Salary Assistance Grant For Japanese-Language Courses

Salary Assistance Grant For Japanese-Language Courses

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: United States-Japan Foundation
Amount: Up to US $30,000
Last Updated: February 26, 2026

Summary

The Salary Assistance Grant for Japanese-Language Courses, administered by the Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, supports U.S. non-profit educational institutions and Japanese heritage language schools facing financial difficulties. Grants cover a portion of the salary and benefits of Japanese language instructors, up to $30,000 per year. Institutions can apply for one or two years of funding, with priority given to new programs and the maintenance of existing programs. Applications must detail cost-sharing plans.

Overview

NOTE: As in previous years, JFLA will continue to accept applications from non-profit educational institutions/organizations in the U.S. which teach Japanese as a world language, as well as Japanese heritage language schools. Saturday Schools are also eligible only if they have a Japanese as a Heritage Language (JHL) program that is conducted separately from their regular curriculum set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. About JFLA Grants We administer several types of grant programs to promote Japanese-language education in the United States. These include training programs for teachers and specialists as well as grant programs for educational institutions. Please see the list below for more information. Salary Assistance Grant For Japanese-Language Courses The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles (hereafter “JFLA”) supports non-profit educational institutions or school districts in the U.S. that are facing temporary financial difficulties in the following three cases. The grant covers a part of the Japanese language instructor’s salary and fringe benefits up to $30,000 per year on a cost-sharing basis. Case (1): Starting up a brand new Japanese programCase (2): Expanding a current existing Japanese program by adding new course(s)/section(s)Case (3): Maintaining a current existing program which is in danger of cut back or closure Case (1): Starting up a brand new Japanese program Applicants can request funding for up to TWO years at the time of application; however, due to our single-year budget system, JFLA can only decide the grant award year by year, and the continuation of the grant support for Year 2 (Academic Year 2025-26) is not automatic. The applicant who successfully received the Year 1 grant will need to submit a “Budget Proposal (Year 2)” in mid-March along with their “Interim Report (Year 1)." Then, JFLA will decide on the Year 2 grant after carefully reviewing these documents. Case (2): Expanding or Case (3) Maintaining a current existing Japanese program Applicants can request funding for ONE year(*). The grant is given on the premise that the Japanese-language program and the instructor(s)’ position(s) at the institution will be maintained after the completion of the one-year grant support.Applicants may apply again for the second following year (Academic Year 2026-27) after receiving one year grant support; however, they will be given lower priority than those who have never received the JFLA grant support in the past. The grant support is for one year. Due to the single-year budget system, JFLA can only decide on a grant award for one year at a time. However only in Case (1) Starting up a brand new program, applicants can request two-year grant support at once, but the grant amount is decided year by year. The continuation of grant support for Year 2 is not automatic and will be decided after JFLA review the previous year (Year 1)’s Interim Report as well as Final Report.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. The grant only covers the Japanese language instructor(s)’ salary and fringe benefits.The grant can be used for either full-time or part-time instructors, NOT for teaching assistants (TA). If the applicant has already decided on the instructor(s) by the time of application, the instructor(s)’ information(bio, resume, or curriculum vitae) and a copy of employment agreement should be attached to the application form.The grant can be used for several instructors at the same school/institution, but the grant amount will NOT exceed more than $30,000 per institution/school.In the event that a school district applies for this grant on behalf of several schools in the same district, the school district may request more than $30,000 for multiple schools at once. For example, one school district may request up to $60,000 in total for two schools (up to $30,000 per school).However this “up to $30,000 per school” applies only when the school district has more than one teacher at multiple schools in the same district. In other words, in the event that there is only one teacher in a district and he/she teaches at multiple schoolsin the same district, then they can only request up to $30,000.The grant is provided on a cost-sharing basis between the applicant and JFLA, meaning that the applicant is expected to have detailed plans on how they will supplement the JF grant with their own or other funds if they are approved for the grant. The preferable cost sharing from own funds is at least 1/3 (33%) of the total annual salary expenses.

Ineligibility

Any overhead costs (for example, costs related to housing, commuting, administrative labor, etc.) are NOT covered by this grant.This grant does not fund teaching assistants (TA).