NAJC Endowment Fund

After many years of struggle to seek redress for the unjust treatment of Japanese Canadians by the Canadian government during and after World War II, the Japanese Canadian Redress Agreement was signed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and NAJC President Art Miki, on September 22, 1988.

The Redress Agreement acknowledged the unjust actions of the Canadian government and provided a symbolic redress for those actions. $12 million was provided to the Japanese Canadian community through the NAJC to undertake educational, social and cultural activities and programs that contribute to the well being of the community or promote human rights. The Japanese Canadian Redress Foundation (JCRF) was established by the NAJC for the purpose of allocating the $12 million community redress payment on behalf of the Japanese Canadian community.

In furtherance of the purpose of the community redress payment, the Redress Foundation entrusted the NAJC to administer a Sports, Education, Arts Development (SEAD) and Cultural Development (CD) program. It is the intent of the Redress Foundation and the NAJC to ensure that the benefits realized from the Redress Agreement continue to benefit and enhance the development of the Japanese Canadian community and its members into the new millennium.

The next deadline will be March 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time – links to application forms can be found below:

The purpose of the CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT program is to:

provide financial assistance to community and cultural organizations, and individuals, for projects and activities
promote and develop Japanese Canadian culture and heritage

Maximum grant available: $5,000

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

ORGANIZATIONS

Preference will be given to organizations with a history of Japanese Canadian community involvement or of promoting or developing Japanese Canadian culture

INDIVIDUALS

Must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident
Must be a project or activity which promotes or develops Japanese Canadian culture

2024 Application forms can be found here: https://forms.gle/6JLsEoBmFsdKN8Rv5

Reporting forms for prior year awards can be found here:

EF Summary Report Form

Next deadline will be on March 31, 2024.

Sports, Education, and Arts Development

The purpose of the SEAD Program is to:

promote athletic, artistic and academic development of Japanese Canadians
enrich Japanese Canadian culture and community within the Canadian society
provide financial assistance in the form of grants to Japanese Canadian individuals furthering their studies, training and skills (but is not meant to replace scholarships/bursaries)
grants in the sports category are intended to provide assistance in further training or development in a sport where the individual has demonstrated achievement at the provincial or national levels
grants in the education category are intended to assist specialized studies and not intended for undergraduate or general study programs
grants in the arts category are intended to assist specialized training or development in the visual, performing or literary arts

Maximum grant available: $ 2,500

APPLICANT ELIGIBILITY

Must be a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident

Priority will be given to first-time applicants without exception.

Previous grant recipients may reapply for a further SEAD grant, in a similar endeavour only if:

In the case of sports, the recipient has shown significant improvement, either with a substantial and quantifiable rise in national or international rankings, or has been promoted
to a higher level of competition
in the case of education/focused studies, the studies or program are significantly and obviously different from the original studies or program
in the case of visual, performing or literary arts, the grant request applies to a significantly different project.

2024 Application forms can be found here: https://forms.gle/6428bmEcDgmiV7i1A

Reporting forms for prior year awards can be found here:

EF Summary Report Form

Next deadline will be on March 31, 2024.