The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

Open or will open again Arts, culture and heritage Cultural heritage Education and learning environment good relations Information Technology International issues Miscellaneous organisational development World issues Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Asia and Middle East Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane England Fermanagh and Omagh Great Britain International Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Scotland Wales Micro (up to £1,000) Small (up to £10,000)

Track grant Notes

Back to grants

Overview

It seeks to promote mutual understanding and cooperation through financial support for activities in the following fields:

• Arts and Culture
• Humanities and Social Issues
• Japanese Language
• Medicine and Health
• Science, Technology and Environment
• Sport
• Youth and Education

Whilst encouraging applications in each of the above fields, the Foundation particularly wishes to support activities/projects in science and technology; medicine and health; environment and social issues; Japanese studies; and in the Japanese language.

The Foundation’s awards are intended to provide “pump-priming” and not core funding of projects, but even small grants have enabled a wide range of projects to reach fruition, such as:

Visits between the UK and Japan by academics, professionals, creative artists, teachers, young people, journalists and representatives of civic and non-governmental organisations
Research and collaborative studies, seminars, workshops, lectures and publications in academic and specialist fields
Teaching and development of Japanese language and cultural studies in schools, Further Education colleges and universities
Exhibitions, performances and creative productions by artists, musicians, film-makers, writers and theatre groups

Applications are accepted for projects in all the fields listed above. However, grants are not made for consumables, salaries, and materials, rather they are intended to be used towards activity (such as accommodation, travel, subsistence, exchanges, workshops, etc.).

Standard travel grants between the UK and Japan are £2,000, and up to £2,500 for visits of two weeks or more. This also includes travel for PhD students from UK universities wishing to visit Japan for dissertation research or to complete fieldwork. Applications for longer-term fieldwork of six months or more in Japan can be considered, with grants of up to £5,000.

Award Criteria

Applications are not normally accepted from individuals seeking support for personal projects. However, an organisation may apply for a grant in support of the work of an individual which advances the aims of the Foundation, and an application from an individual may be considered if there is clear evidence of organisational support.

A proposal for funding that involves medical, psychological or sociological research on humans, or research using animals should include evidence that the project has been approved by the relevant ethical review bodies at the applicant’s institution, or an undertaking that on receipt of an offer of a grant from the Foundation, such approval will be obtained prior to beginning the research.

For projects designed to extend over more than one year, the Foundation is prepared to consider requests for funding spread over a period of not more than three consecutive years.

In assessing applications for awards, the Trustees will take into account any unique or innovative aspects of the project and the extent to which it will have a wide and lasting impact.

Funding

Grants are intended to be seed funding or partial support for worthwhile projects which would not otherwise be realised, and evidence of core funding should be available before any application is made for an award.

For projects involving travel between the UK and Japan, a maximum grant of £2,000 per person can be applied for towards flights, accommodation and subsistence, and a maximum of £2,500 per person for visits of two weeks or longer.

There are no set budgets for other categories of activity, but emphasis is placed on innovative projects and on those involving groups of people in both countries (especially young people) rather than individuals. Awards do not normally exceed £5,000-£6,000 for larger-scale projects.

The Foundation does not make grants for student fees or travel in connection with study for a qualification, however will consider support for fieldwork in Japan at PhD level only. Support is limited to a maximum travel grant of £2,000 towards a research or field trip to Japan necessary for the completion of the PhD thesis, or £2,500 for visits of two weeks or more. Limited grants up to £5,000 are also available for long-term fieldwork in Japan of six months or more. A letter of support from the PhD supervisor should also be provided with the application.

A full list of awards made in previous years together with amounts awarded, is printed in the Foundation’s Annual Reports, which can be found here.

Other Programmes

Butterfield Awards in Medicine and Health

The awards are intended to encourage and facilitate exploratory exchanges and collaborations between qualified professionals in Japan and the UK, and the investigation of scientific, clinical, social and economic aspects of medicine in which Japanese and British researchers, practitioners, policy makers, managers and voluntary sector workers may learn from each other. The grants may be used for travel expenses or to contribute to other costs as appropriate (but NOT laboratory consumables). Typically, an award might cover the cost of one exchange visit in each direction for up to a month. It is intended that the project should involve partners in both the UK and Japan.

Any relevant field of medicine and health may be considered, offering a small number of awards of up to £5,000 for a maximum of three years of continuous project funding. Grants are not intended for consumables and clinical costs, but for use towards travel and living expenses, seminars, conferences, workshops, publications, etc.