Guidelines & Eligibility
Application Deadlines
January 15 and July 15 each year
Categories
General Eligibility
- You are a student, teacher (K-12 or higher education), educational administrator, and/or university faculty or staff member
- Your proposal directly supports the Oka Fund mission to empower Japanese language teachers, students of Japanese, and Japan-focused educational programs
- Your proposal’s expected expenses will occur at least 3 months after the application deadline:
- Deadline ⟶ Your expenses
- January 15 ⟶ April 15–October 14
- July 15 ⟶ October 15–April 14
- Previous awardees are welcome to apply again! Priority will be given to applicants who have not previously been awarded, or who have fewer resources available to them through their work, school, or other professional network.
Ineligible Entities and Projects
- For-profit organizations
- Proposals funded by other grants (partial coverage from professional development stipends or similar organizational funding is acceptable)
- Proposals for:
- Past events, activities, projects, or expenses
- Alcohol and gifts
- Entertainment
- Full-time salaries, wages, or other compensation (honorarium for guest speakers or performers are permitted where programmatically appropriate)
- Overhead expenses (including office leases, utilities, employee benefits, and others)
Award Notification
Applicants can expect a decision approximately six weeks after the application deadline, depending on application volume and review timelines. Funding decisions are final. Due to application volume and capacity, additional feedback may be limited or unavailable. Awards must be accepted within 10 business days; forfeited awards will be rolled into the next intake period.
Post-Project Reporting
Within 3 weeks of your project's end date, you are required to submit a brief narrative report and proof of expenses. Instructions for submitting reports will be shared with successful applicants.