SF Japantown Foundation Grant Applications for 2022-2023 Has Closed

This year, the Board of Directors for the Foundation will be focusing on three priorities: providing capital grants; projects that honor the founding members of our SF Japanese American community, and capacity building activities.

Here is a list of the 15 awardees for the SF Japantown CARES Fund:
Day of Remembrance - Recognize Nisei involved in DOR
Hokka Nichi Bei Kai - Front gate, painting, landscape, bi-lingual sign
Ito Yosakoi - Leadership summit
National Japanese American Citizens League - Façade, artwork, community meeting space
Japantown Task Force - Coordination of Peace Plaza Renovation Project
Japantown Community Benefit District - Safety equipment
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California - 2 shows by Grateful Crane Ensemble
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California - Wooden bench, landscape, front windows
Japanese Community Youth Center - Renovation of new office
Jikei Kai - Renovation of office
Kinmon Gakuen - Pressure wash and painting of front façade
Nichi Bei Foundation - Fundraising/Japanese language/map and directory
National Japanese American Historical Society - Audience/membership development strategy
Sakura Matsuri, Inc. - Cherry Blossom Festival Support 
Sokoji Temple - Wooden fencing in front of temple

Congratulations to all the awardees! We will keep you updated on the progress/completion of their projects.

Click to download the 2021 Grantee Report

See our Japantown Foundation Grantee Reports 2021

GRANT APPLICATION PROGRAM IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND FOR PROJECTS WHO ARE FISCALLY SPONSORED BY A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.  WE WILL NOT ACCEPT APPLICATIONS BY INDIVIDUALS AT THIS TIME.

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.

Japantown Foundation Awards Grants to 11 Organizations

The board of directors of the San Francisco Japantown Foundation this week approved $35,000 in grants to 11 nonprofit organizations.

• Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach ($1,000)

• GenRyu Arts ($1,000)

• Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California ($5,000)

• Kimochi, Inc. ($5,000)

• Kokoro Assisted Living, Inc. ($1,000)

• National Japanese American Historical Society ($5,000)

• Nichi Bei Foundation ($5,000)

• Nihonmachi Little Friends ($5,000)

• Nihonmachi Street Fair ($1,000)

• Parent Teacher Community Council of the Japanese Bilingual Bicultural Program ($1,000)

• Sakura Matsuri Inc. ($5,000)

These organizations demonstrated the value of their organization to the Japantown community, the effectiveness of their services and/or activities, and their financial sustainability.

Our 2013 grants program differed from previous years in two ways: (1) we provided direct grants without requiring a matching fund requirement; and (2) these grants are not designated for specific projects or programs, allowing recipients to use the funds for a variety of purposes (with some restrictions).

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.

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation was formed in December 2006 through generous endowments by Kintetsu Enterprises of America, Jack Hirose, Hats and Amey Aizawa, Union Bank, and Minami Tamaki LLP. The Foundation’s mission is to support cultural, community and educational activities for San Francisco Japantown. Including its 2013 grants, the Foundation has provided more than $635,000 in funding since 2007.

Matching Grants 2012 Program Participants

The San Francisco Japantown Foundation board of directors approved the following projects to participate in our 2012 matching grants program, listed with the maximum amount of matching funds:

• Children's Day Activities ($4,000.00), a project of JCCCNC

• Japantown Youth Leaders ($2,000), a project of the Japanese Community Youth Council

• J-POP Summit Festival ($2,500.00)

• Michiya Hanayagi Dance Studio ($1,000)

• Nihonmachi Street Fair ($2,500.00)

• Nikkei Community Internship ($3,000), a project of the California Japanese American Leadership Council

• Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival ($5,000)

• Northern California Soy and Tofu Festival ($1,000), a project of the Nichi Bei Foundation

• O-Hanami Grove ($500), a project of the Parent Teacher Community Council, Japanese Bilingual Program

• San Francisco Japantown Educational Heritage Program ($5,000), a project of the National Japanese American Historical Society

We are also extending the timeframe for receiving donations that qualify for a match. Tuesday, August 7, July 31, 2012, 5 p.m. Pacific Time, is the new deadline for us to receive donations via the matching grants program.

The deadline for the Foundation to tally donations and notify matching grants program participants of final totals and grant awards is now still August 15, 2012. The original deadline was July 31. We will notify participants of the final donation totals by the end of August.

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.