Grants Awarded to 15 Organizations

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation today announced the recipients of its 2008 grants during a presentation event at the Asian Art Musuem.

The foundation’s 2008 competitive grants totaled $25,000 and were divided among 12 organizations in varying amounts of $5,000 or less. The foundation also approved $60,000 in special grants, made possible by an additional donation
from Jack Hirose, to three Japantown organizations: Nihonmachi Little Friends,
Kimochi, Inc. and Golden Gate Optimist Club.

Organizations receiving competitive grants include:

Bay Area Day of Remembrance - $1,000 for Day of Remembrance 2009 - Carrying
the Light for Justice will include a film presentation, cultural performances,
keynote speaker, and a candle lighting ceremony at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre
(pending), a procession through Japantown to the Japanese Cultural and Community
Center of Northern California, concluding with an interfaith gathering and reception.

California Japanese American Community Leadership Council - $4,000 to support
scholarship and program related expenses for two participants of the 2009 Nikkei
Community Internship (NCI) Program. Each intern will support and increase their
understanding of the work of community organizations in San Francisco’s
Japantown.

Cherry Blossom Alumnae - $1,500 for the 2nd Annual Cherry Blossom Alumnae Conference
in 2009, "What It Means to Be a Japanese American Woman Today," a
gathering of Japanese American women. The Cherry Blossom Alumnae organization
seeks to give back to the Japanese American community through volunteerism,
education, cultural appreciation, leadership and financial support.

Cherry Blossom Festival - $4,000 to support keeping as many of the Cherry Blossom
Festival's exhibit and demonstration spaces in Japantown venues and to help
defray operating expenses such as costs associated with street closures.

Genryu Arts (Gen Taiko) - $1,000 to support the O-Matsuri Project, an arts
training program for high school youth in August 2009 culminating in the 2010
Oshogatsu Festival Celebration at the Japanese Cultural and Community Center
of Northern California. Through the program, high school youth will learn performance
works integrating taiko drumming and dance and prepare a public culminating
performance at the Oshogatsu Festival.

Japanese American Citizens League - $1,500 to support 2009 Project Community,
a program that seeks to educate college-bound high school students from the
Bay Area on the importance of community and identity, and how these issues are
historically vital to understanding Japantown and how it will be affected in
the future.

Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California - $4,000 to support
the Center's 17th Annual Kodomo No Hi (Children's Day) Festival and School Visit
Program in its efforts to share with a more diverse audience.

Michiya Hanayagi Japanese Dance Studio - $1,000 to support the studio's 51st
classical dance recital in Spring 2009.

National Japanese American Historical Society - $1,000 to support the Digital
Storytelling Youth Arts and Heritage Program that actively involves youth in
Japantown cultural and historic preservation and interpretation, disseminates
information on Japantown history through digital stories about community members
and historic moments and trains youth in communication skills including public
speaking, writing, editing and video production.

Nihonmachi Merchants Association - $1,000 to support the association's ongoing
efforts to increase the number of visitors to Japantown as well as to ensure
the economic viability of the community through various events and activities.

San Francisco Mishibana-Kai of Nihon Minyo Buyo Renmei - $4,000 to support
the production of a 15th anniversary celebration of Mishibana-Kai with a traditional
Japanese dance performance in Japantown and other culturally based performances,
including but not limited to koto (traditional stringed musical instrument)
and karaoke (singing), to share, preserve and introduce aspects of Japanese
culture.

X-Perience - $1,000 to support the production of the "My Japantown"
pamphlet, a compilation of things to do, places to visit, foods and shopping
tips -- all from the viewpoint of middle school-aged children who have grown
up being part of the Japantown community.

This was the foundation’s second disbursement of awards since being founded
in December 2006. The grants were provided to nonprofit groups with cultural,
community and educational activities that the Foundation determined best promote
and support San Francisco’s Japantown.

The foundation was formed through generous initial endowments by Kintetsu Enterprises
of America, Jack Hirose, Hats and Amey Aizawa, Union Bank of California and
Minami Tamaki LLP, which is also doing the foundation’s pro bono legal
work.

The organization is 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. In particular, the foundation supports activities that reflect
the Japanese American experience, and activities that engage Japanese of all
generations and all experiences in America.

The Foundation board is comprised of: Hats Aizawa; Bob Hamaguchi; Richard Hashimoto,
Japantown Merchants Association; Jack Hirose; Keith Kamisugi; Eiji Miwa; Sandy
Mori, Japantown Task Force, Inc.; Jon Osaki; Allen Okamoto, Sakura Matsuri,
Inc.; Donald K. Tamaki, Minami Tamaki LLP (board president); and June-Ko Nakagawa,
Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California. Deputy Consul General Hideyuki
Mitsuoka of the Consulate General of Japan serves as an advisory member.

The foundation welcomes additional grants and donations. Donations to the Foundation
can be made online on this site or made payable to “San Francisco Japantown
Foundation” and addressed to San Francisco Japantown Foundation, c/o Minami
Tamaki LLP, 360 Post Street, 8th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108.

2008 Grant Applications Now Available

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation is now accepting applications for its second round of grants.  Grants will be up to $5,000 and provided to nonprofit groups with cultural, community and educational activities that the Foundation determines best promotes and supports San Francisco’s Japantown. Apply online here. Or download a printable application form.

The application deadline is September 30, 2008, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Applications will be evaluated based on how well they meet our mission is to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco Japantown.

A subcommittee of the Foundation's board will review 2008 requests in October and the board will approve grants in November. We will announce the 2008 recipients in early December 2008.

The foundation’s 2007 competitive grants, awarded in December 2007, totaled $25,000 and were divided among 10 organizations in varying amounts of $5,000 or less.  The foundation also approved $15,000 in special grants, made possible by an additional donation from Jack Hirose, to three Japantown organizations.

Union Bank to Present Large Donation

George Tanaka will present a large donation from Union Bank of California to the San Francisco Japantown Foundation on Thursday, March 13, at 11 a.m. in the hospitality room of Union Bank's SF Japantown branch. The foundation board of directors will also announce details of a contest to help generate a new logo for the organization.

The community is invited to attend.

June-Ko Nakagawa, Bob Hamaguchi Join Board

The board of the San Francisco Japantown Foundation on Feb. 25 welcomed new members June-Ko Nakagawa, executive director of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, and Robert Hamaguchi, executive director of Japantown Task Force, Inc.

June-Ko succeeds Hiroshi Tomita as the representative of the Japanese Chamber.  Bob joins our board in a new seat.

Our other current board members are Hats Aizawa, Richard Hashimoto, Jack Hirose, Keith Kamisugi, Eiji Miwa, Sandy Mori, Allen Okamoto, Donald K. Tamaki. Deputy Consul General Kazuyoshi Yamaguchi of the Consulate General of Japan serves as an advisory member.