Call for G
Toyota Foundation: International Grant Program 2025
About Organisation
The Toyota Foundation is a private, grant-making organization established by Toyota Motor Corporation in 1974. Committed to advancing social development, the foundation supports projects that address pressing challenges across Asia by encouraging mutual learning and collaboration. It emphasizes the importance of people-to-people exchange and supports initiatives that foster innovative thinking, empathy, and cross-border partnerships. Over the years, the foundation has developed a unique focus on nurturing diverse perspectives and facilitating understanding between regions and cultures. It aims to build sustainable networks that can offer long-term solutions to social, environmental, and developmental issues. With its mission rooted in creating a more inclusive and forward-thinking society, the Toyota Foundation has helped fund numerous impactful projects that bridge academic knowledge, field experience, and policy work. It empowers teams made up of practitioners, researchers, and creative professionals to work together across borders and sectors. Through its grant programs, the foundation champions interdisciplinary cooperation, cultural exchange, and new approaches to regional and global challenges. In doing so, it supports a future where societies in Asia can share knowledge and experience to tackle common problems and build lasting connections.
About the Grant
The Toyota Foundation’s 2025 grant program is centered around the theme “Common Issues and Mutual Exchange in Asia – From Learning to Empathy.” The initiative aims to support collaborative projects that address shared concerns across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, including Japan. By promoting people-to-people interaction and knowledge exchange, the grant encourages projects that combine practical experience with innovative thinking to create long-term impact. The program supports both one-year and two-year projects that promote mutual understanding, cooperation across borders, and interdisciplinary partnerships. It is designed to uncover emerging social challenges and support responses that are inclusive, interactive, and insightful. Activities must involve multiple target countries or regions and emphasize collaboration across sectors such as academia, civil society, policy, and media. A total of 80 million yen will be distributed across selected projects, with grants up to 5 million yen for one-year projects and up to 10 million yen for two-year projects. The foundation is looking for visionary proposals that bring together practitioners and researchers to work on-site and co-create knowledge while fostering empathy and foresight. Through this program, the Toyota Foundation aims to broaden the possibilities for Asia’s future through shared learning and transnational cooperation.
Who can Apply?
Eligible applicants must form diverse teams representing at least two of the target countries or regions in East, Southeast, or South Asia. The team should include individuals from various sectors—such as practitioners, researchers, artists, policy experts, and journalists—who have a background in addressing social issues in their respective countries. The applicant’s team must be cross-disciplinary and transnational, built upon an active network of stakeholders engaged in collaborative projects. Crucially, the representative of the application must be a resident of Japan. The team must also demonstrate a track record of past work—be it in research, fieldwork, creative production, or policy-making—relevant to the project’s theme and in multiple Asian countries. The proposed project should be carried out collaboratively across the chosen countries and must foster direct interaction with local communities, stakeholders, and beneficiaries. The Toyota Foundation seeks proposals that not only analyze existing challenges but also propose forward-looking strategies and practical actions that promote regional solidarity and mutual understanding. Successful projects are expected to demonstrate internationality, transboundary collaboration, interactive field engagement, and the ability to anticipate and address emerging societal issues.
How to Apply?
Interested applicants must form a diverse team with a Japanese representative and submit a proposal aligned with the grant’s theme. Applications should detail the project’s goals, structure, collaborators, timeline, and expected outcomes across participating countries. The team must include stakeholders from multiple sectors. Ensure the application highlights international cooperation and a vision for addressing shared regional issues.
Application Deadline
The last date to submit your application for the Toyota Foundation grant is May 31, 2025. All proposals must be completed and submitted by this date to be considered.
Last Date To Apply
Applicants must ensure their proposals are submitted by May 31, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted, and all eligibility requirements must be met at the time of submission.
Grant Amount
The total grant fund is 80,000,000 yen. Individual projects may receive up to JPY 5,000,000 for one-year projects or JPY 10,000,000 for two-year projects.
Last Date To Apply
For more information, please visit the grant website here.
