FAQs

The Daiwa Foundation Art Prize has been discontinued. The last Prize was awarded to Kate Groobey in 2018. The runners up were  Keith Milow and Mark Neville.

Daiwa Foundation Small Grants and Daiwa Foundation Awards provide support for different types and levels of projects. The differences between them are:

	Daiwa Foundation Small Grants	Daiwa Foundation Awards
Funding levels	Between £2,000 and £9,000	Between £9,000 and £18,000
Applicant	Individuals or organisations	Organisations only
Project type	Small-scale projects; Pump-priming for early stage collaborations	Larger-scale projects that are the result of existing institutional collaborations
Field of activity	All fields of activity that promote interaction between the UK and Japan	Daiwa Foundation Awards can cover projects in most academic, scientific, professional, arts, cultural and educational fields.

Please read the details in this section carefully, including the notes included in the Grant Application Form. The Foundation is also happy to provide advice about possible applications – please contact grants@dajf.org.uk.

From the September 2022 round onwards, the Foundation particularly encourages applications for science-related projects, in addition to our usual strong support for the arts and humanities.

As the Foundation’s purpose is to support links between the UK and Japan, applicants must be resident in either the UK or Japan and demonstrate a long-term commitment to UK-Japan relations.

If you are applying from Japan for a Small Grant, it is important to choose the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants 奨励助成 application form.

If you are applying from the UK for a Small Grant, please select the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants application form.

All application forms must be completed in English.

All applications must be completed in English.

If you are applying from the UK for a Small Grant, please select the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants application form. If you are applying from Japan, it is important to choose the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants 奨励助成 application form.

 

The Foundation welcomes enquiries about potential Daiwa Foundation Award projects but it is the responsibility of the applicant to establish a relationship with a partner. If your project is at an early stage, you may wish to consider a Daiwa Foundation Small Grant to begin with.

All applications received by the Foundation are given full consideration though priority is generally given to new applicants.

Funding from the Foundation may be used to cover different costs but at all times must be used to support collaboration between the UK and Japan. You must state in the application form exactly how much you require and for what purpose.

Daiwa Foundation Small Grants and Daiwa Foundation Awards should be used within one calendar year of being granted. However, the Foundation seeks to be flexible and respond positively to the changing circumstances of recipients.

No, we don’t fund electives for medical students.

For Daiwa Foundation Small Grants and Daiwa Foundation Awards, there are two application deadlines each year, 31 March (for a decision by 31 May) and 30 September (for a decision by 30 November). However, the Foundation encourages applicants to submit their applications as early as possible.

 

 

 

 

All applications should be completed online.

If applying for a Small Grant from the UK, please complete the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants form.

If applying from Japan for a Small Grant, it is important to complete the Daiwa Foundation Small Grants 奨励助成 form.

The Award application form is for collaborative projects at institutional level. The minimum request for an Award is £9,000.

Applicants are encouraged to apply using the online application facility. Do please contact grants@dajf.org.uk if you have any questions or would like a Word Document.

Online applications are automatically acknowledged.

Daiwa Foundation Small Grants and Daiwa Foundation Awards

Applications will be considered in detail soon after the application deadline. The final decisions are made by the Trustees in May and November. You will be informed of the Foundation’s decision as soon as possible after the final meeting, via the application portal.

 

Recipients must submit their Report to the Foundation within two months after the project has been completed.

With Daiwa Foundation Small Grants, it is unlikely that the Foundation will fund the same individual or institution over two consecutive calendar years. With Daiwa Foundation Awards, it is unlikely that we will fund the same project twice. Priority is generally given to new applicants.

Unfortunately, the Foundation is unable to gives reasons for rejecting an application. The decision of the Trustees is final.

The success rate can vary from around 18% to 30% of all applications. Around 16% of all applications were successful in the March 2025 round.