The Japan Foundation, Manila Arts & Culture Grant 2024 – Philippines

The Japan Foundation, Manila, offers local grants to support activities that promote and deepen understanding of Japan, its language, and culture. Additionally, it supports projects that encourage multilateral cultural exchange between the Philippines and Japan. And through global partnerships, they extend the reach to foster cross-cultural understanding and international collaboration.

The grant aims to deepen and enhance mutual understanding of Japan and Japanese culture by supporting cultural events. This category also encompasses projects aimed at enhancing Japanese Studies, including conferences, seminars, and workshops. And through Global Partnerships, the grant facilitates collaboration among like-minded nations, creating a platform for dialogue on multifaceted issues such as sustainable development, climate change, peacebuilding, maritime and economic cooperation, among others.

This program provides grants to cover partial expenses on a cost-sharing basis to implement the following types of projects. The proposed amount by the applicant will be screened and may be reduced.

Funding Information

• In principle, the grant shall cover the cost of the specified items as below:
  • Honorarium/artist fee
  • Production of proceedings and reports
  • Cost of hosting a conference (e.g. rental of venue and equipment, interpreter, etc.)
  • Publicity or Public relations expenses
  • Publication
  • Purchase of teaching/learning materials
  • Other costs agreed by JFM

Project Type 

• Projects which promote/introduce/deepen understanding of Japan or contribute to the development of Japanese culture, Japanese Studies and partnerships with Japanese thinkers, researchers and scholars or themes related to Japan.
• Place of Project Implementation –the Philippines or Japan.
• Projects should be implemented between May 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024.
• Possible Project Example: 
  • Inviting guests from Japan, conducting Japan-themed and Japanese culture related projects such as performance, exhibition, film screening/conference.
  • For film screenings, applicants must obtain prior approval from the censorship board before applying for the grant.
  • Activities related to Japanese Studies and Global Partnerships projects such as conference, seminar, workshop, lecture, masterclass by inviting the Japanese scholar or thinkers from Japan.
• Ineligible Projects: 
  • Activities which do not have any specific relation to Japan in terms of theme or guest.
  • Japanese cultural day without guests from Japan.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be based in the Philippines.
• The project proposed for the grants must not:
  • Be a pure science-related program. This grant supports programs related to the Social Science and Humanities fields only.
  • Be profit-oriented.
  • Benefit only the applicant or certain people.
  • Be used for creation of scholarships or fellowships.
  • Be used to spread certain policies or opinions and/or project with political or religious purposes.
  • Be used for personal research expenses purposes (this is an event grant, not a research grant).
• Applicants must be able to run the project with full respect to the local laws and regulations, as well as to fulfill the responsibility that comes from receiving support from governmental funding. It is the applicant’s duty to conduct clear accounting, publicity, and reporting.
• The project must include a Japanese collaborator, with proof of communication or agreement provided in the form of a letter, email, or contract.
• The grant will only cover partial costs of the project: the grant will not cover 100% of the cost. Projects must be based on cost-sharing, and applicants are encouraged to find other resources along with this grant, such as sponsors, grants, donations, revenue generation (e.g. ticket sales) and participation fees, as well as the applicant’s own funding.
• If it is necessary to apply for a visa for the foreign artist, such as performance or shooting visas, the applicant must fulfill the duty of obtaining it for the foreign artist as well as permits from the local authorities for hosting the event, wherever applicable.
• Applicants must inform the JFM if they are also applying or receiving support from other Japanese governmental organizations or agencies, including the Embassy of Japan, any Ministry of Japan, Agency of Cultural Affairs (Bunkacho), JICA, JETRO, JNTO, Japanese local government, and any other entities established by national/local governments of Japan.
• Applicants must not be receiving any support from other Japan Foundation resources for the same project, including grants from the Japan Foundation headquarters’ grant in Tokyo, and local grants from other Japan Foundation country offices.
• Any recurring application from the same applicant in the same fiscal year will not be considered.
• Application received from the same applicant for three (3) consecutive years will not be considered.

For more information, visit JFM.