The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation

Charity Number: 290766

Annual Expenditure: £1.4M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,425,000 (2023)
  • Success Rate: Approximately 150 awards per year
  • Decision Time: 6-8 weeks (after deadline)
  • Grant Range: £1,500 - £6,000 (standard grants); up to £10,000 (Butterfield Awards)
  • Geographic Focus: UK-Japan bilateral projects

Contact Details

London Office:

  • Address: Lower Ground Floor, 24 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4TQ
  • Phone: +44 (0)20 7436 9042
  • Website: www.gbsf.org.uk

Tokyo Liaison Office:

  • Address: Sasakawa Peace Foundation Building, 1-15-16 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
  • Phone: +81 (0)3 6257 1931

Overview

Established in 1985, The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation is a UK registered charity (290766) dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and cooperation between the UK and Japan. With an endowment that has grown from £9.5 million to approximately £23 million, the Foundation has awarded over 3,500 grants totalling more than £12 million since its inception. In 2023, the Foundation distributed £1,425,000 in grants across multiple fields. The Foundation maintains offices in both London and Tokyo, facilitating bilateral cultural, educational, and scientific exchanges. Paul Madden CMG, former British Ambassador to Japan (2017-2021), became Chair in May 2025, succeeding the Earl of St Andrews. Charles Bodsworth joined as CEO in May 2025. The Butterfield Awards, established in honor of former Trustee Lord Butterfield, are now registered as a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Non-commercial Partner organisation, enabling funded projects to access NIHR Clinical Research Network Support.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Standard Grants (£1,500 - £6,000)

  • Average award: £1,500 - £2,000
  • Larger-scale projects: up to £6,000
  • Application method: Fixed deadlines (three times per year for UK; twice per year for Japan)
  • UK Office deadlines: March 31st (decision in May), September 15th (decision in November), December 15th (decision in March)
  • Japan Office deadlines: typically February and October

Travel Grants

  • Short-term visits: up to £2,000 per person for flights, accommodation, and subsistence
  • Extended visits (over two weeks): up to £2,500 per person
  • PhD fieldwork in Japan: up to £2,000 (or £2,500 for visits over two weeks)
  • Long-term PhD fieldwork (six months+): up to £5,000

Butterfield Awards in Medicine and Health (up to £10,000)

  • Annual awards of around £10,000 for exploratory exchanges and collaborations
  • Multi-year funding: up to £10,000 per annum for a maximum of three years
  • Substantial funds available for conferences and publications
  • Application method: Annual call for proposals

Special Programs

  • Studentships for Japanese Studies postgraduate students
  • Translation Prize (partnership with Society of Authors)
  • Japan Experience Study Tour (JEST) for UK secondary schools
  • Conferences and Lectureships

Priority Areas

The Foundation makes approximately 150 awards annually across these fields:

  1. Youth & Education: School exchanges, study tours, educational partnerships
  2. Arts & Culture: Exhibitions, performances, cultural exchanges (e.g., Hokusai exhibition at British Museum)
  3. Science, Technology & Environment: Research collaborations, scientific exchanges
  4. Medicine & Health: Clinical research partnerships, health policy exchanges, antimicrobial resistance research
  5. Humanities & Social Issues: Japanese studies, social research, comparative studies
  6. Japanese Language: Language education, teaching resources
  7. Sport: Sports exchanges and collaborations

The Foundation emphasizes innovative projects involving groups of people in both countries, especially young people, rather than individual pursuits. Projects should demonstrate unique or innovative aspects and have wide and lasting impact.

What They Don't Fund

  • Retrospective funding for completed or current projects
  • Consumables, laboratory equipment, or materials
  • Student fees or travel for qualifications (except PhD fieldwork)
  • Salaries
  • Capital projects (purchase, construction, or maintenance of buildings)
  • Individual personal projects without clear organizational support
  • Projects without evidence of core funding from other sources

The Foundation expects grants to be seed funding or partial support for projects that would not otherwise be realized.

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Governance and Leadership

Current Leadership

Chair: Paul Madden CMG (appointed May 2025)

  • Former British Ambassador to Japan (2017-2021)
  • Previously High Commissioner to Australia and Singapore

Vice Chair: Joanna Pitman

CEO: Charles Bodsworth (appointed May 2025)

The Foundation is governed by Boards of Trustees in both London and Tokyo, who meet to make final decisions on awards.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Submission Routes:

  • Projects originating in the UK should be submitted through the London office
  • Projects originating in Japan should be submitted through the Tokyo office
  • Important: UK-Japan collaborations should be submitted as a single joint application through either Tokyo or London, not as separate applications from each partner

Application Method:

