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Program Guidelines
Grant Program for Japanese-Language Education Activities FAQ
1. Overall questions about the Grant Program for Japanese-Language Education Activities
Q1: What kind of activity is eligible for a “Japanese-Language Activities Support Grant?”
Q2: Do you have programs that will support the salaries of the Japanese Teacher(s) at our school?
2. Questions about filling out the application forms
3. Questions regarding the “Teaching Material Purchase Grant”
Q1: How should teaching materials be purchased? Is there a list?
Q4: I have a yen account in Japan. Can we have grant money sent to that account in Japanese yen?
Q5: Is there an upper limit to the “Teaching Material Purchase Grant”?
1. Overall questions about the Grant Program for Japanese-Language Education Activities
Q1: What kind of activity is eligible for a “Japanese-Language Activities Support Grant?”
A: The grant supports any kind of activity that will enhance the motivation of a Japanese-language learner or provide an opportunity for people who wish to learn Japanese to do so for the first time. Japanese speech contests, quiz contests using Japanese, debates, and presentations in Japanese are some examples of activities considered appropriate.
Q2: Do you have programs that will support the salaries of the Japanese Teacher(s) at our school?
A: The grant applies only when a full-time teacher is hired to teach a newly started Japanese-language program or a newly added Japanese class. It does not apply to salaries for teachers who are already employed by your school. Furthermore, there is also a condition that your school must be able to support this teacher with its own finances within three years. For details, please refer to the “Conditions for Staff Expansion Grant” portion in the “Program Description” section of the application instructions.
Q3: I was originally considering applying to the “Program for the Donation of Japanese-Language Teaching Materials.” Is it possible to receive Japanese teaching materials through this “Grant Program for Japanese-Language Education Activities?”
A: Until fiscal 2009, the Japan Foundation purchased teaching materials in Japan and donated them overseas, but the “Program for the Donation of Japanese-Language Teaching Materials” has been terminated. From fiscal 2010, the “Grant Program for Japanese-Language Education Activities” will provide financial aid for the individual organizations to purchase Japanese teaching materials.
Unlike before, the Foundation can no longer purchase and send materials. Financial aid for teaching materials, shipping costs and tariffs will be provided to the individual organizations so that they may each procure what they need on their own. For details, please refer to the “Conditions for Teaching Material Purchase Grant” portion in the “Program Description” section of the application instructions.
Q4: Can I apply for aid for operations not listed in the “Program Description” section of the application instructions?
A: If the operation has the effect of popularizing Japanese-language or contributes to the development of Japanese-language education, a grant application may be entered under the heading of “Other Original Proposals.” Furthermore, a grant application may be entered combining multiple operations in the activities listing. Please note however that there are elements that are non eligible so please check the ”Requirements of the Proposed Projects” and “Non Eligible Elements for Grant Project” sections of the application instructions.
Q5: There is a local office of the Japan Foundation in my country; are there any programs that my school can apply to?
A: For countries that have the Japan Foundation’s overseas offices, aid is rendered through that local office and the Foundation’s headquarter will not accept grant applications from individual organizations.
Each overseas office will project programs suited to the Japanese-language education requirements of the country. The content of such programs differs among different countries. Please contact the Foundation’s local office for details. (The Japan Foundation’s overseas offices contact information: http://www.jpf.go.jp/world/en/index.html)
2. Questions about filling out the application forms
Q1: If one single organization or entity were to apply for more than one project (for instance, if the same organization were to apply for both the “Japanese-Language Activities Support Grant” and the “Conference Grant”), is it necessary to prepare and hand in application forms A through C for each one, or is it sufficient to hand in just 1 copy of A through C?
A: If the application is from the same organization or entity, just 1 copy of A through C is sufficient. However, please keep in mind that in cases where the representative or the bank account for receiving the grant money is different for each project, forms A and C will be required for each individual project.
