporting organizations. Hawaiʻi State Department of Education schools, public charter schools, and the University of Hawaiʻi are not eligible applicants under the 2026 guidelines.
The Foundation does not accept incomplete applications or applications from organizations with overdue final reports. It generally does not fund endowments, operating support, conferences, festivals, similar one-time events, lobbying, loans, re-granting, or grants to individuals. It will not serve as the sole funder of an organization and generally will not serve as the sole funder of a program.
Technology and equipment restrictions
Technology proposals are favored when they create a significant operational or program improvement. Technology-related items or programs require a 1:1 organizational match. Website development and ongoing website, software, or hardware replacement and upgrades generally are not funded. Tangible capital assets such as equipment and vehicles are handled in the Foundation’s separate July capital round, not the current October program round.
Application requirements
Beginning in February 2026, applicants must first complete the Atherton Family Foundation Grant Application Eligibility Questionnaire in the Grants Portal. The organization’s portal profile must be certified and current before submission. Required profile information includes organizational mission, service locations, populations served, staffing and volunteer counts, current board list, and current financial documents including the most recently completed fiscal-year income statement and balance sheet plus the current annual operating budget. Out-of-date financial documents result in administrative denial.
The program application includes a program overview; narratives describing organizational experience, the problem or opportunity, program activities and timeline, partnerships, expected outputs and outcomes, measurement, and funding plan; and a detailed program budget. Fiscal-sponsored applicants must also provide the required fiscal-sponsor resolution and agreement and obtain sponsor certification in the portal. The Foundation does not accept supplemental attachments such as letters of support or strategic plans.
Atlas analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 88/100. This is a strong statewide funding source for eligible nonprofit healthcare, human-services, education, youth, and community organizations. The exact deadline and time zone are published, and the current round permits program requests without a stated maximum request amount.
N9+ Fit Score: 10/100. The October round is for program requests, while tangible equipment is reserved for the July capital round. Technology program requests also require a 1:1 match, and routine hardware replacement or upgrades generally are not funded. Atlas should not represent the Nonagon N9+ platform or other equipment as eligible under this October program round.
Dr. Miltie, LLC does not appear to qualify as a direct applicant because the Foundation requires an eligible public charity or qualifying fiscal-sponsorship structure. The practical Atlas path is applicant-partner grant support for eligible Hawaiʻi nonprofits.
Official sources: Atherton Family Foundation Grant Seekers and 2026 Grant Application Guidelines.