Grants

The Japan Foundation provides funding for people actively engaged in cultural exchange, and provides grants for cultural exchange by making available tools, opportunities, and venues that facilitate exchange activities.

• Providing grants to people involved in exhibitions and stage performances related to Japanese arts and culture.
• Supporting individuals and NPOs for Japanese cultural exchange projects.
• Supporting programs to assist the professional skills of Japanese-language teachers.
• Supporting universities and research institutes engaging in Japanese studies.

Headquarters’ Programs : Call for applications for fiscal year 2024 programs is open now

The programs are directly operated and handled by our headquarters office. Their programs are wider in variety and bigger in amounts than the small grant program provided by the Japan Foundation Yangon. However, calls for the applications are only once or twice a year.
https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/program/

Application should be uploaded to the Online Application Portal (https://www.apply.jpf.go.jp) by 1 p.m., November 30, 2023 (Japan Standard Time). Please be note that deadline of Support Program for Translation and Publication is 1 p.m., November 20, 2023 (Japan Standard Time). Deadline of Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship Program and Grant Program for Japanese Studies Projects are 3 p.m., December 1, 2023 (Japan Standard Time).

※Any documentation submission by email or to the Japan Foundation, Yangon office will not be accepted.

1. Arts and Cultural Exchange [Culture]

(1) Exhibitions Abroad Support Program

This program is designed to provide financial support for museums and art institutions overseas that organize exhibitions introducing Japanese art and culture to audiences overseas. In addition, this program is designed to support overseas international exhibitions such as biennials/triennials introducing Japanese artists and their works.

(2) Support Program for Translation and Publication on Japan

This program is designed to provide partial financial support for overseas publishers intending to translate and/or publish works originally written in Japanese. The program aims to foster better understanding of Japan by encouraging overseas publishers to translate and publish Japanese books. The grant covers part of the translation cost and/or publishing costs (e.g. costs for paper, typesetting, platemaking, printing and binding). Applicants may apply for one of the following categories: “translation only” “publication only” or “translation and publication.”

(3) Ishibashi Foundation / The Japan Foundation Fellowship for Research on Japanese Art (Individual Applicant only)

This program aims to support the development of professionals specializing in the study of Japanese visual arts by providing an opportunity for curators and researchers from abroad to conduct research in Japan, and by so doing, promote the study of the field and the introduction of Japanese art overseas. This fellowship is implemented by the Japan Foundation with generous funding from the Ishibashi Foundation.

2. Japanese-Language Education Overseas

(1) Support Program for Organizations in Japanese-Language Education (Grants)

This program aims to support Japanese-language education activities by targeting Japanese-language teachers and students of overseas Japanese-language institutions and organizations.

(2) Training Programs for Teachers of the Japanese-Language

The Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, Urawa (JFJLI, Urawa) provides training opportunities in Japan (Saitama Prefecture) or online for Japanese-language teachers teaching outside of Japan. The eligibility, duration, and content differ in every program.

— Basic Training Program for Teachers of the Japanese-Language

This program is a six months program designed for teachers who are early in their career with an opportunity to improve their Japanese-language skills, acquire the basic teaching methodology, and deepen their knowledge of Japan.

— Japanese-Language Program for Teachers of the Japanese-Language

This program is a six weeks program designed to provide an opportunity to improve their Japanese-language skill which is necessary as teachers of Japanese language. There will be NO lessons of Japanese-language teaching methodology.

— Comprehensive Japanese Teaching Methods Program for Teachers of the Japanese-Language

This program is a six weeks program designed to provide an opportunity to improve the teaching methodology. This program will be conducted twice in FY 2024. There will be NO lessons for improving Japanese-language skill.

— Japanese Teaching Methods Program for Teachers of Specified Skilled Worker Candidates (Onsite) 

This program is a 4-week onsite training program for teachers of the Japanese language at overseas organizations that provide Japanese-language education, with the aim of supporting Japanese-language educational programs for those who come to Japan on the working visa: Specified Skilled Worker (i). The aim of the program is for participants to improve their teaching skills and to deepen their knowledge on Japanese affairs, society, and culture.

— Program for Specialists in Cultural and Academic Fields (Individual Applicant only)

With the aim of providing support to specialists who require Japanese-language proficiency in order to smoothly execute their specialist work and research activities (such as researchers, graduate students, librarians, and museum and art museum curators), this program provides training for the acquisition of practical Japanese-language proficiency through a curriculum that is tailored to the characteristics of the respective specialist work, conducted at the Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai.

3. Japanese Studies Overseas and International Dialogue [Dialogue]

(1) Japan Foundation Japanese Studies Fellowship Program (Individual Applicant only)

This program provides scholars and researchers in the field of Japanese Studies with opportunities to conduct research in Japan, with the aim of promoting Japanese Studies overseas. Experts in the fields of natural science, medical science, and engineering are excluded. There are subcategories; (1) Scholars and Researchers (Long-Term), (2) Scholars and Researchers (Short-Term) and (3) Doctoral Candidates.

(2) Grant Program for Japanese Studies Projects

This program is designed to promote Japanese studies overseas by providing grants toward various Japanese studies projects implemented by overseas organizations.