Apr. 03, 1992
Toyota Foundation Approves Budget for ¥535 Million in
Grants for Fiscal 1992
On March 17, 1992, the sixty-second meeting of the Toyota Foundation's Board of Directors, chaired by Eiji Toyoda, chairman of the board of the Toyota Motor Corporation, approved the Foundation's grant activity program for fiscal 1992 (April 1992 through March 1993), including ¥535 million in grants. The amount disbursed for grants in fiscal 1991 was ¥481.11 million; the cumulative amount disbursed through fiscal 1991 was ¥7,784.6 million. The Board of Directors also decided to make Incentive Grants for Young Indonesian Researchers, hitherto administered as part of the International Grant Program, an independent program and to reorganize the "Know Our Neighbors" Translation-Publication Programs, merging the former three programs into two: the Program in Japan and the Program in Other Asian Countries.
The Toyota Foundation, a private, nonprofit, grant-making organization dedicated to the goals of realizing greater human fulfillment and contributing to the development of a human-oriented society through grant-making activities, was endowed in October 1974 by the Toyota Motor Corporation. The Foundation's endowment now stands at ¥11.4 billion.
The funds budgeted for grants in fiscal 1992, by program, are as follows (in parentheses are the funds disbursed in fiscal 1991)
- Research Grant Program
- ¥200 million (¥201.2 million)
- Grant Program for Citizen Activities
- ¥35 million (¥35.4 million)
- Citizen Research Contest on the Theme
"Observing the Community Environment" - ¥50 million (¥9 million)
- International Grant Program
- ¥110 million (¥109.99 million)
- Incentive Grants for Young Indonesian Researchers
- ¥15 million (¥10 million)
- "Know Our Neighbors" Translation-Publication Programs
- ¥60 million (¥51.71 million)
- Program in Japan
- ¥30 million (¥27.41 million)
- Program in Other Asian Countries
- ¥30 million (¥24.3 million)
- Foundation Initiative Grant Program
- ¥35 million (¥34.62 million)
- Communications-Supplement Grant Program
- ¥25 million (¥29.19 million)
- Grants for the Compilation and Publication of Dictionaries in
Southeast Asian Languages - ¥5 million (nil)
Applications for research and citizen-activity grants accepted April 1
On April 1, 1992, the Foundation began accepting applications for fiscal 1992 research grants and citizen-activity grants. Applications for research grants, which have been awarded annually since fiscal 1975, and for citizen-activity grants are publicly solicited. Applications for both research grants and citizen-activity grants are submitted directly to the Foundation by the applicants themselves.
Under the basic theme "In Search of a New Society," the Research Grant Program awards grants for research projects that try to identify and solve problems faced by contemporary society and that aim to foster a human-oriented society. Priority is given to projects that focus on two topics: coping with technologically advanced society and coping with multicultural society. This program awards grants mainly for research projects conducted by Japanese nationals, but non-Japanese who can complete the Japanese-language application form may also apply. The research projects conducted by non-Japanese must be related to Japan in some way.
Research grants fall into three categories. Category I (individual-incentive research) grants are designed to encourage individual research undertaken mainly by young researchers on their own initiative. The maximum individual grant amount is ¥2 million. Category II (trial and preliminary research) grants are awarded for projects conducted by teams undertaking trial or preliminary research aimed at developing long-term interdisciplinary, interoccupational, international research projects. The maximum individual grant amount is ¥4 million. Category III (comprehensive research) grants are awarded for comprehensive research projects of an interdisciplinary, interoccupational, international nature. The maximum individual grant amount is ¥20 million. The ¥200 million budgeted for research grants in fiscal 1992 will be apportioned among 50 to 60 projects.
Applications are accepted until May 31, 1992, after which they are screened by a selection committee headed by Soichi Iijima. The Board of Directors will approve fiscal 1992 research grants at its September 1992 meeting on the basis of the selection committee's recommendations. The grant period will be either one year or two years (for Category III grants only) beginning November 1, 1992. Those wishing to receive application forms should write to the Foundation, specifying the Research Grant Program application form and enclosing ¥250 in stamps per form to cover mailing costs.
The Grant Program for Citizen Activities awards grants for citizen-activity projects under the theme "Projects Related to Citizen Activities in Search of a New Society." Priority is given to projects that facilitate activities by groups engaged in citizen activities and that promote exchange and cooperation among such groups. The ¥35 million budgeted for citizen-activity grants in fiscal 1992 will be apportioned among 20 to 25 projects.
Applications are accepted during two periods―between April 1 and June 20, 1992, and again between October 15 and December 15, 1992―after which they are screened by a selection committee headed by Akira Kurihara. The Board of Directors will approve fiscal 1992 citizen-activity grants at its September 1992 meeting (for applications submitted during the first period) and at its March 1993 meeting (for applications submitted during the second period) on the basis of the selection committee's recommendations. The grant period will be one year beginning November 1, 1992 (for first-period grants), or April 1, 1993 (for second-period grants). Those wishing to receive application forms should write to the Foundation, specifying the Grant Program for Citizen Activities application form and enclosing ¥250 in stamps per form to cover mailing costs.
