Harold K. L. Castle Foundation Awards $1.7 Million to Bishop Museum
Honolulu, HI – Bishop Museum is pleased to announce it has received a grant of $1.7 million from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation for upgrades and renovation. Specifically, the money will be used for the Museum’s major restoration of the Hawaiian Hall complex and upgrades to the Richard T. Mamiya Science Adventure Center.
“This grant is sorely needed and Bishop Museum is extremely grateful to the Castle Foundation for its continued support of our exhibits and educational programs,” said Timothy Johns, Bishop Museum, President and CEO.
“Over the years, the Castle Foundation has been one the largest supporters of the Museum and is an integral partner in many of the Museum’s most important initiatives in science, education, and culture, from Ho‘olaupa‘i—the Hawaiian Language Newspaper Project—to major capital improvements on campus,” added Johns.
In 1989, Bishop Museum opened the Harold K. L. Castle Memorial Hall in honor of the Foundation’s namesake. The Hall houses the Museum’s traveling exhibits; the Pauahi: A Legacy for Hawai‘i exhibition; climate-controlled collection storage rooms and offices; the Pacific Center for Molecular Biodiversity, the Museum’s conservation laboratories; and the Founder’s Alcove.
“Bishop Museum is an irreplaceable resource for all the people of Hawaii,” said Terry George, Vice President and Executive Director of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. “To chart a strong future for our state, we must respect the natural forces that shaped our unique islands and appreciate how ancient Hawaiians forged a culture that kept our natural resources healthy. With the restoration of Hawaiian Hall and upgrades to the Science Adventure Center, the Museum will be in a position to become the primary center for educational explorations in culture and science for Hawai‘i’s keiki.”
Founded in 1962, the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation works to build resources for Hawai‘i's future. It does so by investing in promising initiatives and organizations through grant making, and introducing and spreading new ideas and approaches to help solve some of Hawai‘i's most pressing problems.
Bishop Museum’s mission is to study, preserve, and tell the stories of the cultures and natural history of Hawai‘i and the Pacific. For more information about Bishop Museum, please visit www.bishopmuseum.org or call (808) 847-3511.
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