Current Grantees

JETAA DC: Mentorship Program

JETAADC is pleased to announce its 2021-2022 Mentorship Program, supported by the U.S. JET Program Alumni Association (USJETAA) and Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA (Sasakawa USA). This four-month mentorship program serves to bring the JET alumni community together by creating meaningful professional development relationships between recent returnees and mid-to-senior career professionals. This program is designed to provide mentees with the tools, resources, and networks that they can use to advance their careers in U.S.-Japan relations and to assist them during an uncertain job market. JETAADC hopes to support recent returnees and strengthen the U.S.-Japan pipeline by building upon a previous grant project that JETAADC held through the USJETAA/SPFUSA mini-grant program on “Maintaining the JET Momentum: The Post-Exchange Pipeline to Successful U.S.-Japan Leadership”.

JETAA FL: The Nisei Soldier Legacy of World War II and Why it Matters Today

Go for Broke! – The Nisei Soldier Legacy of World War II

Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 7pm EST (2pm HST)

Join JETAA Florida for an important discussion on the legacy of the Japanese Americans (“Nisei”) who served in the US military during World War II amidst strong anti-Japanese feelings in America after the Pearl Harbor attack. In this webinar, Hawaii-based entrepreneur Stacey Hayashi will discuss her manga, “Journey of Heroes” about the 100/442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT), and the movie that she produced, “Go for Broke! An Origin Story” (Best Hawaiian Film, 2017 and 2018 Feature Film). She will be joined by General David A. Bramlett (US Army, Ret.) and Tokuji Yoshihashi (US Army, Ret.), who bravely served in the all-Nisei 100th Infantry Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment.

The Nisei Legacy: Why it Matters Today

Tuesday, December 7, 2021, 7pm EST (2pm HST)

Join JETAA Florida for a discussion on the social justice legacy of the Japanese American (“Nisei”) soldiers of the 442nd RCT who overcame poverty and prejudice to become the most decorated outfit in US military history for its size and length of service. The discussion will feature Dr. Lynn Heirakuji, President and Board Member of the Nisei Veterans Legacy, whose father was a member of the 442nd RCT, with commentary from Diane Hirabayashi Carter, Collections Assistant at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, and Dr. Mitzi Uehara Carter, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, East Asian Studies, and the African and Africa Diaspora Program at Florida International University.

Applications for the 2021-2022 Grant Year Are Closed

Did you miss the Zoom sessions on this grant opportunity? Download the slides here: Chapter Grant Information Session

About the Chapter Grant Program

This grant program supports JETAA chapters in hosting robust programs that further U.S.-Japan relations at the grassroots level. All projects should have a clear focus on a particular aspect or issue of U.S.-Japan relations. Applicants should think critically about the application questions and elaborate as much as possible on how the event contributes to U.S.-Japan relations in their local community.

By receiving this grant and working with Sasakawa USA/USJETAA, JETAA chapters will impact the U.S.-Japan relations at the local level, elevate their leadership role in their local U.S.-Japan community, and strengthen the JET alumni network in the United States. Our goal is to build the capacity of the chapters to have greater impact beyond the activities of this grant. The program provides support and training for event planning so that chapters can take on more ambitious programs than they could without the grant. In addition, it provides JETAA chapters an opportunity to learn about how grant application processes work for those interested in applying for larger grants at other organizations in the future.

Please contact Bahia Simons-Lane at USJETAA office with questions or to discuss ideas at any time: director@usjetaa.org.

SPFUSA/USJETAA Partnership to Promote JET Alumni Engagement in U.S.-Japan Relations

This project aims to encourage American JET alumni in deepening and strengthening the U.S.-Japan alliance through soft diplomacy and educational activities that promote mutual understanding between the United States and Japan. Since 2016, SPFUSA and USJETAA have offered a competitive mini-grant program vis-à-vis the 19 JET Alumni Associations (JETAA) chapters and sub-chapters aimed at increasing their capacities to host meaningful and impactful programming that highlight the bilateral relationship in their local communities. In 2018, SPFUSA and USJETAA expanded their partnership to include programming that enabled JETAA chapter leaders and individual JET alumni to stay engaged and informed on current issues within U.S.-Japan relations.

