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Aloha Foundation Tr

Annual Giving
$9.8M
Grant Range
Up to $1.9M00
00

Aloha Foundation Tr

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $9,846,323 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable - invitation only
  • Decision Time: Not disclosed
  • Grant Range: Varies widely - from small grants to $1,900,000
  • Geographic Focus: Multi-state (primarily Northeast and select other states)
  • Application Policy: No unsolicited applications accepted

Contact Details

Address: Boston, MA 02109-1800

Administrative Contact: c/o Lourie & Cutler PC

Note: This foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and only funds preselected charitable organizations.

Overview

The Aloha Foundation Tr is a private grantmaking foundation established in July 2008 and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The foundation is managed by trustee Amy B. Naughton, a principal at Lourie & Cutler who specializes in estate planning and serves as an advisor to various educational institutions and charities. In 2023, the foundation distributed $9.85 million in grants to 18 organizations, representing a significant commitment to charitable giving relative to its assets of approximately $3.9 million. The foundation's grantmaking is funded primarily through contributions (80% of revenue in 2023) and operates with a focused, trustee-driven approach that supports organizations working in social services, education, healthcare, and community development across multiple states.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not operate formal grant programs with defined application cycles. All grants are made at the discretion of the trustee to preselected organizations.

Recent Grant Range (2023):

  • Median grant: $300,000
  • Maximum grant: $1,900,000
  • Typical grants range from five figures to seven figures

Priority Areas

Based on recent grantmaking activity (2023), the foundation has demonstrated interest in:

  • Social Services & Reentry Programs: Significant funding for organizations providing emergency support, women's programs, and reentry services for formerly incarcerated individuals
  • Education: Unrestricted funding to higher education institutions and support for low-income youth education, school renovations, and educational infrastructure
  • Healthcare & Medical Research: Support for pediatric programs, including Lyme disease research and treatment
  • Food Security: Funding for organizations addressing hunger and basic needs
  • Gun Violence Prevention: Support for advocacy organizations working on gun safety
  • Youth Development: Vocational programs and athletic center renovations
  • Reproductive Healthcare: Funding for healthcare access organizations

Geographic Focus: The foundation has funded organizations across multiple states including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, Colorado, Washington D.C., and Michigan. Recent grants show particular concentration in the Northeast, especially Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

What They Don't Fund

Specific exclusions are not publicly documented. However, given the invitation-only nature of the foundation, it effectively does not fund organizations outside its preselected network.

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Amy B. Naughton (sole trustee, reports 1 hour/week service, no compensation)

Amy B. Naughton is a principal at Lourie & Cutler, a Boston-area firm specializing in tax, estate, and business consulting. Her practice focuses on sophisticated estate planning for individuals and families and wealth transfer planning techniques. She brings extensive experience in philanthropic advising:

  • Former chair of the Board of Trustees of Tower School in Marblehead, Massachusetts
  • Former member of the Professional Advisors Committee for The Boston Foundation
  • Trustee of the Ann Theodore Foundation (another private foundation supporting education for low-income students)
  • Advisor to numerous educational institutions and charities

The foundation operates with no paid employees; all administrative functions are handled through the trustee and professional advisors.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process.

The Aloha Foundation Tr explicitly states that it "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

All grants are made at the sole discretion of trustee Amy B. Naughton to organizations she has pre-identified and selected. The foundation operates through a proactive, trustee-driven model rather than responding to applications.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications or operate on a decision cycle.

Success Rates

Not applicable - unsolicited applications are not accepted.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - the foundation does not accept applications.

Application Success Factors

Given that this foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, traditional application success factors do not apply. However, understanding the foundation's grantmaking patterns can be informative:

Grantmaking Patterns Observed:

  1. Concentration of Support: The foundation makes relatively few grants (18 recipients in 2023) but provides substantial funding to selected organizations. Recent top grants ranged from $1 million to $1.9 million.

  2. Multi-Purpose Funding: Recent grants show support for diverse purposes including:

    • Unrestricted general operating support (e.g., Syracuse University - $1.6M unrestricted)
    • Capital projects and renovations (e.g., School One - $1.25M for renovations)
    • Infrastructure development (e.g., AMI Kids - $1M for IT infrastructure and vocational programs)
    • Emergency relief and COVID-19 response
    • Program-specific support for specialized initiatives

  3. Long-Term Partnerships: The foundation appears to maintain ongoing relationships with key beneficiary organizations, suggesting loyalty to trusted partners.

  4. Regional Concentration with National Reach: While the foundation has a New England base, particularly strong presence in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, it also funds organizations in other states, suggesting geographic flexibility based on mission alignment.

  5. Major Recipients in 2023 Included:

    • Amos House (Providence, RI): $1.9M for new women's program, convict reentry services, and COVID relief
    • Syracuse University: $1.6M unrestricted
    • School One (Providence, RI): $1.25M for renovations and coronavirus relief supplies
    • AMI Kids (Tampa, FL): $1M for IT infrastructure and vocational programs
    • Planned Parenthood of Southern New England: $1M matching gift

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Not Open to Solicitation: This foundation explicitly does not accept unsolicited funding requests. Grant writers cannot apply directly to this funder.
  • Trustee-Driven Selection: All funding decisions are made by sole trustee Amy B. Naughton based on her personal knowledge and relationships with organizations.
  • High-Value Grants: When the foundation does fund, grants tend to be substantial, with a median of $300,000 and some reaching nearly $2 million.
  • Diverse Funding Purposes: The foundation provides both unrestricted support and project-specific funding, including capital projects, infrastructure, program development, and emergency relief.
  • Geographic Flexibility: While concentrated in the Northeast, particularly Rhode Island and Massachusetts, the foundation has funded organizations across multiple states.
  • Focus Areas: Recent grantmaking shows strong interest in social services (particularly reentry programs), education, healthcare, youth development, and advocacy-related causes including gun violence prevention and reproductive healthcare.
  • Professional Management: The foundation is managed by an experienced estate planning attorney with deep connections to Boston-area philanthropy, suggesting a sophisticated and relationship-driven approach to grantmaking.

References

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