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Preservation, Utilization, and Transmission of Indigenous Documents in Asia Information for Applicants

Information for Applicants

This is the 'Information for Applicants' for Fiscal 2009. We might change its contents for Fiscal 2010.
If you wish to apply for the 2010 grant program, please feel free to ask the Toyota Foundation.
We will announce its detail, approximately in the end of March 2010.

1. Grant Objectives

From fiscal 2005 through fiscal 2008, the Toyota Foundation made Special Subject Research Grants for "Preservation, Compilation, and Annotation of Indigenous Documents in Peripheral Regions of Asia." These grants supported projects aiming to preserve, compile, and create annotated versions of palm-leaf and other ancient documents found in the region between the Chinese and Indian civilizational spheres, which includes Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and China's Yunnan region. This fiscal year we are reforming this program along the two following lines.

1. We are renaming this program as "Preservation, Utilization, and Transmission of Indigenous Documents in Asia." By removing the word peripheral, we expanded the program's reach from East and Southeast Asia to actively seek applications from South, Central, and West Asia as well. In addition, the expanded program can also address the importance of documents held by minority ethnic groups living in central regions of Asia's civilizational spheres, not just the peripheries.
   
2. We are broadening the definition of the concept of "indigenous documents," which now includes a full range of materials written by hand, including ancient maps and letters. This change was inspired by the fact that the documents worth preserving and putting to use may vary greatly depending on the region in which they are found.
   

2. Grant Framework

(A)Eligibility Requirements

There are no restrictions based on nationality or affiliation. However, applicants will be required to have a certain level of management ability (schedule organization, the ability to coordinate awareness and adjust roles among members of the project team, communication with the Toyota Foundation, and the like).

(B)Total Amount of Grants

¥30 million.

(C)Amount per Grant

The maximum amount per grant will be ¥5 million.

(D)Project Period

Projects will begin on November 1, 2009, and run for one year (to the end of October 2010) or two years (to the end of October 2011).

(E)Project Eligibility

The following projects will be eligible for grants:

Projects involving the preservation of the region's indigenous documents
- Microfilming, digitization, and other forms of preservation

Projects involving the utilization and transmission of the region's indigenous documents
- Cataloging, transcribing, translating, annotating, and publishing facsimiles of documents
- Holding workshops or symposiums; using documents as educational material
- Sharing of preservation techniques and know-how, etc.

(F)Examination of Proposals and Determination of Grants

Grant decisions will be made by the Board of Directors at its meeting in September or October 2009, based on deliberations by a selection committee of independent experts. Applicants will be informed of the decisions in writing in the following month, although notifications may be delayed due to postal delivery conditions.

(G)Grant Implementation

After exchanging memorandums of agreement with the Toyota Foundation, the grant recipient will implement the project plan on the basis of this agreement. The recipient must submit a written report to the Toyota Foundation at the end of the grant period. In the case of a two-year project, an interim written report must also be submitted.

(H)Incidental and General Administrative Expenses

Grants provided under this program may not be used to cover incidental expenditures by the grant recipient's organization or general administrative (overhead) expenses.

3. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What are considered to be "indigenous documents" for the purposes of this program?

A1. At the present stage, our thinking is as follows. Indigenous documents are those that record the history, customs, folklore, myths, almanacs, locally created techniques, or local wisdom (knowledge) of a particular area. These documents have value in terms of research on the region in question, as well as the potential to become central to local residents' identity. These documents may also include maps that reflect the worldview of the region's people, letters exchanged in their daily lives, and other written materials. One common quality to all these documents is that they are written by hand. Documents already available in printed form will not be considered in this program.

Q2. I am unsure about whether to use digital technology or analog microfilm to preserve (record) indigenous documents. What approach is recommended?

A2. The rapid development in recent years of new technologies, such as computers, scanners, and digital cameras, has made it easier to use digital technology to archive documents. However, these digital technologies continue to change rapidly, and it is unclear whether those in use today will still be available 10 years from now. We therefore recommend the use of microfilm, a stable technology unlikely to change, or the use of both microfilm and digital technology.

Q3. What, specifically, is meant by the "utilization and transmission" of indigenous documents?

A3. Broadly speaking, funding may be provided for two categories of activity. The first category is projects that publish indigenous documents that have been transferred to microfilm or digital media under this Special Subject grant program. This publication may involve cataloging, transcription, translation (including annotation), and production of facsimiles of the documents. The second category is projects that aim to utilize the indigenous documents for the purpose of deepening local community consciousness or promoting research on local history and to spread understanding of them among local residents, relevant organizations, and the research community. These activities may include organizing workshops or symposiums and putting the documents to use as teaching materials in local educational institutions.

Q4. What points should be kept in mind regarding team composition when undertaking projects on indigenous documents?

A4. First, the Toyota Foundation recommends that the project coordinator be a person with deep ties to the region in question. As the indigenous documents are deeply rooted in the locale where they are found, full consideration must be given to the feelings of local residents when handling them. For this reason it is important for the team to include respected elders, members of notable families, religious officials, and private-sector researchers from the region in question. A team without such members will likely find it difficult to decipher the documents, understand the bibliographical information, or clearly identify the nature of the documents. Furthermore, the inclusion of researchers and other knowledgeable people from outside the region is important from the perspective of bringing a balanced approach to the project, adding outside expertise to the team, and distributing the project's results more broadly. In this way, it is hoped that a team composed of members from both within and outside the region in question will strike a happy medium for the project.

