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Grassroots Exchange Discretionary Grants 2016

2016 Discretionary Grant Summaries 

Japan America Society of the State of Washington Mercer
Island, WA   
Celebrate Washoku: Sake Goes with Everything
Project Director: Akiko Olson 
$2,900
This project will hold an annual cultural event focusing on Washoku (Japanese cuisine), with
this year’s main focus on the versatility of sake in pairing with other international
cuisines. The event will feature sake mixing demonstrations and lectures, and will serve to
create wider community outreach for the organization in the Seattle area. 

Sister Cities International Washington, DC
Sister Cities International 60th Anniversary Conference “60 Years of Peace through
People”
Project Director: Megan Schmidt    
$4,950
This project will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Sister Cities International (SCI),
and organization focused on the sister city relationships all over the world, especially
that between the U.S. and Japan. In conjunction with the SCI Youth Leadership Summit, the
commemoration will consist of keynote speakers as well as sister-city panel sessions. 

Japan Society, Inc. New York, NY  
 
Beyond Cities: Making the Most of Non-Urban Opportunities
Project Director: Betty Borden 
$9,658
The Japan Society, in collaboration with the Japan NPO Center, will visit various nonprofits
in regional, non-urban areas in the U.S. and Japan in order to plan for a larger exchange
collaboration between these nonprofits. The purpose of the project will be to explore the
range of activities taking place in these communities in which these nonprofits serve, its
challenges, and to study the long-term needs of these communities so as to determine how
this future exchange collaboration can have long-term impact and sustainability.  

JapanFest, Inc. Atlanta, GA 
JapanFest 2016
Project Director: Haruna Tatsukawa     
$5,000
The 2016 Japan Fest, held annually in Atlanta, Georgia, will for the first time will feature
Kumamon, the famous character from Kumamoto in order to provide educational materials about
the region as well as to help raise awareness regarding the recovery of the most recent
earthquake which affected the prefecture this year. 

Centre College Danville, KY
Kentuck Bluegrass Week 
Project Director: Steve A. Hoffman 
$3,000
This project will send a delegation of Kentucky Bluegrass musicians to Yamaguchi in order to
perform concerts, lectures, and various events at the Yamaguchi Prefectural University,
local elementary and secondary schools. The goals of the project are to expose a unique form
of American music to a rural area in Yamaguchi and to further strengthen the collaborative
partnership between Centre College and Yamaguchi Prefectural University. 

Japan America Society of Tennessee, Inc. Nashville, TN
Third Annual Women’s Leadership Forum and Networking Luncheon
Project Director: Ginger Byrn 
$2,500
The Japan America Society of Tennessee will hold its annual Women’s Networking
luncheon. For this year, the event will be expanded to a 3-day event, and will include a
reception at the Consulate General of Japan in Nashville, a public forum, and a networking
luncheon. The goal of this project is to inspire and provide networking opportunities for
future women leaders in the field of US-Japan relations. 

Japan America Society of New Orleans New
Orleans, LA 
Lecture at Tulane School of Architecture by Azby Brown
Project Director: Mike Turner     
$2,915
The Japan America Society of New Orleans, in collaboration with the Tulane School of
Architecture, will feature Azby Brown, New Orleans native and well-renowned architect in
Japan, to speak at the university to discuss architectural commonalties between New Orleans
and Japan. 

CUNY – Baruch College New York, NY 
Manga/Comics and Translation: Bridging Different Languages, Audiences, and Cultures
Project Director: Shige Suzuki 
$1,947
This project will conduct a proposal centered on manga translation and will focus on the
challenges these translator face in the field. The purpose of the project is to help raise
awareness towards the “invisible work” of these translators, and to increase
this unique and emerging field of manga studies to general audiences.

Global Kids, Inc. New York, NY   
Youth Ambassadors Program 
Project Director: Janice Holzman 
$9,000
Global Kids, in collaboration with Japanese nonprofit Katariba, will bring a group of
underrepresented youth to the Tohoku region to meet with Japanese youth to explore each
other’s society and culture, create networks for communication, as well as to conduct
a digital storytelling project.  A highlight of the program will be a 2-week service
learning trip to Japan for the US students, where they will engage in peer education and
discuss current issues that directly affect them. The expected outcomes include educating
youth on Japanese and American issues that affect them today, as well as equipping
participants with leadership skills.

Eileen Fisher Leadership Institute Irvington,
NY 
ETC (Engage, Think, Create) in Japan
Project Director: Keiko Watanabe     
$3,600
This project aims to conduct a workshop between US and Japan partner organization to jointly
produce a prototype of a leadership workshop in Japan for women.  The partners will
work collaboratively to create a curriculum for the workshop that will prioritize core
concepts on women’s leadership and contextualize content in Japan.