Programs

Sylff (pronounced as “sylph”), the Ryoichi Sasakawa Young Leaders Fellowship Fund, was established in 1987 to support graduate students in fields falling within the parameters of the social sciences, humanities and the performing arts. Endowments of $1 million each have been provided to 69 universities and consortia in 44 countries. These endowments are invested to produce revenue for the provision of fellowships at each institution. Fellowships are awarded to graduate students selected by each endowed institution. These fellows (“Sylff fellows”) are selected not only for their academic achievements but for their potential as future leaders. Since the launch of the Sylff Program, more than 12,000 Sylff fellows have received fellowships. The Sylff Program is a collaborative initiative of The Nippon Foundation (the donor of endowments) and The Tokyo Foundation (the program administrator).

The Tokyo Foundation administers the NF-JLEP, a program launched by the Nippon Foundation. Since the beginning of this program in 1994, endowments of $1.5 million each have been presented to eight universities in six countries. Revenue from these endowments is used to support the training of Japanese-language teachers and development of Japanese teaching materials, and to provide scholarships and fellowships to students pursuing Japan-related studies in the 11 universities listed below.

This program provides training to mid-career municipal officers, based on our belief that revitalizing local communities is an important element in restoring Japan’s vitality. It is hoped that this ever-growing training network will sow the seeds of local revitalization that will blossom in communities all over Japan.

Established in 2001 in New York, Acumen Fund is a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to the problem of global poverty. Identifying with the goals of Acumen Fund, the Tokyo Foundation has initiated partnership with the Fund. Specifically, the Foundation promotes the Acumen Fund Fellows Program (AFFP) and solicits applications in Japan.

The Tokyo Foundation initiated a partnership with the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), a nonpartisan American public policy and grant-making institution dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding between North America and Europe. Founded in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington, D.C., GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest. GMF's activities have great influence across the two sides of the Atlantic and the rest of the world.