Fiscal Year 2025-26 (4/1/25 - 3/31/26)
Japanese-Language Education Project Grant
(downloadable application form & instructions below)

Application Deadline: Two months prior to the project start date
(Project start date must be after 4/1/25 and conclude before 3/31/26)
LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED

(Photo: Workshop by Delaware Valley Teachers of Japanese)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (hereafter “JFLA”) provides financial assistance for projects which promote Japanese language education in a wide area (nationwide/statewide/region-wide), not exceeding $5,000. The project should benefit multiple Japanese language programs and as many teachers as possible.

Therefore, projects which only benefit a single school/institution are NOT eligible for this grant program. JFLA accepts applications from non-profit educational institutions/organizations (Japanese language teachers’ associations, higher educational institutions, etc.) in the U.S., not from individuals.

Grant Amount:  Up to $5,000 per project

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Eligible Projects

The eligible projects are listed below and must start and finish between April 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.

Type A: Workshop/Seminar/Conference
Priority will be given to workshops/seminars/conferences that can provide participating teachers with professional development credits/units (university credits, continuing education units, professional development clock-hours, etc.) or certificates of attendance, which can be used towards receiving/renewing teacher’s license/credential. licenses/credentials.

JFLA also encourages workshops/seminars/conferences which invite guest speakers not only from Japanese language education but also from the field of Japan Studies (Japanese Literature History, Social Studies, etc.) so that Japanese language teachers can learn about Japan-related contents as well as how to incorporate the information pedagogically into their Japanese language classrooms (content-based learning, project-based learning, etc.).  

Type B: Original Projects
Any nationwide/statewide/region-wide projects which can benefit multiple Japanese language programs are welcome; however JFLA encourages the following types of projects.

- Projects which can bridge or integrate Japanese language education and Japan Studies.
- Advocacy projects to increase the visibility of Japanese-language education in a wide region.
- Articulation projects for improving vertical articulation between different educational levels as well as horizontal articulation within the same educational level, in order to maximize students' learning environment in multiple Japanese programs in a wide region.
- Survey/Research projects that will be conducted in order to grasp/analyze the current condition of Japanese-language education or to gather demographic information related to Japanese-language education.
- Teaching Material Development projects that will benefit educators/learners nationwide or in a wide region.

 

Eligible Items for Support

Type A:
(1) Expenses for inviting lecturer(s) (honorarium, accommodation, travel expense)
(2) Expenses for Venue (venue and equipment rental fees, etc.)
(3) Production costs for handouts/flyers/proceedings
(4) Participants’ professional development credit application fees (university credits, continuing education units, etc.)

Type B:
The eligible items for support will vary depending on the type of projects. Please consult with JFLA about what kinds of items for which you will need financial support.
 

NOTE:  The following expenses are NOT eligiblefor support:

  - Indirect costs (administrative costs) not related to the grant project,
  - Expenses for any food or drinks,
  - Office supplies, PC, copy machine, any other electric appliances, furniture such as desks, chairs, etc.,
  - Regular operating costs of the Japanese-language courses and salaries of current teaching staff,
  - Business meetings (general meetings, board meetings, etc.) that are held regularly by the applicants,
  - Cost of buying real estate and cost of construction work,
  - Rental fee for halls owned by the applying organization/institution or group,
  - Banquet costs and entertainment costs,
  - Airfare exceeding the estimated fare for the shortest route from the city of origin to the destination flying economy class.

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Application materials

Step 1.  Please inform JFLA (Email: jflalanguage@jpf.go.jp) of your intention to apply for the program.
Step 2.  Download the application materials.

     Instructions

     Application Forms
        Type A: Workshop/Seminar/Conference
        Type B: Original Project

Step 3.  Please submit your completed application form by mail or email. Your application form (either original or digital copies) must be submitted to JFLA on or before the deadline.

[Application Deadline]  Two months prior to the project start date

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Post Application Procedures

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Grant Recipients (Fiscal Year 2024-25)

[Workshop, Conference, Seminar, etc.]

Grantee	Project
American Association of Teachers of Japanese	International Conference on Japanese-Language Education (ICJLE)
Colorado Japanese Language Education Association	"ChatGPTと日本語教育" Workshop
California Association of Japanese Language Teachers	Celebrating Japanese Learning with CAJLT 2024-2025: CA Japanese Language Teacher of the Year Award & Professional Development Workshop Series
Illinois Association of Teachers of Japanese	IATJ Professional Development Workshops (Fall & Spring)
DePaul University	Central Association of Teachers of Japanese (CATJ) Conference
Teachers of Japanese in Southern California	Japanese Language Educators' Workshop
Arizona Association of Teachers of Japanese	Special Lecture on Keisho Nihongo and Bilingual Education (JHL)
Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese	NECTJ Professional Development for Teachers of Heritage Japanese Language and Promotion of the Japanese Heritage Language Network at ACTFL 2024
Mid-Atlantic Association of Teachers of Japanese	MAATJ Professional Development Workshop at FLAVA: Enhancing Japanese Language Pedagogy
Northern California Japanese Teachers Association	NCJTA Professional Development Workshop
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill	Southeastern Association of Teachers of Japanese (SEATJ) Conference
Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese	WATJ Annual Conference

 

[Other Original Projects]