Top page  >  Grant Activities  >  Asian Neighbors Program

Asian Neighbors Program

Asian Neighbors Program

This program is devoted the theme "Toward Community Formation Based on Mutual Reliance and Collaboration" and is implemented as described below.

Main program

The Asian Neighbors Program, embracing the perspectives of relationships with nature and relationships with people, solicits proposals for practical projects aimed at resolving challenges that face communities in Asia. Three project areas have been established: (1) relationships with nature, (2) culture, and (3) social systems.

Special Subject: Preservation, Utilization, and Transmission of Indigenous Documents in Asia

Indigenous documents, which serve as resources for and even mainstays of local communities, are in danger of disappearing in many areas. Under this Special Subject, grants are provided for projects devoted to preserving, utilizing, and transmitting indigenous documents through cooperative efforts by diverse groups of participants. All handwritten documents from anywhere in Asia, including ancient maps and letters, are regarded as indigenous documents under this Special Subject.

Asian Neighbors Program

Program Objectives

Embracing the perspectives of relationships with nature and relationships with people, this program solicits proposals for practical projects aimed at resolving challenges that face communities in Asia. Three project areas have been established: (1) relationships with nature, (2) culture, and (3) social systems. The program supports efforts to establish networks among neighbors and facilitate the creation of communities, as well as efforts to eliminate obstacles to these activities, and other types of practical projects that incorporate new viewpoints, energy, and insights while maintaining respect for the wisdom embodied in traditional culture and lifestyles.

Grant Framework

Amount of grants	Small-scale grants: Up to ¥2 million per project Regular grants: ¥2 million to ¥8 million per project
Total amount of grants	¥120 million
Period of grants	Two years beginning November 1, 2010
Application period	Applications submitted via the Internet: Tuesday, March 16, to Friday, May 7, 2010 (until 3:00 p.m., Japan Standard Time) Applications submitted by mail: Tuesday, March 16, to Wednesday, May 12, 2010 (postmarked date) *Please note that deadlines differ depending on whether the application is submitted via the Internet or by postal mail.
Selection of grants	To be decided at meetings of the Toyota Foundation Board of Directors held in the autumn of 2010.

Past Grant Projects

You can view a list of previous grant recipients.

Preservation, Utilization, and Transmission of Indigenous Documents in Asia (Special Subjects)

Program Objectives

Under the Asian Neighbors Program Special Subject, "Preservation, Utilization, and Transmission of Indigenous Documents in Asia", the term "indigenous documents" applies to all handwritten materials chronicling the histories, customs, or worldviews of people in Asia. Under this Special Subject the program provides grant support for projects aimed at preserving, utilizing, and transmitting such documents.

Indigenous documents can be found throughout Asia, but in general they are not in very good condition and are not being fully utilized. Under this Special Subject the program solicits proposals from anywhere in Asia for projects concerned with indigenous documents, these irreplaceable records of our history that are in danger of being scattered and lost.

Recovering and illuminating indigenous documents that otherwise lie dormant in local communities can enable people to rediscover the wisdom of their local ancestors and encourage the development of a sense of local history that transcends conventional nation-centered historical views. Such efforts have the potential to provide us with a richer and more diverse sense of value.

Recent years have seen advances in digital information technology, the emergence of regional economies throughout Asia, and increasing regional integration. The Toyota Foundation hopes that by supporting efforts to preserve and utilize indigenous documents in a variety of ways, these grants will help the residents of communities where such documents are found to examine their own past and find emotional sustenance there, and that the content of these documents will spread well beyond their place of origin and be passed on to posterity as part of humanity's shared cultural inheritance.

Grant Framework

Amount of grants	Up to ¥5 million per project
Total amount of grants	¥30 million
Period of grants	One year or two years beginning November 1, 2010
Application period	Applications submitted via the Internet: Tuesday, March 16, to Friday, May 7, 2010 (until 3:00 p.m., Japan standard Time) Applications submitted by mail: Tuesday, March 16, to Wednesday, May 12, 2010 (postmarked date) *Please note that deadlines differ depending on whether the application is submitted via the Internet or by postal mail.
Selection of grants	To be decided at meetings of the Toyota Foundation Board of Directors held in the autumn of 2010.

Past Grant Projects

You can view a list of previous grant recipients.