The Sumitomo Foundation has announced a significant international grant to protect, preserve, and restore tangible cultural properties outside Japan. Designed to ensure the survival of humanity’s artistic and historical heritage for future generations, this program targets antique artworks and archaeological marvels at risk of deterioration.
Key Takeaways
- Up to 15 projects worldwide will be supported with a combined budget of ¥35 million.
- Eligible projects must focus on conserving or restoring tangible, old, and valuable cultural properties outside Japan.
- Application deadline is November 30, 2025, with projects slated for completion by March 2027.
Grant Program Details
The initiative aims to support projects that involve the hands-on conservation and restoration of significant cultural properties, such as fine arts, archaeological site artifacts, or components of historic buildings—like murals or sculptures. The focus is on properties possessing clear artistic or academic worth and demonstrable potential to contribute to shared human heritage.
Importantly, projects that center solely on digital preservation or the restoration of entire archaeological sites do not qualify. Instead, qualifying activities must pertain to the physical safeguarding or rehabilitation of artifacts or structures themselves, or preliminary surveys closely tied to such interventions.
Funding Structure and Project Timeline
The overall grant pool for fiscal year 2025 stands at ¥35 million, from which approximately 15 selected projects will each receive funding. Every funded project must be completed within a one-year window, specifically from March 2026 through March 2027.
Covered expenses include direct project costs like transportation, accommodation, essential rentals, procurement of materials, remuneration for technical support staff and collaborators, as well as costs for printing, dissemination, and project meetings. However, the grant doesn’t cover administrative overheads or remuneration for the main applicants themselves.
Who Can Apply?
Eligibility is open to owners or legal administrators of cultural properties, as well as researchers responsible for carrying out necessary studies or preliminary surveys. Institutions and individuals seeking profit, or those maintaining cultural assets for private use, are expressly excluded. Each applicant is required to submit a formal application, a recommendation letter from a respected academic or professional, and digital documentation of the property concerned. Applications are accepted in either Japanese or English.
Selection Criteria and Reporting
Grant recipients will be chosen by the Sumitomo Foundation’s expert selection committee. The main criteria include:
- Importance and historical or artistic significance of the targeted cultural property
- Urgency and necessity for intervention
- Feasibility of the restoration or preservation plan
- Clear demonstration of the need for external funding
- Any notable connection to Japan, such as works made by Japanese artists, those that have influenced Japanese culture, or projects involving Japanese researchers
Successful applicants must submit a comprehensive restoration report or, for surveys, publish findings through reputable academic channels. All work must acknowledge the grant’s support, ensuring transparency and knowledge sharing within the global cultural community.
Implications for Global Heritage Conservation
This grant highlights Japan’s continued commitment to the global stewardship of cultural heritage, aiming not only to safeguard irreplaceable art and history, but to foster cross-border academic collaboration. With a strict focus on material conservation and scholarly dissemination, the grant encourages best practices in cultural property management on an international scale.
