At the heart of our grants program is a simple but powerful idea: investing in those who identify and confront our shared challenges. From climate change and natural disasters to geopolitical disruptions, the projects we fund aim to foster innovative solutions and strengthen U.S.-Japan relations. As we move into 2025, we are making important changes to ensure that our grants program is more flexible and responsive to the needs of applicants.
What’s New for 2025?
To better support those tackling urgent social issues, we are shifting to a quarterly grants cycle, giving applicants more opportunities to apply throughout the year. This means greater flexibility for those who are developing long-term projects, refining their proposals, or discovering new opportunities mid-year.
Additionally, we recognize that some projects can’t wait. If your proposal is time-sensitive and requires an accelerated review, we encourage you to request expedited consideration. Please include a desired decision deadline and a clear rationale for urgency.
Quarterly Deadlines for 2025
Here’s the new grants cycle timetable for 2025.
- First-quarter Letter of Inquiry (LOI) deadline: Friday, March 28
- Second-quarter LOI deadline: Friday, June 27
- Third-quarter LOI deadline: Friday, September 26
- Fourth-quarter LOI deadline: Friday, December 26
Each quarter, we will review LOIs in the following month and invite selected applicants to submit a full grant proposal. For instance, if you apply by March 28, we will notify you by April 30 if we’d like to see a full proposal.
The winter window is now open, and the guidelines on the application process can be found here. A list of current grantees can be found here.
Have Questions? We’re Here to Help
We are committed to making the process as clear and accessible as possible. If you have any questions—whether about eligibility, the application process, or project fit—please reach out to us at programs@us-jf.org.
By refining our grants program, we aim to better support those working toward impactful change, and we encourage you to apply.
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