Grants to benefit the People of Kauai in Hawaii

The Antone & Edene Vidinha Charitable Trust, administered by the Bank of Hawai‘i, is a private philanthropic entity designed to serve the people of Kauai. The trust awards grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations located on the island of Kauai or those providing direct services to Kauai residents. This fund operates under a specific set of provisions established by the Vidinha family and prioritizes community improvement within a localized geographic scope. Grants are distributed to advance public good in the areas of faith-based community institutions, healthcare, and educational opportunity. The Trust supports four key areas of charitable activity: churches located on the Island of Kauai, hospitals that provide care to Kauai residents, health-related organizations serving the island population, and scholarships for students from Kauai attending colleges or universities within the State of Hawaii. Grants or scholarships are not available to individuals, and the fund explicitly does not support endowments, multi-year commitments, or routine maintenance projects for churches—those are generally considered the responsibility of local congregations. Applicants must be recognized as tax-exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eligible applicants must either be based on Kauai or offer programs and services that demonstrably benefit the island’s residents. The foundation does not offer support beyond its stated mission and strictly evaluates each submission based on alignment with its trust deed, community relevance, and the merits of the project. Site visits may occur during the evaluation process, and applicants will be assessed relative to the trust’s overall charitable activities. The application deadline for program grants is December 1st each year, with submissions required by 11:59 PM HST on that date. On average, applicants should allow between 90 and 120 days for the review and notification process. This timeline accounts for potential site evaluations and thorough internal analysis. Final decisions are issued in writing. Due to volume and funding limitations, not all qualified applications may be approved. Once selected, grantees must comply with specific reporting requirements. These include a narrative report detailing project outcomes in alignment with the trust’s goals and a financial report accounting for all expenditures of grant funds. Although not generally mandated, the trustee reserves the right to request an audited financial statement under certain circumstances. The contact person for the Antone & Edene Vidinha Charitable Trust is Claire Tarumoto, Vice President and Grants Administrator at Bank of Hawai‘i. She may be reached via email at Claire.Tarumoto@boh.com or by phone at (808) 694-4945. There is an online portal for submissions using the code AEVCTP. However, no public documentation specifies a pre-application period, question deadline, or open date. The trust does not indicate whether the program is recurring or rolling, and further verification may be necessary to determine those aspects.