Apply for Japan – U.S. Global Partnership Grant Program

This program targets policy-oriented research conducted jointly by Japanese and American non-profit organizations (universities, think tanks, NPOs, etc.) aimed at resolving the issues of modern society and global issues facing the world, as well as dialogue and exchange projects at various levels, including academic researchers, experts, citizens, and grassroots practitioners. The inclusion of other countries that are important and pertinent to the issue at hand is welcome, provided the project is built on a framework of Japan-U.S. cooperation. The participation of relevant experts from the fields of science and technology is also welcome.

Objectives

• In recognition of the importance of the Japan-U.S. relationship, a fund was established in 1991 for the Japan Foundation (“JF”) to support grant programs and special projects that would strengthen and further Japan-U.S. relations.
• For over 30 years, JF has worked towards these goals:
  • To promote collaboration between Japan and the United States with the goal of fulfilling shared global responsibilities and contributing to improvements in the global welfare.
  • To enhance dialogue and interchange between Japanese and U.S. citizens on a wide range of issues to strengthen bilateral relations.

Thematic Areas

• Some examples include:
  • Climate change, disaster prevention, post-disaster recovery, pandemic, public health, food and energy security, environmental issues, sustainable city, overcoming social and economic disparities, demographic issues such as low birthrate and aging population, societal issues related to children/family and women, rural revitalization, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, bioethics, cyber security, digital transformation, green technology

Priority Areas

• Ideas and/or participants that comprise a broad range of viewpoints (e.g., collaborative project involving both academics and practitioners);
• Inclusion of a broad spectrum of participants including ethnicity, gender, geography, and fields of expertise relevant to the project;
• Participation from countries other than the U.S. and Japan that are relevant to the issue;
• Participation and/or participants from outside of major metropolitan areas;
• Demonstration of outcomes, impact on society (including support of people important for addressing the global issues/project theme(s)).
• Applications for policy-oriented initiatives to resolve current global issues of common concern

Eligible Cost 

• The grant amount will be decided based upon scale and necessity for each project. JF is able to consider support for the following items:
  • Personnel & Honoraria (honoraria for lecturers, researchers, collaborators, interpreters and staff salary, etc.)
  • Travel (international and domestic transportation costs, accommodation costs, and meal costs)
  • Conference costs (room rental, audio and visual equipment rental, event advertising costs, etc.)
  • Report & Publication costs (editing, website creation, translation, printing costs, etc.)
  • Other direct project costs (costs for reference materials, etc.)

Ineligible Cost

• JF will not consider the following items:
  • Capital fund and endowment drives, debt reduction;
  • Operating costs unrelated to the project being supported;
  • Design, construction, or maintenance of buildings or monuments;
  • Procurement of equipment or other durable goods or purchase of land.
  • Expenses not directly related to the project.

Eligible Projects

• JF will not consider proposals for the following:
  • Projects focused on academic research in medical, technical or natural sciences;
  • Commercial activities;
  • Projects that can be utilized for goals that are religious and or political in nature;
  • Projects in direct support of specific doctrines or claims.

Ineligible Projects

• JF will not consider resubmissions of projects previously reviewed, unless explicitly requested.
• Projects centered on annual or ongoing events are given lower priority

Eligibility Criteria

• Proposals are accepted by JF New York from U.S. non-profit organizations with 501(c)(3) status under the Internal Revenue Code.

Requirements

• Projects must begin between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026;
• Projects must have a symposium, conference, workshop to support dialogue and networking (virtual events and projects with a combination of these elements are all acceptable);
• Projects must be Japan-U.S. collaborations (for U.S. -based applicants, inclusion of Japanese perspective is critical and conversely, for Japan-based applicants, inclusion of U.S. perspective is critical);
• A minimum of 20% of the total project budget each year must be secured from non-JF sources such as the applying institution, the collaborating institution, and/or other sources.

For more information, visit Japan Foundation.