Q2: For application form D “Project Sheet (I)-(IV),” there is a requirement to attach a “Brochure of the Institution: Please attach pamphlets for the applying organization, print-outs of the organization’s web site, and public relations materials.” If we currently do not have this material, should one be created for the purpose of this application?
A: The “Brochure of the Institution” need only be attached if you currently have such material. If none such exist, no attachment is necessary. Please also note that should these materials be in languages other than Japanese or English, a summary of the contents in either Japanese or English is also required.
Q3: An “Outline of Project” is required in form D “Project Sheet (IV): Conference Grant, Publication Grant, Other Original Proposal” and a “Full Description of Project” is required as an attachment. Even if the contents of the two are the same, must both be handed in?
A: With regards to the screening process, the validity and necessity of the project are the primary concerns for the grant decision and therefore the full description of the project becomes the most important material for consideration. Realizing full well that the contents of the “Outline of Project” may overlap with that of the attachment, it was thought that there was insufficient space to fully explain a project within the form for the “Outline”, and hence the requirement for an attachment with full details. It is perfectly satisfactory to place the whole of the explanation within the attached “Full Description of Project” and simply enter “Please refer to attached ‘Full Description of Project’” within the space for the “Outline” in form D “Project Sheet (IV).”
3. Questions regarding the “Teaching Material Purchase Grant”
Q1: How should teaching materials be purchased for the “Teaching Material Purchase Grant”? Is there a list?
A: There is no set list from which you must purchase. It is up to the discretion of each applying organization to decide what is necessary based on the current needs. Further, the materials need not even be published in Japan. The web pages below may be of use in the searching and procurement of teaching materials.
- The Japan Foundation Link Page ([Teach Material / Publisher Information] section has links to publishers who produce Japanese-language teaching materials.)
- Nihongo no Bonjinsha
- Sougakusha
- Amazon
- The Society for Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language Japanese Teaching Material Database
- JP Books London
Q2: How should costs of postage and customs fees be included in the budget of application? Also, is it possible to include the overseas money-wiring fees necessary for purchasing teaching materials sold in Japan from abroad?
A: When using vendors to post teaching materials, please refer to the sites listed below or request information of the posting vendor or book store for details and include them in the budget of application. An estimate based on the information you were able to collect will do fine. If purchasing from several different sources, it is permissible to list postage and custom fees for each source. In this case please make sure to clearly note which fees correspond to which materials. Please list the total sum of all costs related to the purchase of teaching materials including expenses such as postage and customs fees, in the area for “Total Requested Amount” of opplication form D (Ⅲ). For information regarding custom fees, please refer to the web pages listed below.
It is also permissible to include money wiring fees in the expenses.
*Customs Fees, Etc. (reference)
- Japan Post Service Co., Ltd. Homepage “International Mail”
- FedEx “Ancillary Clearance Service Fees Assessed on Import Shipments”
- UPS “Calculate Time and Cost” (Search Screen)
Q3: If we purchase teaching materials sold in Japan and must pay in Japanese yen, yet grant money is provided in local currency, there may be occasions where there are loses due to exchange rates. What should be done in these cases?
A: If the received amount is less than the granted amount due to foreign exchange transaction loss, you must resolve the issue by doing one of the following:
1. Decrease the purchase quantity to meet the difference.
2. Pay the difference on your own.
Q4: I have a Japanese yen account in Japan. Would it be possible to receive the grant money with that account in Japanese yen?
A: Due to the grant regulations of the Japan Foundation, it is general policy to transfer money to a bank account belonging to the organization receiving the grant. Unless there are special reasons, such as the organization cannot create a bank account or the organization’s bank account will not accept international transfers, requests for a transfer to a personal account through a letter of proxy will not be accepted.
Q5: Is there an upper limit to the “Teaching Material Purchase Grant”?
A: Because the necessary teaching materials and quantities differ from organization to organization, we have not set a general upper limit so that each request may be considered on an individual basis. Therefore it is possible to apply for teaching materials procurement costs based on the quantitative requirements of your organization, but please understand the appraisal of your grant request may be influenced by conditions such as the foundation’s own budget.