Applications

Application Instructions

Download the narrative application form and the budget template below, complete, and send to Bahia Simons-Lane at director@usjetaa.org.

We recommend setting up a meeting to chat with Bahia about your idea prior to submitting your application. If you have any questions, please let us know!

• Narrative Application: 2021 2022 Narrative Grant Application
• Budget Template for Preliminary Budget: Sample Budget 2021
• Find the application, templates, event examples, and example documents in our template repository.
• Have questions? Check out the FAQ.

Eligibility

1. Applicants must be a JETAA chapter or sub-chapter in the United States.
2. The chapter president and the individual coordinating the grant project (if a different person than the chapter president) must be signed up as a member of USJETAA. If you are not a member you can sign up for a free membership here: https://usjetaa.org/membership/individual-membership/.
3. Your chapter must be a member of USJETAA.
4. Must submit a completed application.
5. Proposals must be for events that are AT LEAST 2 months away.

Expectations

Successful grantees will do the bulk of the planning and execution of the events. However, USJETAA and Sasakawa USA will be available to guide JETAA chapters through the grant writing and execution processes as needed. The support will be customized to individual chapters’ needs and may include assistance such as: workshopping during the early planning stages of conceptualizing the event, brainstorming or requesting speakers, and providing limited logistical support. Grantees are expected to abide by the grant agreement, which includes: meeting with USJETAA/Sasakawa USA periodically, tracking the usage of the funding, participating in a post-event review meeting, acknowledging the grantors, and promoting the event via social media (to advertise the event and to recap the event once it’s finished).

Programs/projects can be virtual or in person.

Previous Grantees

Year 5: 2020-2021

In the fifth year of the program, Sasakawa USA and USJETAA awarded grants to three JETAA chapters.

• JETAA DC – Mentorship Program
• JETAA Chicago – J-Talks
• JETAA Southern California – Kizuna: Connecting Little Tokyo’s Past and Present

Read a summary of these events in the 2020-2021 Grant Report.

Year 4: 2019-2020

In the fourth year of the program, Sasakawa USA and USJETAA awarded grants to three JETAA chapters. The selected JETAA chapters were:

• JET Alumni Association of Southeast – Alabama Sub-Chapter – Opportunities to Strengthen Japan-Alabama Ties (REPORT)
• JET Alumni Association of Washington, D.C. – Maintaining the JET Momentum: The Post-Exchange Pipeline to Successful U.S.-Japan Leadership (REPORT)
• New England JET Alumni Association – One Bite at a Time: Building Bridges Through Japanese Culinary Arts

Summary of events.

Read the 2019-2020 grant report.

Year 3: 2018 – 2019

In the third year of the program, Sasakawa USA and USJETAA awarded grants to four JETAA chapters.

• JET Alumni Association of Florida – Career Development Workshop
• JET Alumni Association of Minnesota –Japan-Minnesota Grassroots Forum
• JET Alumni Association of New York – JETs at The Met
• New England JET Alumni Association – The Cultural Significance and History of Kimono

Read a summary of these events in the 2018-2019 Grant Report.

Year 2: 2017 – 2018

In the second year of the program, Sasakawa USA and USJETAA awarded six grants from five JETAA chapters.

• JET Alumni Association Heartland
• JET Alumni Association of New York
• JET Alumni Association Pacific Northwest
• JET Alumni Association Rocky Mountain
• JET Alumni Association of Texoma

Read about these events in the 2017-2018 Grant Report.

Year 1: 2016 – 2017

In its inaugural year, Sasakawa USA and USJETAA awarded a total of eight grants to seven JETAA chapters.

• JET Alumni Association of Chicago
• JET Alumni Association of Florida
• JET Alumni Association of Minnesota
• JET Alumni Association of New York
• JET Alumni Association Pacific Northwest
• JET Alumni Association of Southern California
• JET Alumni Association of Washington, D.C.

Read about these events in the 2016-2017 Grant Report.