Buffalo/Kanazawa and Broomfield/Ueda Selected as Inaugural Recipients of U.S.-Japan Global Impact Grant

The United States-Japan Foundation (USJF), in partnership with Sister Cities International (SCI), is pleased to announce that Broomfield, Colorado, and Buffalo, New York, have been selected as the first recipients of the U.S.-Japan Global Impact Grant. Chosen from a competitive field of 34 applicants, these two city partnerships will receive funding to implement innovative, community-led initiatives that address shared environmental and sustainability challenges.

The U.S.-Japan Global Impact Grant was launched in late 2025 to empower sister city relationships to evolve beyond traditional cultural exchange and function as "innovation labs" for collaborative problem-solving. By supporting measurable and replicable projects, the grant aims to strengthen the 170-year bond between the U.S. and Japan through practical, grassroots action.

The selected projects demonstrate how long-standing diplomatic ties can be leveraged to tackle modern global issues at the local level:

Buffalo, New York & Kanazawa, Ishikawa: These cities will utilize their shared designations as Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas to launch programs focused on bird conservation and environmental education. The initiative will engage citizen diplomats in protecting shared natural heritage while fostering scientific and educational exchange.
Broomfield, Colorado & Ueda, Nagano: This partnership will focus on urban sustainability through a professional exchange of city employees. By observing and sharing municipal waste-reduction strategies, Broomfield and Ueda aim to develop practical solutions to advance their respective zero-waste and sustainability goals.

The announcement comes as the U.S.-Japan relationship celebrates significant historical milestones. "The Buffalo and Broomfield projects help model a new era for U.S.-Japan relations at the grassroots, moving beyond friendship for its own sake to activating that friendship to address shared challenges," said Jacob M. Schlesinger, President and CEO of the United States-Japan Foundation.

Carlo Capua, Board Chair of Sister Cities International, noted that the selected initiatives reflect the enduring power of people-to-people diplomacy. “In a world that often feels more divided than connected, this grant is a reminder of what's possible when cities lead with friendship and purpose,” said Capua. “The projects chosen in Broomfield and Buffalo show that the 170-year bond between our two nations isn't just history — it's a living, working partnership that improves people's lives."

Through this grant program, USJF continues its four-decade commitment to fostering bilateral relations by investing in local changemakers. The projects in Buffalo and Broomfield serve as blueprints for how other communities across the 460-plus U.S.-Japan sister city network can co-create solutions for a more resilient and connected future.

For more information about USJF’s grant programs and our commitment to strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship, please visit https://us-jf.org/en/grants.

Buffalo/Kanazawa and Broomfield/Ueda Selected as Inaugural Recipients of U.S.-Japan Global Impact Grant

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