Grantees Selected for 2010

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation today announced its selection of ten nonprofit projects and activities to participate in its 2010 matching grants program.

These projects will be awarded up to $4,000 through a matching grants program instituted by the Foundation. Selected projects will have until April 30, 2010, to fulfill their match by asking individuals to contribute to the Foundation and earmarking their donation for their specific project.

The Foundation selected the projects based on criteria outlined in its submission guidelines and on how well each applicant advanced the Foundation’s mission to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco’s Japantown or the Japanese American community.

For more information on how to donate, visit http://www.sfjapantownfoundation.org/donate.

The following ten projects and activities have been selected to participate in the matching grants program:

The nihonmachiROOTS Community Engagement Project increases community engagement for the Japantown Better Neighborhoods Plan and builds a multi-generational, multi-ethnic network of community members to work on issues affecting Japantown. The project is also focuses on building trust and consensus within the community and determining issue priorities. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The 2nd Annual J-POP SUMMIT Festival is a pop culture-themed street fair that covers the grounds of Post Street from Webster to Buchanan to the Peace Plaza of Japantown. The festival is hosted by NEW PEOPLE in cooperation with the Japantown Merchants Association. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Rosa Parks Elementary School Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program, a San Francisco Unified School District alternative elementary school program offering Japanese language and culture in addition to the standard English based curriculum. Japanese is taught by sensei, native Japanese speaking teachers, who bring authentic Japanese language, and a personal perspective to Japanese culture into the classroom on a daily basis. The program will conduct numerous cultural events throughout the year. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The National Japanese American Historical Society's annual summer Japantown Cultural Heritage Tourism Youth Leadership Internship engages high school and college age youth in a two-month internship designed to: Engage young people in Japantown historic and cultural preservation; Increase visits by youth and the general public to Japantown; Increase participation by youth and the general public in Japantown activities by promoting what the community has to offer; and Develop youth leadership in Japantown. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

Kanrin Maru 150th Anniversary Celebration, fiscally sponsored by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, commemorates the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Kanrin Maru to San Francisco, the first official Japanese ship to land on American soil and to celebrate 150 years of history between the United States and Japan and the roots of the Japanese American community. The Kanrin Maru’s arrival signaled an important chapter in the beginning of official relations between the United States and Japan, seven years after Commodore Matthew Perry sailed to Japan to end two centuries of Japan’s self-imposed isolation. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Parade’s Kanrin Maru 150th Anniversary Floats. This year, the Cherry Blossom Fesrival Parade will welcome specially created floats to celebrate the historic celebration of the Kanrin Maru’s arrival to San Francisco. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The 18th Annual Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day) Festival and School Visit Program, run by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, allows children and their families to learn about and embrace Japanese culture through hands-on activities; to enjoy traditional and contemporary Japanese and Japanese American arts and entertainment; and welcome them to our safe, prosperous and culturally vibrant Japantown community. The Kodomo no Hi Program preserves and honors San Francisco Japantown’s rich history for its residents, businesses, visitors and community organizations while supporting the growth and development of the community we live in and serve. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Michiya Hanayagi Dance Studio will perform at various community events throughout the year. After 55 years of teaching, her contributions towards promoting the Japanese culture through classical dance gained her the prestige of being honored in 2004 as one of the recipients of The Foreign Minister's Commendation in Commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the U.S.-Japan Relationship. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $1,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

The Nikkei Community Internship Program run by the California Japanese American Community Leadership Council offering college students throughout California an opportunity to obtain experience supporting the work of various community organizations and increasing their understanding of contemporary issues affecting Japanese Americans. The goal of the program is to support the development of the next generation of community leaders. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

“What's Next for J-Town? A Young Adults' Perspective on San Francisco's Japantown,” is a research project by Aya Ino focusing on the next generation of young adults and their interests, followed by a collective analysis on perspectives of San Francisco’s Japantown. With a growing need to keep this specific population vibrant within our community, research will be conducted through surveys and creative online tools to assess the needs of those who are 19 to 35 in age. Results will be presented and available for all stakeholders of Japantown including merchants, residents, churches, organizations, and individuals, in hopes that future events will reflect the collective perspectives voiced by the next generation. The Japantown Foundation will match up to $2,000 in donations earmarked for this program.

This was the Foundation's third round of grantmaking since being founded in December 2006.