Japantown Foundation Awards $55,000 in Grants to Nonprofits for 2015
The board of directors of the San Francisco Japantown Foundation awarded $55,000 in grants to nine nonprofit organizations serving the Japantown community.
The foundation provided direct unrestricted grants for organizations and, for the first time, planning grants for organizations focused on enhancing an existing structure of building in Japantown, or creating a product or service that would advance Japantown.
“Including our 2015 grants, the Japantown Foundation has now provided nearly $700,000 in funding since 2007,” said Donald Tamaki, foundation board president. “The foundation is proud to invest in community organizations that are improving and supporting the Japantown community."
The recipients of 2015 direct grants are:
Bay Area Day of Remembrance Consortium ($1,500)
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California ($5,000)
Kimochi, Inc. ($5,000)
Nichi Bei Foundation ($7,500)
Sakura Matsuri, Inc. ($7,500)
Soto Mission of San Francisco ($3,500)
The following organizations received planning grants:
National Japanese American Historical Society, Inc. ($5,000)
Japantown Task Force, Inc. ($10,000)
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California ($7,000)
Hokka Nichi Bei Kai ($3,000)
These organizations demonstrated the value of their organization to the Japantown community, the effectiveness of their services and/or activities, and their financial sustainability. Organizations awarded a planning grant will have an opportunity to collaborate with the Foundation that may result in additional funding.
The foundation provides these grants through funds from three sources: earnings from endowments by Kintetsu Enterprises of America, Jack Hirose, Hats and Amey Aizawa, Union Bank, and Minami Tamaki LLP; proceeds from the foundation’s annual Osechi Ryori New Year’s Celebration; and donations from the Hotel Kabuki’s You Can Make a Difference program.
The San Francisco Japantown Foundation’s mission is to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco Japantown. We are dedicated to preserving and honoring Japantown’s history, to welcoming and serving its residents, visitors, businesses, congregations and community organizations, and to supporting the growth and development of the community’s Japanese cultural theme. In particular, we support activities that reflect the Japanese American experience, and activities that engage Japanese of all generations and other supporters of Japantown.
