| Grantee | New York University on behalf of the Center for Urban Science, A Program at NYU Tandon School of Engineering |
|---|---|
| Grant Amount | $30,706.50 |
| Project Title | AI for Urban Disaster Resilience Exchange: New York–Tokyo Collaboration |
| Outline | This two-year project includes two symposia — one located in Tokyo and another in New York City — to foster exchange on how artificial intelligence can improve urban disaster resilience across academia, industry, and public agencies. While cities around the world face different risks, from rising sea level along New York City’s coastline to tsunamis in Tokyo, they share common challenges such as how people evacuate across densely populated environments during a crisis and how can AI be employed to simulate disasters, optimize evacuation strategies, and save lives. By bringing this topic to the global stage, this initiative aims to advance innovative strategies for urban resiliency. |
| State | NY |
| Grantee | Peace Winds America |
|---|---|
| Grant Amount | $76,813.03 |
| Project Title | Strengthening Japan-US Preparations for a Large-Scale Disaster Response in Okinawa |
| Outline | Okinawa is at high risk for disasters and, with the large US presence in the prefecture, effective responses require a greater degree of coordination among Japanese and US stakeholders than is feasible given the current state of preparedness. Peace Winds America will team up with Peace Winds Japan’s ARROWS disaster response team to bring together key Japanese and US actors to assess the preparations needed for a major disaster response in Okinawa, new US-Japan coordination mechanisms, and how local governments and NGOs can be fully integrated into coordinated US-Japan disaster planning. This project will engage national and local governments officials, military officers, NGOs, and disaster experts from both countries. |
| State | WA |
| Grantee | Stanford University |
|---|---|
| Grant Amount | $91,890.09 |
| Project Title | Cultural fire revitalization for sustainable land stewardship: connecting practitioners in Japan and the US |
| Outline | Cultural Fire Revitalization for Sustainable Land Stewardship is a two-year initiative (September 1, 2026 – August 31, 2028) led by Stanford University Professor Tadashi Fukami. The project convenes Indigenous and local practitioners, scholars, and community members from Miyazaki Prefecture (Shiiba Village), California, and Oregon to address Pacific Rim wildfire risks and biodiversity loss through the revival of traditional cultural burning practices. Centered on bi-directional learning, community-engaged research, and mutual site visits—including a field exchange in California scheduled for February 2027—participants will explore historical and spiritual relationships to fire, navigate restrictive policy environments, and share intergenerational knowledge strategies. Core deliverables led by project coordinator Dr. Saori Ogura and regional partners include a bilingual documentary film, photo exhibitions, academic symposiums across Japan and California, and two open-access peer-reviewed publications to inform climate policy and disaster mitigation |
| State | CA |
| Grantee | Volunteers in Asia |
|---|---|
| Grant Amount | $80,058.25 |
| Project Title | Nichibei NPO Leaders Exchange |
| Outline | The Nichibei NPO Leaders Exchange program is a three-year initiative led by Volunteers in Asia’s (VIA) Executive Director Dr. Kazutoh Ishida. 2026 marks the program’s second year. The Nichibei NPO Leaders Exchange program will connect the nonprofit sectors through fieldworks in the US and Japan. A Nonprofit Leaders Summit will be conducted in Japan to address topics including intra- and inter-sector collaboration, and solutions to challenges facing nonprofits today. While there have been active interaction and collaboration between the US and Japan in many sectors including business, government, and education addressing various social issues, international collaboration in the nonprofit sector has not kept pace. This project plays an important role in filling the gaps between what each country needs and what it lacks in the field of nonprofit organizations. |
| State | CA |
| Grantee | William Marsh Rice University |
|---|---|
| Grant Amount | $59,939.00 |
| Project Title | Rice Building Workshop Okinawa |
| Outline | Rice Building Workshop Okinawa is a one-year initiative (January 1 – December 31, 2027) led by Rice University Assistant Professor Georgina Baronian in collaboration with Tokyo-based cultural partner ANOMALY Gallery and local architecture firm GROUP Atelier. The project engages U.S. architecture students in hands-on adaptive reuse through the physical renovation of an aging reinforced-concrete building in Nago, Okinawa. Combining a spring design studio at Rice with a summer travel seminar on-site in Okinawa, participants will collaborate with local craftspeople and residents to execute the renovation while documenting the climate-responsive building culture and material traditions of the Ryukyu Islands. The transformed site will become a public cultural venue for exhibitions, artist residencies, and community programming, with research findings preserved and shared through an on-site symposium, conference presentations, and a comprehensive book publication |
| State | TX |