Designated Donations Program Guidelines 1

1. Program Summary

The Japan Foundation(JF) operates the Designated Donations Program, in addition to the general donation acceptance program. The Designated Donations Program allows the JF to accept donations from Japanese corporations and individuals to be allocated to a specific international cultural-exchange project, and then make a grant to the designated project based on the donated resources.

Since the JF is a designated public benefit organization, or Tokutei Koeki Zoshin Hojin, the corporations and individuals that make donations to the JF can enjoy a tax benefit.

The JF expects this program to contribute to promoting international cultural-exchange activities through support from a wide range of corporations and individuals.

* For details of the tax benefit, please see 10. Tax Benefits for Donors.

2. Eligibility

To be eligible for the program, a project must fall under at least one of the categories of the scope of projects set forth in (1) below and satisfy all of the requirements set forth in (2) below.

(1) Scope of projects

An eligible project for the program must fall under at least one categories set forth in (a) through (g). <Example> refers to a past project that falls within the category.

1. (a)Projects involving the dispatch or invitation of appropriate persons for the purpose of international cultural exchange.
   <Example>A project to provide scholarships for foreign students coming to Japan to study such themes as international cultural exchange or international mutual understanding.
2. (b)Establishing or operating institutions for Japanese studies overseas, projects involving dispatch of scholars, distribution of materials, research activities of persons carrying out Japanese studies, and other overseas projects associated with Japanese studies.
   <Example>A project for conducting research or holding seminars at a Japanese research institute overseas.
3. (c)Projects to promote the Japanese language through the training and dispatch of specialists in teaching the Japanese language, research of teaching methods or the development and distribution of teaching materials, and other methods.
   <Example>A project for setting up Japanese language courses at overseas educational institutions.
   <Example>A project to develop Japanese language teaching materials at an overseas educational institution for use in their country.
4. (d)Projects to implement performances, exhibitions, lectures, seminars, and other events for the purposes of international cultural exchange.
   <Example>A project to hold music festivals overseas, which is to introduce Japanese contemporary music.
   <Example>A project to hold art and other cultural festivals for exchanges between Japan and other countries.
5. (e)Projects involving production, compilation, exchange, or distribution of publications, audio-visual materials, and electromagnetic recording media that are necessary for introducing Japanese culture overseas and for other aspects of international cultural exchange.
   <Example>A project for producing radio programs for introducing Japanese music and youth culture overseas.
6. (f)Projects to help construct or maintain facilities for educational or cultural activities for the purpose of international cultural exchange, and to help purchase goods for educational or cultural activities with the aim of international cultural exchange, and help to donate such goods (limited to the donation of the goods contributed to the JF).
   <Example>A project to maintain Japanese gardens located overseas.
7. (g)Projects involving research and study necessary for international cultural exchange.

(2) Requirements for projects

An eligible project for the program must satisfy all of the requirements set forth in (a) through (j).

1. (a)The project shall not be for making profit or advertising purposes.
2. (b)Its implementation should affect the wider public. When only a limited number of participants are allowed, measures must be taken to guarantee that the participants are chosen objectively from a pool of applicants.
3. (c)It must be recognized that the achievement of the objectives of the project would be impossible or difficult without the allocation of the said Designated Grant.
4. (d)The plan and method of the project shall be appropriate for achieving the objectives, and there should be a reasonable expectation that it will attain sufficient results.
5. (e)The project shall not be operated for religious or political purposes.
6. (f)There shall be no special relations between the Donors and the Grantee who implements the project that may hamper a fair and appropriate implementation.
7. (g)The project shall not be on a theme in the areas of natural sciences, technology or engineering.
8. (h)The Designated Grant shall not be used as an initial endowment for a newly established foundation or organization.
9. (i)The Designated Grant shall not be used to cover the operating expenses of an organization, but for a specified project.
10. (j)The project shall not be completed before the time of notification of acceptance or rejection of Designated Donation.

While they are not part of the selection criteria, in FY2026, the JF shall attach importance to projects in the areas of (a) through (c) below. Projects that have following characteristics shall be reviewed favorably.

1. (a)Promoting the attractiveness of the provinces in Japan and preservation or creation of regional culture.
2. (b)Promoting participation of young people.
3. (c)Promotion of collaboration/cooperation with cultural organizations and other related people in the Asian region.

3. Donations Made for This Program

A donation made for this program must satisfy all of the requirements set forth in (1) and (2) below.
Please note that, from FY2016, the lower limit is set for the proposed amount of Designated Donation. The JF shall ask the Designated Donation Proposal Submitter regarding how certain they are to raise the proposed amount.

(1) Requirements concerning proposed amount

The minimum amount of Designated Donation per proposal shall be JPY 1,000,000 and proposal documents (Forms No. 4 and No. 5) must clearly indicate that the Designated Donation Proposal Submitter is scheduled to receive at least 30% of the proposed amount of Designated Donation (or JPY 500,000 for the case of the said amount being less than JPY 500,000).

(2) Requirements concerning remittance period

The implementation period of a proposal shall be three years at the longest, and remittance of the Designated Donation shall be completed by the end of said project implementation period.
If the project continues for more than three years, a new proposal for a Designated Donation must be submitted before the three-year period completes.

4. Procedures for Acceptance of Designated Donations and Allocation of Designated Grants

The procedure for using this program and the flow of funds are as shown in numbers (1) through (15) below.
The definitions of the terms are as follows.

• Designated Donation Proposal Submitters: Individuals, legal entities, and other organizations that follow the proposal submission procedures for Designated Donations and make remittance to the JF.
• Grant-Financed Projects: Projects for which Designated Grants are decided to be given.
• Grantees: Grant recipients who implement Grant-Financed Projects.
• Screening Committee: An external committee that screens the acceptability under the Designated Donations Program.

1. (1)A Designated Donation Proposal Submitter submits a “Designated Donation Proposal Form” (draft and final version) to the JF.
2. (2)JF consults with the Screening Committee on acceptability of the Designated Donation Proposal.
3. (3)The Screening Committee reports on the acceptability to JF.
4. (4)JF decides on acceptance or rejection of the Designated Donation Proposal.
5. (5)JF sends either a “Notification of Acceptance of Designated Donation” or a “Notification of Rejection of Designated Donation” to the Designated Donation Proposal Submitter.
6. (6)The Designated Donation Proposal Submitter submits a “Notification of Determination of the Amount of the Designated Donation” and a “List of Original Donors” to the JF when the amount of Designated Donation is determined.
7. (7)The Designated Donation Proposal Submitter remits the Designated Donation in a lump sum to JF.
8. (8)JF issues donation receipts addressed to each Donor and sends the receipts to the Designated Donation Proposal Submitter.
9. (9)JF sends an “Informal Notification of Designated Grant Allocation” to the Grantee.
10. (10)The Grantee submits an “Application Form for Designated Grant Allocation” to JF.
11. (11)JF makes a final decision on allocating the Designated Grant after evaluating the application from the Grantee.
12. (12)JF sends a “Notification of Decision for Designated Grant Allocation” to the Grantee.
13. (13)JF remits the Designated Grant which is the same amount as the Designated Donation to the Grantee.
14. (14)The Grantee is required to submit an “Interim Report of Grant-Financed Project Implementation Status and Financial Statement” to JF every year from the beginning of the project.
15. (15)The Grantee is required to submit a “Final Report of Grant-Financed Project Implementation Status and Financial Statement” to JF on completion of the project.

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