Grant Reporting and Payment Requests

US-Japan Foundation (USJF) Grantees are asked to fulfill certain reporting requirements, as outlined in the “Grant Letter”, in order to continue receiving financial support from USJF. Many of these reports are required by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), while others are requested by USJF to facilitate project evaluation and grant management. USJF recognizes that these reports can be time consuming to prepare. The intent of this memo is to clearly describe what information is (and is not) required in these reports so that Grantees can make the most efficient use of their time. Please make sure that all project correspondence indicates the Grant Number (as noted in the top-right portion of the Grant Letter).


Payment Requests

Many project grants are paid in installments to stabilize cash flow and carry out the Foundation’s expenditure responsibility (relatively small grants are an exception). The first installment is generally paid to the Grantee upon receipt of a properly executed Grant (Contract) Letter. Refer to the Grant Letter for the payment schedule applicable to your project. Please remember that any significant expected change in the work or budget plan should be brought to the attention of Foundation staff as soon as possible.
It is important to note that USJF does not automatically pay subsequent installments to the Grantee as indicated in the payment schedule. The schedule indicates when a particular installment can be paid, provided USJF receives a letter requesting that particular installment. This “Payment Request” letter should contain certain basic information about the progress of the grant, but it does not need to be a lengthy report. Please see the following guide:

Paragraph 1

Official request for release of the next installment (please indicate the project title, grant number, payment amount, and payment number (e.g. the 2nd of 4 payments, or the 3rd and final payment)).

Paragraph 2

Briefly describe project progress since the last payment request (or start of the project). Only a basic outline is necessary. You can note the achievement of certain milestones (e.g. assembled the project team, held the first planning meeting, completed the first draft of a book, concluded a site visit), but you are not required to describe the content of those activities in any detail. Of course, a Grantee is welcome to describe project progress in detail if they so choose (or perhaps because a co-funder requires such a report, and it has already been prepared).

Paragraph 3

Briefly indicate the primary intended use of the money being requested (e.g. to pay for conference travel costs, project members’ salary, production and/or distribution of a report). Also: If the project has produced certain deliverables or work products (articles, newsletters, meeting agendas, reports, tapes, etc.), please include these with your request. You are not required to send draft versions of reports, chapters, articles, etc. unless specifically requested by USJF staff. If you have questions, please contact the Foundation. Please note that the signatory of the Payment Request can be either the Project Director or the original signatory on the grant contract letter.


Grant Final Report (For All Grants)

Please remember that the Grantee is required to submit a final report on the grant within ninety (90) days of the completion date for the grant. Check the grant letter for the official completion date. The Final Report has two parts:

1. Final Narrative Report:

Please describe in general the project’s goals, activities and achievements (with reference to the plan as described in the original grant proposal). Rather than an item-by-item listing of the project activities, a narrative that would give a fuller view of the project and the project team’s experiences would be very much appreciated. For example, if there were any unexpected obstacles (intellectual or logistical), it would be helpful to learn what they were and how they were overcome, or at least how it would be proposed to overcome them in the future. If the project involved a partner institution with whom you had never worked before, please include your impressions and observations about them. If this is final year of a multi-year project, please focus the Final Narrative Report on the final year of activity, but do reflect at some point on the whole project in a broad and comprehensive context. (Approx. 2,000 words)

2. Final Expenditure Report:

Please include an expenditure report for the grant period. Remember that the Grantee is required to return any unspent funds to the Foundation. Please review the Grant Letter for accounting and record-keeping requirements. A suggested format for the Final Expenditure Report is attached below for your reference.

Grant Final Report (For Renewal Grants)

Final Narrative Report

In the case of renewal grants, the renewal proposal will take the place of the Final Narrative Report (please see Suggested Renewal Grant Proposal Format). We understand that often the grant year is not fully completed when the renewal proposal is prepared.

Final Expenditure Report

As with any grant, please submit a final expenditure report on the grant within ninety (90) days of the completion date for the grant. This can be submitted separately from the Renewal Grant Proposal. Please check with Foundation staff if you have questions.

The renewal grant proposal is applicable only for those grantees who are in their second (or in rare instances, third) year of activities of a given project. All other grant applicants should refer to the Suggested Grant Proposal Format.

Suggested Final Expenditure Report Format

Note: included figures are for illustrative purposes only and are NOT meant to reflect real, or realistic costs.

Items Total Expenditure Amount Approved for USJF Grant Amount Actually Expended from USJF Grant*
I. Salary $50,000 $25,000 $25,000
Project Director(25% time for 12 months) $25,000 $25,000 $25,000
Administrative Assistant (50% time for 12 months) $15,000 $0 $0
Secretary (50% time for 12 months) $10,000 $0 $0
II. Consultants $4,400 $4,200 $4,200
International Education Consultant (2 days @ $200 per day) $400 $200 $200
Curriculum Consultant (3 days @ $500 per day) $1,500 $1,500 $1,500
Japan/America Scholar(s) (5 days @ $500 per day) $2,500 $2,500 $2,500
III. Travel $36,700 $30,700 $6,000
Tokyo-New York (5 people @ $1,500 per trip x 2 trips) $15,000 $10,000 $5,000
Hotel (5 people @ $150 per day x 10 days x 2 trips) $15,000 $15,000 $0
Meals (5 people @ $40 per day x 2 trips) $400 $400 $0
Admission Fees (i.e. museums and cultural events) $300 $300 $0
In-country transportation (5 people @ $400 x 3 trips) $6,000 $5,000 $1,000
IV. Program Costs $400 $300 $100
Books (5 people x 2 books @ $20 each) $200 $200 $100
Curriculum Materials $200 $200 $0
V. Publication $10,000 $5,000 $5,000
1,000 copies x 15 page report $10,000 $5,000 $5,000
Subtotal $101,500 $65,200 $36,300
Overhead $20,000 $6,520 $13,480
TOTAL $121,500 $71,720 $49,780

*Where there is a variation of plus or minus 10% between the amount initially approved by the Foundation (Amount Approved for USJF Grant) and the actual expenditure (Amount Actually Expended from USJF Grant) please provide a brief narrative explanation of the reasons for the discrepancy. This applies to significant budget items. Please check with a Foundation Staff if you have questions.

Contact Information
United States-Japan Foundation
145 East 32nd Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 481-8753
Questions about the Grants
should be directed to programs@us-jf.org