Q5. I want to preserve a particular document. When publishing the results of that work, is it necessary to produce a facsimile of the original indigenous document as well?

A5. Even though preservation efforts are carried out for the document, the accuracy of the preservation work may be called into question if the original is not reproduced as part of the project. To avoid this, it is preferable to produce a facsimile of the original document as well.

Q6. I know of a document that should be preserved, but at the present time I have no clear idea of how it might be applied or transmitted to future generations. Does this disqualify me from applying for a grant?

A6. If an indigenous document is in danger of vanishing without proper attention, efforts to preserve it may be meaningful to undertake on their own. There are also cases where it is difficult to draw up a plan for utilizing and transmitting the document that takes the long-term perspective into consideration. In cases like these, the Toyota Foundation will accept proposals for projects focusing only on preservation. (Funding for such projects will be limited to one year.) There is a checkbox on the first page of the application form to show that a proposal is for this sort of project. Please note that it is preferable, even in these cases, to extend the project at some time in the future into the areas of utilization and transmission of the indigenous documents, thereby contributing to the lives of the region's people.

4. Application Procedures

(A)Requesting Application Information and Application Forms

Information for applicants and the application form for this program can be downloaded at the Toyota Foundation website (http://www.toyotafound.or.jp/english/) during the application period (March 20 to May 13, 2009).

(B)How to Apply

After filling in all required sections of the application form, send it by registered mail to the Toyota Foundation at the address listed below. Applicants outside Japan should use a courier service or EMS. Your application materials should consist of only one copy of the completed application form. Applications by fax or e-mail will not be accepted. Applications filed in Japan should not be sent by courier service.

(C)Application Deadline

Applications must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, May 13, 2009.

(D)Other Points to Note

・Applications must be filed on the provided application forms only. Do not add pages.
・As the application forms will be copied in the selection process, please do not attach the form sheets, such as with staples or glue.
・If you format your application by pasting print-outs onto the form, please make a copy of the complete form and send the copy.
・Application forms should be printed on one side of the paper; please do not use double-sided printing.
・Do not bring your application to the Toyota Foundation in person or submit it by fax or e-mail.
・Please submit only one copy of the application form. No additional documents should be included with an application.
・Applications cannot be replaced or updated once they are submitted.
・Applications postmarked after Wednesday, May 13, 2009 will not be accepted.
・Submitted applications will not be returned.
・The "application number" space at the top right of the application form is for Toyota Foundation use. We will mail you a postcard by early June to inform you of your application number.
・If any statement in an application is found to be untrue or misleading, the application may be rejected, and even if the project proposal has been approved, the grant may be cancelled.
・The Toyota Foundation will not respond to questions about the reasons for its approval or rejection of project proposals.

• There are no restrictions based on nationality or affiliation.
• Projects must be implemented either in locations in multiple countries in Asia or within a single Asian country other than Japan. (Project proposals focusing on activities in locations in Japan may be directed to the Grant Program for Community Activities.)
• Proposals are especially welcome for joint projects conducted by participants from diverse backgrounds.
• This program is not intended to provide grant support for projects focused on research or efforts primarily conducted by researchers. (Project proposals focusing primarily on research activities may be directed to the Research Grant Program.)

F. Other points to note

• Applications must be filed on the provided application forms only. Do not add pages.
• As the application forms will be copied in the selection process, please do not attach the form sheets, such as with staples or glue.
• If you format your application by pasting print-outs onto the form, please make a copy of the complete form and send the copy.
• Application forms should be printed on one side of the paper; please do not use double-sided printing.
• Do not bring your application to the Toyota Foundation in person or submit it by fax or e-mail.
• Please submit only one copy of the application form. No additional documents should be included with an application.
  " Applications cannot be replaced or updated once they are submitted.
• Applications postmarked after Wednesday, May 13, 2009, will not be accepted.
  " Submitted applications will not be returned.
• Applications postmarked after Wednesday, May 13, 2009, will not be accepted.
• Submitted applications will not be returned.
• The "application number" space at the top right of the application form is for Toyota Foundation use. We will mail you a postcard by early June to inform you of your application number.
• If any statement in an application is found to be untrue or misleading, the application may be rejected, and even if the project proposal has been approved, the grant may be cancelled.
• The Toyota Foundation will not respond to questions about the reasons for its approval or rejection of project proposals.

PRIVACY NOTICE:

The personal information supplied by applicants will be used to screen and select projects, to produce statistics, and for administrative purposes, such as contacting the person in question. It will not be used for any purpose other than those specified without the permission of the individual concerned, except where allowed by law.

Address for submission of project proposals

Asian Neighbors Program, "Indigenous Documents in Asia"

Box 236, Shinjuku Mitsui Building 37F
2-1-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Tokyo, Japan 163-0437
Phone: +81-(0)3-3344-1701
Fax: +81-(0)3-3342-6911
Attn.: (Ms.) Kwon, (Mr.) Kusuda