Daiwa Foundation Small Grants

Grants of £2,000-£9,000 are available to individuals, societies, associations or other bodies in the UK or Japan to promote and support interaction between the two countries.

In order to fund as many applications as we possibly can, given our limited budget, we typically award in the region of £3,000 to £4,000 to successful Small Grant applications. Our funding rarely covers an application’s budget in full, but is meant to be a “contribution” to the proposed project.

What kind of project is eligible?

Daiwa Foundation Small Grants can cover all fields of activity, including educational and grassroots exchanges, research travel, the organisation of conferences, exhibitions, and other projects and events that fulfil this broad objective.

We welcome applications that foster gender equality and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

New initiatives are especially encouraged.

The Foundation is unlikely to fund continuing events or those that take place on a regular basis unless there is a strong reason/need or unless it is for a special occasion.

Here is the press release announcing the results of the March 2026 funding round (which were announced in early June).

Here is a PDF listing the projects which were awarded funding in the March 2026 funding round.

What kind of project and what kind of costs are not eligible?

Daiwa Foundation Small Grants cannot be used for:

• general appeals
• capital expenditure (eg, building refurbishment, equipment acquisition, etc)
• consumables (eg, stationery, scientific supplies, etc)
• school, college or university fees
• research or study by an individual school/college/university student
• salary costs or professional fees
• commissions for works of art
• retrospective grants
• replacement of statutory funding
• commercial activities

How to apply

The application forms for the next funding round (Awards and Grants) will be available from June. The application deadline is 30 September 2026.

Applicants are encouraged to apply using our online application forms.

Important:

If applying from Japan, please use the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants 奨励助成申請 application form.

Those applying from the UK must use the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants application form.

There are two application deadlines each year, 31 March (for a decision by 31 May) and 30 September (for a decision by 30 November). The Foundation is also happy to provide advice about possible applications – please contact grants@dajf.org.uk.

Please read the section below (Important) before beginning the application.

 

APPLICATION NOTES

APPLICATION FORMS: Please choose the correct form

Decision

All applicants are notified by letter from the Foundation. The decision of the Trustees is final and the Foundation is unable to discuss unsuccessful applications.