Call for LOIs

Overview

The United States-Japan Foundation (USJF) is an independent philanthropic organization working to strengthen bilateral ties and address shared challenges. We empower next-generation leaders and fund innovative initiatives, catalyzing collaboration and exchange among stakeholders in search of solutions.

In an era characterized by uncertainty and division, we believe that a robust U.S.-Japan relationship is vital to global peace, prosperity, stability, and sustainability in the 21st century. We are committed not just to maintaining that friendship but empowering it for the greater good: helping each other address problems and jointly extending that support to friends in the region and around the world. A core part of our strategy is to bolster civil society in each country, bringing together talent and resources to create a thriving community.

We've awarded more than $100 million in grants to advocates, artists, scholars and students, to bolster and project U.S.-Japan ties, making a meaningful difference in each country. [Read about recent awarded projects here.]

Before applying for a grant, please take the time to carefully review the following notes and limitations:

• Grants can only be made to holding non-profit status organizations. Foundation grants may not be used for lobbying or to support election to public offices.
• The Foundation accepts no responsibility for keeping any part of a request confidential and reserves the right to discuss a proposal with outside titled experts to assist the program staff in its evaluation.
• The Foundation limits overhead expenses to 10% of the total project budget.

2026 Grants Cycle Timetable
First quarter Letter of Inquiry (LOI) deadline: Friday, March 27, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Second quarter LOI deadline: Friday, June 26, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Third quarter LOI deadline: Friday, September 25, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Fourth quarter LOI deadline: Friday, December 18, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time
We will review LOIs during the month following each quarterly deadline and will invite selected applicants to submit a full grant proposal.
Proposal guidelines: https://us-jf.org/en/proposal-guidelines
Previously funded projects: https://us-jf.org/en/grants-awarded-2025q4

We are also willing to consider time-sensitive proposals on an expedited basis. If you believe that your proposal requires an urgent decision, please provide a desired decision deadline and a detailed rationale for requesting accelerated consideration.