McInerny Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 99-6002356 · since 1944boh.com/philanthropy/grants/mcinerny-foundation·Hawaii·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$5.8M

Annual giving, 2023 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The McInerny Foundation funds organisations serving the people of Hawaii, so this geographic focus is the first thing to check before applying.
Applicants must be federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charities, and funding covers arts and culture, community, education, environment, health and rehabilitation, human services, and tuition aid, while churches, religious or proselytising organisations, individuals, endowments, reserve purposes, deficit financing, purchase of real estate, and organisations that re-grant its funds are not supported.
The Foundation usually supports organisations with which it has an established relationship and prefers to be one of several contributors, so grant writers should expect this to be a relationship-led process and should be ready to show other sources of funding.
Applications are submitted online and reviewed chronologically: Program Support proposals have no deadline and are reviewed three to four times per fiscal year, Major Capital applications must be submitted by July 1 and require that 25% of the campaign goal or project cost has already been raised, and Tuition Aid applications must be submitted by November 15.
Organisations working through a fiscal sponsor must contact Charitable Foundation Services before submitting, and incomplete proposals are returned until the missing material is resubmitted.

Overview

McInerny Foundation is a US private foundation administered by its trustee, Bank of Hawaii, in Honolulu, HI.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The McInerny Foundation awards grants to organisations benefiting the people of Hawaii; applicants must be federally tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charities. Its programme and project grants cover arts and culture, community, education, environment, health and rehabilitation, and human services, and it also offers tuition aid to learning institutions. Support is usually provided to organisations with an established relationship, and the Foundation prefers to be one of several contributors. It assesses community need, budget reasonableness, the applicant’s ability to secure full funding and sustain the project, and each qualified application’s current and projected merit under the Deed of Trust. It requires all directors to make personal annual financial contributions and participate in fundraising.

Themes

Arts and culture
Community
Education
Environment
Health and rehabilitation
Human services

Geographic Focus

Hawaii.

What They Don't Fund

Churches
Religious entities
Organizations which proselytize, encourage theology, sectarianism, spiritualism, religion or any system of religious worship
Individuals
Endowments
Reserve purposes
Deficit financing
Purchase of real estate
Organizations that “re-grant” McInerny Foundation funds

How to apply

Organisations submit proposals online; they are reviewed chronologically as grant administration prepares for a meeting. Incomplete proposals are returned and are not reviewed until the missing documents and information are resubmitted.

Deadlines:

Program Support proposals have no deadline and are reviewed three to four times per fiscal year.
Major Capital applications must be submitted by July 1.
Tuition Aid applications must be submitted by November 15.

Application success factors

What the foundation says:

The Foundation usually supports organisations with an established relationship.
It prefers to be one of several contributors, with applicants securing funds from several sources.
All directors must make a personal annual financial contribution and participate in fundraising.
The community’s need for the proposed programme or project in relation to similar activities is considered.
It considers whether the project’s income and expenditure budget is reasonable.
It considers the applicant’s ability to obtain full funding and sustain the proposed project.
Qualified applications are assessed on their current and projected merit and consistency with the Deed of Trust.
Major Capital applicants must have already attained 25% of the campaign goal and/or project or equipment cost before submitting.
Applicants using a fiscal sponsor must contact Charitable Foundation Services before submitting a proposal.

Officers and directors

Administered by its trustee, Bank of Hawaii.

2 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$6,015,273	$4,797,500	$117,446,776	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$7,035,411	$5,783,333	$127,380,454	Filing for 2023 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.