July 2024

This scholarship provides women immigrants and refugees in Japan equal access to higher education, believing a degree leads to a safe, productive life. Focusing on two-year vocational degrees, the program offers crucial financial and non-financial support. This methodology provides the fastest, most economic road to job security and financial independence. The resulting stable status opens a pathway to a work visa, while influencing community mindsets regarding continued education.

Location: Aichi, Japan
Grant Awarded: ¥12,000,000

NGOsource is integrating Japanese as an official language for its international due diligence service for grantmakers and grantees. The project involves translating all technical platforms, including the ED questionnaire, and training a local partner in Japan for ongoing live support. This expansion aims to make complex U.S. tax compliance accessible and empowering for local NGOs, reducing time and frustration for non-native English speakers. Ultimately, adding Japanese encourages funders to make direct giving to Japanese organizations, supporting localization goals.

Location: San Francisco, CA
Grant Awarded: $50,000

This project examines the institutional frameworks and operational practices of the U.S. charitable sector to identify insights relevant to improving Japan’s enabling environment for nonprofits. While expectations for nonprofit organizations are rising in Japan, challenges remain regarding sector scale and donation culture. The project includes online preparatory study sessions followed by on-site research in Washington, D.C., and Seattle in October 2025, with interviews conducted among research institutions, intermediary organizations, grassroots nonprofits, and legal and accounting professionals. Key research themes include nonprofit legal structures, tax incentives, donation culture, and the role of transparency in governance. Findings will inform context-sensitive policy recommendations for institutional improvement in Japan.

Location: Tokyo
Grant Awarded: ¥3,500,000

The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE) is conducting a 9-month scoping project focused on Japanese NPOs supporting foreign residents. Using research and interviews with 10–12 NPOs, the project will identify their challenges and the knowledge they seek from international experience, particularly the United States. This will inform the viability of a future program connecting Japanese NPOs with US immigration experts to promote mutual learning and the successful integration of foreign residents.

Location: New York, NY
Grant Awarded: $35,000

The project is seeking to take selected students to Fukuoka City. Led by Japanese language teacher Kimie Briem, the initiative aims to provide students, many of whom are from low-income backgrounds, with exposure to the Japanese language, daily life, and culture. Students will stay with host families, visit Fukushyou High School (Atlanta's sister city partner), and strengthen friendships that began in 2021 via video exchange. The students will serve as ambassadors, creating a presentation upon return and promoting the Japanese language program.

Location: Atlanta, GA
Grant Awarded: $12,100

The 9th U.S.-Japan-Korea Trilateral Forum & Symposium, organized by International Student Conferences, Inc. (ISC), is a week-long program that took place in  January 2025 in Washington, DC. The event gathers peer-selected student leaders from the Japan-America, Korea-America, and China-America Student Conferences to develop next-generation leaders. It focuses on enhancing understanding of U.S.-Japan-Korea collaboration and regional security issues through engagements, training, and a public symposium. The  symposium’s focus was "Technology and Environment." The program aims to strengthen trilateral relationships and provide policy recommendations from a next-generation perspective. Recordings can be watched on YouTube for Panel 1, Panel 2, and the overview.

Location: Washington, D.C.
Grant Awarded: $20,000

This project supports the restoration of the Sadako statue in Seattle Peace Park, a memorial connected to Sadako Sasaki of Hiroshima and an enduring symbol of peace and remembrance. In 2024, the statue was vandalized, damaged, and stolen. Through this grant, support is provided to assist community-led restoration efforts alongside a broader fundraising campaign, bringing together local stakeholders to restore the statue as a shared community resource and site of reflection.

Location: Seattle, WA
Grant Awarded: $10,000

The Policy Entrepreneur’s Platform program proposes fostering Non-Profit Startups (NPSs) in Japan to address significant social challenges like inequality and climate justice through scalable, non-market solutions. This project implements the “PEP for Non-Profit Startup Accelerator Program” (Batch 1 and Batch 2), a program designed to teach scaling methodologies that leverage policy and technology. Through lectures and workshops, it supports individuals and organizations working in non-market sectors to maximize their social impact. This initiative aims to energize the NPS field and create a sustainable social innovation ecosystem in Japan.

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Grant Awarded: ¥9,900,000

The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) is launching a project to strengthen Japan's civic space and promote U.S.-Japan philanthropic exchange by improving the non-profit regulatory framework. Activities include creating a Civic Freedom Monitor report and updating the Council on Foundations Country Note to clarify NPO laws for U.S. donors. Additionally, ICNL will commission a white paper on regulatory reform and organize a convening with civil society, government, and other stakeholders to discuss potential enabling reforms to Japan's non-profit law framework.

Location: Washington, D.C.
Grant Awarded: $68,143