Opportunity Overview
The Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation is accepting invited applications for its 2027 Preschool Tuition Assistance program. The program is intended to expand access to accredited private preschool for children from low- to moderate-income Hawaiʻi families through flexible tuition assistance that supplements, rather than replaces, Public Preschool Open Doors support.
Funding and Deadline
Total 2027 budget: $335,000. The Foundation has published a named list of invited preschool organizations with suggested request amounts ranging from $15,000 to $100,000. Applications are due December 15, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. HST. The Foundation states that applications may be submitted earlier and that the trustee decision is scheduled for February 9, 2027.
Eligible Applicants and Suggested Requests
- KCAA — $25,000
- Seagull Schools — $25,000
- Rainbow School — $25,000
- YWCA of Hawaii Island (Hilo) — $25,000
- Catholic Diocese — $100,000 for scholarships across Catholic preschools
- Aloha School Early Learning Center — $15,000
- Na Kamaliʻi Hoaloha — $15,000
- Wailuku Union Church Pre-School — $15,000
- YMCA of Honolulu — $15,000
- L. Robert Allen Montessori Laboratory School at Chaminade University — $15,000
- Kahului Baptist Preschool — $15,000
- Ae Kamaliʻi Pre-School — $15,000
- Good Shepherd Pre-School — $15,000
- Kauai Montessori Project — $15,000
The opportunity is invitation-based. Applicant facts must not be inferred for organizations outside this published list.
Application Requirements
The Foundation asks each invited preschool to submit a one-page introductory letter signed by the school director and board chair, stating the request amount, mission alignment, accreditation status, institutional history, and number of students served. Applicants must also provide a two- to four-page school narrative addressing community role, student body, Kindergarten Readiness, parent and family engagement, faculty size, professional development, student-selection methods, and how families will be informed of the tuition assistance source and amount.
The package must also include the current board-approved operating budget, the most recent school financial statement, and a current board-of-directors list. The Foundation’s general submission instructions state that applications may be delivered by e-mail attachment, regular postal mail, or walk-in delivery and must be received by 5:00 p.m. on the due date. The Foundation generally requires applicants to contact its Managing Trustee before applying.
Match and Allowable Use
No required cash match or cost share is stated for this tuition-assistance invitation. Funds are intended for preschool tuition assistance benefiting low- to moderate-income families. The program is not a general operating grant and should be framed around scholarship access, enrollment support, and documented benefit to eligible children and families.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 92/100. The funder, applicant pool, request amounts, deadline, purpose, and application package are all unusually specific, making this a strong package-production opportunity for any named preschool that wants assistance.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. This is tuition-assistance funding for early childhood education and does not support remote physical examination technology, clinical equipment, procurement, or healthcare delivery. N9+ should not be introduced.
QC Healthcare Fit: 0/100. The funding purpose is preschool tuition assistance rather than healthcare services or medical operations.
Next Action
Before ORIGINAL outreach, select only an organization on the Foundation’s published eligible-preschool list, verify a real business Contact in Zoho CRM, confirm Email_Opt_Out is not true, check for permanent hard-bounce evidence, and deduplicate against Contacts, Deals, Atlas_Email_Queue, and authoritative send history. After a qualified organization engages, Atlas can prepare the concise application package using verified school-specific facts. Unresolved school facts must be marked ACCOUNT INPUT REQUIRED.
Official sources: 2027 Tuition Assistance Invitation; Foundation Proposal Submission Instructions.