  • Online application forms available on the Foundation website (www.gbsf.org.uk)
  • Applications are checked to ensure they meet published criteria and align with the mission statement

Key Requirements:

  • Organizational backing required for individual applicants: The Foundation does not normally accept applications from individuals for personal projects without clear evidence of organizational support
  • Evidence of core funding from other sources should be available before application
  • Applications must be for future activity only (no retrospective funding)

Decision Timeline

UK Office (London) - Three annual rounds:

  • March 31st deadline → Decision in May
  • September 15th deadline → Decision in November
  • December 15th deadline → Decision in March (next year)

Japan Office (Tokyo) - Two annual rounds:

  • Typically February and October deadlines with decisions 2 months later

Processing Time: Approximately 6-8 weeks from deadline to decision

Notification: Trustees make final decisions at Board meetings; successful applicants are notified following the meetings

Important Note: “The acceptance of a grant application does not imply any obligation on the part of the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and applicants should not make any commitments in anticipation of an award.”

Success Rates

The Foundation makes approximately 150 awards per year across all grant programs. Specific success rate percentages are not publicly disclosed.

For the Studentship Programme: “Every university received a large number of applications from aspiring Japan researchers,” indicating competitive application processes across programs.

Reapplication Policy

The decision of the Trustees is final and the Foundation is unable to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.

No specific reapplication policy or waiting period is publicly stated. Applicants should contact the Foundation directly for guidance on reapplying after an unsuccessful application.

Application Success Factors

What the Foundation Values

Innovation and Impact:

“In assessing applications at the Board meetings, trustees in the UK and Japan will take into account any unique or innovative aspects of the project and the extent to which it will have a wide and lasting impact.”

Bilateral Collaboration:

The Foundation strongly favors projects that bring together participants from both the UK and Japan, particularly those involving young people and creating lasting partnerships.

Strategic Alignment:

Projects must be “consistent with the objectives of the Foundation” and demonstrate how they will “promote mutual understanding and cooperation between the UK and Japan.”

Recent Funded Projects

  • Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything - Major exhibition at the British Museum
  • Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research Partnership - Collaboration between University of Warwick, University of Sussex, and National Center for Global Health and Medicine (Tokyo)
  • Coventry Young Ambassadors 'Islands of Peace' Garden - Community project in Coventry War Memorial Park
  • Anglo-Japanese Neuroimaging Collaboration - Reciprocal exchange for Dr. James Kolasinski and Dr. Claire Sexton to develop new research projects
  • Translation Prize - New partnership with Society of Authors for Japanese-to-English literary translation
  • Japan Experience Study Tour (JEST) - Annual program giving UK secondary schools the opportunity to visit Japan

Application Tips

  1. Demonstrate bilateral benefit: Show clear value for both UK and Japanese participants
  2. Emphasize innovation: Highlight what makes your project unique or pioneering
  3. Show lasting impact: Explain how the project will create enduring outcomes beyond the funding period
  4. Provide evidence of need: Explain why the project requires Sasakawa funding specifically (seed funding principle)
  5. Secure core funding first: Have evidence of other funding sources in place
  6. Get organizational backing: Individual applicants must demonstrate institutional support
  7. Focus on groups over individuals: Projects involving multiple participants, especially young people, are prioritized
  8. Be specific about UK-Japan links: Clearly articulate how your project strengthens UK-Japan relations
  9. Submit as single application: For collaborative projects, coordinate with partners to submit one joint application
  10. Apply to appropriate office: Ensure you're applying through the correct office (UK or Japan) based on project origin

Language and Terminology

The Foundation uses terminology centered on:

  • “Mutual understanding and cooperation”
  • “Cultural and educational exchanges”
  • “Innovative aspects”
  • “Wide and lasting impact”
  • “UK-Japan relations”
  • “Seed funding”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. UK-Japan focus is absolute: All projects must involve meaningful bilateral engagement between the UK and Japan; purely domestic projects are not eligible.
  1. Keep grant amounts realistic: Most grants are £1,500-£2,000; requests above £6,000 (except Butterfield Awards) are unlikely to succeed.
  1. Innovation and impact are key criteria: Trustees specifically assess “unique or innovative aspects” and “wide and lasting impact” when reviewing applications.
  1. Group projects over individuals: Projects involving multiple participants, especially young people, are strongly preferred over individual pursuits.
  1. Timing is crucial: With only 3-5 deadlines per year and 6-8 week decision times, plan applications well in advance of project start dates.
  1. Organizational backing is essential: Individual applicants must provide clear evidence of institutional support; the Foundation rarely funds purely personal projects.
  1. Coordinate with partners: For collaborative projects, submit one joint application rather than separate applications from each country's participants.

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