Deadline: 6 June 2020
The Toyota Foundation is currently seeking applications for its 2020 International Grant Program.
In 2020, the International Grant Program of the Toyota Foundation continues the sixth year of its program “Cultivating Empathy Through Learning from Our Neighbors: Practitioners’ Exchange on Common Issues in Asia”, focusing on countries in East and Southeast Asia.
The grant program focuses on deepening mutual understanding and knowledge-sharing among people on the ground in target countries who are finding solutions to shared issues. Through promoting direct interaction among key players, the grant program aims to survey and analyze situations in target countries, obtain new perspectives, and expand the potential of future generations.
The aim of this grant is to share knowledge and deepen mutual understanding, projects must be conducted in two or more of the target countries. Applicants should be aware that proposals including only one target country will not be considered.
Expectation for Projects: Four elements
Proposals are expected to include the four elements indicated below.
- Transnational: Equal participation of members from 2 or more countries in target area.
- Cross Sector: Collaboration between sectors such as academia, government, social, nonprofit, etc.
- Mutual Learning: Exchanging knowledge and experience through direct interaction.
- Foresight: Expansion of the potential of future generation through the innovative approach.
Thematic Areas
The International Grant Program welcomes proposals which take up newly emerging issues faced in two or more target countries in East and Southeast Asia, living up the 5 grant policy of the Toyota Foundation. The members are encouraged to take risks and have free mindsets to work toward solving the issues.
This has significance not only to addressing current social issues, but will greatly contribute to identifying emergent issues before they become readily apparent.
Expected Activities and Outputs
- First half of the project period
- Identify issues and conduct a review by surveying and analyzing the situation in target countries If there are advanced examples or previous studies, it is expected that the advantages, disadvantages, required improvements and future tasks have been identified and the identification would be utilized in the project. If the project is unprecedented, its application should include an explanation about the reason for the absence of similar efforts in the past. Also, it should explain the significance for society if the project is completed.
- Middle stage of the project
- Exchange and mutual learning: Engage in practical activities for solving the issues through mutual learning, which includes direct exchange between members from two or more countries and sectors. Diverse activities from flexible ideas are welcomed and may include, for example, fieldworks in target countries or regions, workshops, symposiums and project debriefings. When implementing interactions and mutual learning, a project should be designed for better exchanges in terms of aspects such as the choice of destinations for visits and participants, preparation prior to mutual visits, events held during the exchanges, post-visit review and dissemination of information.
- Second half of the project period
- Spread information about its results and findings: Create deliverable products, such as policy recommendations based on the above, videos, websites, teaching materials and exhibits, and spread them to the society. The spread of information should be based on comprehensive consideration of its purpose, destination and appropriateness, ideas for outreach and other related issues. Even if the deliverables cannot be completed within the project period, the project would be positively evaluated if it is expected to have a considerable social impact based on its long-term prospects.
Funding Information
- 70 million yen (approx. USD 670,000);
- Maximum Funding per Project:
- One-year: JPY 5,000,000
- Two-year: JPY 10,000,000
Target Countries/Regions
- East Asia: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongolia, South Korea, Taiwan.
- Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
Project Period
- One-year projects: November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2021;
- Two-year projects: November 1, 2020 to October 31, 2022.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants, including the project representative and members, must be:
- Individuals who has practical experience in multiple target countries such as conducting research, carrying out activities, producing creative works, and making policy proposals in regards to the focused issues.
- A team or broad network extending to multiple target countries that is composed of members such as practitioners, project participants, researchers, creators, policy makers, and journalists and other media representatives.
- Capable of carrying out a project with a diverse network of participants across multiple target countries.
- Also, the project representative must have a contact address in Japan.
For more information, visit https://www.toyotafound.or.jp/english/international/2020/