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CGP 2021 Relief Grant for Japan America Societies and Japanese Gardens Awardees

Project Category A: Organizational Sustainability Project

Japan America Society of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
2021 Mondale Award and Scholarship Gala
Project Director: Rio Saito
$17,783.40
To host the Mondale Award and Scholarship Dinner where the Mondale Award for a community leader of the Japan-Minnesota Partnership and Mondale Scholarships for Minnesotan students who study abroad to Japan are presented to raise funds for the scholarship as well as the office operation cost at the largest fundraising event of the year.

The Japan Society of Boston, Boston, MA
Digital Communication Strategy Plan
Project Director: Naoko Takayanagi
$19,778.72
To create a sustainable model for social media growth across platforms, to increase online traffic to the latest digital projects, and to redesign the website in a way that better expresses the mission and is more accessible to the audience.

Japan-America Society of Oregon, Portland, OR
JAS Oregon Strategic Plan 2022
Project Director: Graham Morris
$18,183.00
To host a meeting to listen to the community of internal and external stakeholders, then move forward as a group to discuss and create a strategic plan that enables JAS Oregon to realign to the values of society today, fully recover from the pandemic, recognize challenges, opportunities and key issues; and set a strategic course leading to successful future outcomes as an organization.

Japan America Society of Colorado, Denver, CO
JAS Colorado: Organizational Expansion, Professionalization, and Succession Planning
Project Director: Claudine Locascio
$19,772.00
To create a Strategic Human Resources Review to ensure that Japan America Society of Colorado can continue its great work in the community knowing that there is a more structured internal organization, including a clear plan for hiring, scalability, organizational culture, and professionalization.

Japan-America Society of Houston, Houston, TX
Amplifying Value: New Communications Strategies to Accelerate Impact
Project Director: Patsy Brown
$19,998.00
To build effective communications strategies that scale the Society’s impact and demonstrate how the Society’s brand adds to the diversity of the Greater Houston community.

Japan-America Society of Greater Austin, Austin, TX
Fundraising for Strategic Planning and Communications with Team Members
Project Director: Kako Ito
$19,030.00
To develop more stable sources of operational income for JAS Greater Austin, by conducting two fundraising events; Japan Fall Festival and Annual Award Dinner Gala.

Japan/America Society of Kentucky, Frankfort, KY
Japan/America Society of Kentucky 30th Celebration Gala
Project Director: Amy Su
$20,000.00
To host the 30th Annual Japan/America Society of Kentucky Shinnenkai which will be the largest business networking event of the year, bringing together the professional, business and political communities for the first time since the pandemic.

Heart of America Japan-America Society, Kansas City, MO
Greater Kansas City Japan Festival Website Update and Redesign Project
Project Director: Francis Lemery
$10,725.00
To update and redesign the website to be more user friendly and informative for Greater Kansas City Japan Festival, the biggest outreach event organized by HAJAS, by hiring a web developer.

Japan-America Society of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Japan-America Society of Hawaii Communications Planning
Project Director: Reyna Kaneko
$11,856.80
To hire a professional videographer to showcase JAS Hawaii’s programs and activities to entice more participation in programs and events as well as to hire a communication consultant to improve JAS Hawaii’s communication with flyers, SNS, and outreach on online platforms in general.

Fort Worth Japanese Society, Fort Worth, TX
Development of Corporate Solicitation Infrastructure
Project Director: Elishia Flowers
$16,000.00
To hire a professional web designer to update the website, a designer to create corporate outreach print material to use when recruiting corporate partners, and a professional videographer for a promotional video to introduce the organization to potential business partners.

Japan America Society of St. Louis, St. Louis, MO
Alternative Revenue Stream Development: Sake Tasting Sandbox
Project Director: Chirstopher Meyer
$19,800.00
To develop alternative revenue streams by creating four Sake tasting events to cultivate interest in Japanese culture among younger professionals in the St. Louis area, and overall increase diversity in programming and audiences, gain more membership, and grow the organization’s income stream.

Japan America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Plano, TX
Next Generation Engagement Initiative
Project Director: Madoka Leonetti
$19,187.00
To conduct three regional events for high school students as well as young adults including college students: a regional Japan symposium, To a Japan career fair, and a regional Japan Bowl. The project also includes a trip to DC to inspect the Japan Bowl by JAS DFW employees so that they can study how the Japan Bowl is conducted. The purpose is to cultivate interest among young adults in Japan and Japanese culture as well as strengthen corporate ties between those young professionals and JAS DFW.

Project Category B: Salary Assistance

Yume Japanese Gardens & Museum of Tucson, Tuscon, AZ
Solid Roots for a healthy growth-Support staff for Yume Japanese Gardens & Museum of Tucson: Part-Time Operations Coordinator and Specialized Gardener
Project Director: Cristiana Bertoldi
$29,700
To hire an Operations Coordinator for the 2021-2022 season, September through May, as well as compensate contracted staff to train the new employee, and to support a Master Gardener specialized in traditional Japanese landscaping. Apprentices will shadow the gardener and Yume will produce short videos of the gardener’s work.

Hakone Foundation, Saratoga, CA
Creation of a new Part-Time staff position that will focus on Development and Fundraising
Project Director: Shozo Kagoshima
$30,000
To create a new position, Part-Time Fundraising Specialist, who will focus on increasing the donor base which will lead to long-term financial stability.

Japan Society of San Diego & Tijuana, San Diego, CA
Salary Assistance Relief Grant
Project Director: David Tuites
$30,000
To rehire the past Associate Director as a full-time position to coordinate and run fundraising events.

Japan Society of Northern California, San Francisco, CA
Project Category: Salary Assistance
2021 CGP Relief Grant for Salary Assistance for a new position of Strategy and Development Officer
Project Director: Miho Greenberg
$30,000
To create a new position of Strategy and Development Director who will support and enhance organization’s sustainability through strengthening the financial foundation as well as plan and implement new strategic initiatives to help advance JSNC’s mission of broadening grassroots connections between Japan and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Japanese Garden Society of Oregon (Portland Japanese Garden), Portland, OR
Project Category: Salary Assistance
Exhibition Coordinator
Project Director: Akihito Nakanishi
$30,000
To fill in the Exhibition Director position, which was vacant due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Portland Japanese Garden (PJG) closed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and canceled all Art Exhibitions and related programming. The Exhibition Coordinator is necessary for continuing to provide the public with exceptional Art Exhibitions, and to provide critical administrative, logistical, and curatorial support for the Assistant Director of Exhibitions, as well as the Art Department in general.

Japan-America Society of Tennessee, Nashville, TN
Project Category: Salary Assistance
Leadership & Vision: A New CEO for the Japan-America Society of Tennessee
Project Director: Ginger Byrn
$30,000
To fill the vacant CEO role, who will be responsible for the overall direction of the Society and will work closely with JAST Board members, strategic partners, and key members to develop and articulate the way forward in the context of the Society’s updated mission and core values.