Suggested Renewal Grant Proposal Format

The renewal grant proposal is applicable only for those grantees who are in their second (or in rare instances, third) year of activities of a given project. All other grant applicants should refer to the Suggested Grant Proposal Format.

Overall length of the Renewal Proposal: In general, the shorter the better. Please keep the length of the narrative portion (i.e. excluding the expenditure and budget figures) of the proposal to under 4,000 words, using normal font type. The proposal must be written in English.

Narrative Review of the Preceding Year's Activities: In a narrative report of the project's preceding year's activities, please describe how the past year (or in some cases 18 months) of the project achieved what it had planned as described in the original grant proposal. Rather than an item-by-item listing of the preceding year's activities, a narrative that would give a fuller view of the project and the project team's experiences would be very much appreciated. For example, if there were any unexpected obstacles (intellectual or logistical), it would be helpful to learn what they were and how they were overcome, or at least how it would be proposed to overcome them in the future. If the project involved a partner institution with whom you had never worked before, please include your impressions and observations about them. Please remember that you are not required to convince the Foundation of the merits of your project. The renewal proposal is more focused on process and progress, since the concept of your project has already been approved. (Approx. 1,500-2,000 words) Note: It is understood that in some cases the project may still be on-going at the time of renewal application. In this case, please submit additional information about the previous year's activities, in the form of the required financial and narrative reports, once the grant is completed.

Project Description of the Upcoming Year: Please describe in detail your plans for the upcoming year. If carried out as planned, what would the coming year look like? Please be as specific as possible, elaborating on words like study, explore, and examine. What is (are) the specific, concrete objective(s) of the project for the period under consideration? Please focus on the portion of the project that is being considered for a grant, and do not restate the rationale and the overall objective of the entire project. (Approx. 2,000 words).

Project Activities Timeline: On a separate page, provide a detailed timeline of all the planning and programmatic activities of the project for the coming year. Include (tentative) dates, tasks, and the staff responsible for implementing each step or activity.

Interim Expenditure Report: Please include an expenditure report of the preceding year. It is understood that in many cases this report must be an interim one. Where expenses are on-going, please provide the best possible projection. A suggested format for the expenditure report is attached below for your reference. Please remember that you are required to submit a final expenditure report on the grant within ninety (90) days of the completion date for the grant. Check the grant letter for the official completion date.

Suggested Interim Expenditure Report Format
Note: included figures are for illustrative purposes only and are NOT meant to reflect real, or realistic costs.

Items	Total Expenditure	Amount Approved for USJF Grant	Amount Actually Expended from USJF Grant*
I. Salary	$50,000	$25,000	$25,000
Project Director (25% time for 12 months)	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000
Administrative Assistant (50% time for 12 months)	$15,000	$0	$0
Secretary (50% time for 12 months)	$10, 000	$0	$0
II. Consultants	$4,400	$4,200	$4,200
International Education Consultant (2 days @ $200 per day)	$400	$200	$200
Curriculum Consultant (3 days @ $500 per day)	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Japan / America Scholar(s) (5 days @ $500 per day)	$2,500	$2,500	$2,500
III. Travel	$36,700	$30,700	$30,700
Tokyo-New York (5 people @ $1,500 per trip x 2 trips)	$15,000	$10,000	$10,000
Hotel (5 people @ $150 per day x 10 days x 2 trips)	$15,000	$15,000	$15,000
Meals (5 people @ $40 per day x 2 trips)	$400	$400	$400
Admission Fees (i.e. museums and cultural events)	$300	$300	$300
In-country transportation (5 people @ $400 x 3 trips)	$6,000	$5,000	$5,000
IV. Program Costs	$400	$300	$300
Books (5 people x 2 books @ $20 each)	$200	$200	$200
Curriculum Materials	$200	$200	$200
V. Publication	$10,000	$5,000	$5,000
1,000 copies x 15 page report	$10,000	$5,000	$5,000
Subtotal	$101,500	$65,200	$65,200
Overhead	$20,000	$6,520	$6,520
TOTAL	$121,500	$71,720	$71,720

*Where there is a variation of plus or minus 10% between the amount initially approved by the Foundation (Amount Approved for USJF Grant) and the actual expenditure (Amount Actually Expended from USJF Grant) please provide a brief narrative explanation of the reasons for the discrepancy.

Complete Budget for the Upcoming Year: The budget should be presented and calculated according to the Foundation's Budget Guidelines. A renewal proposal that does not include a complete budget or only a budget summary will not be considered. The grant may be requested in either U.S. dollars or Japanese yen. Please refer to the Budget Guidelines for more information.

Additional Materials: If you wish, please feel free to submit copies of products (e.g. books, reports, videos, etc.) from the preceding year. (Please note that these materials cannot be returned). Please remember that you are required to submit all materials produced as part of the previous year's grant within ninety (90) days of the completion date of the grant.

Grant Reporting and Payment Requests

US-Japan Foundation (USJF) Grantees are asked to fulfill certain reporting requirements, as outlined in the "Grant Letter", in order to continue receiving financial support from USJF. Many of these reports are required by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), while others are requested by USJF to facilitate project evaluation and grant management.

USJF recognizes that these reports can be time consuming to prepare. The intent of this memo is to clearly describe what information is (and is not) required in these reports so that Grantees can make the most efficient use of their time. Please make sure that all project correspondence indicates the Grant Number (as noted in the top-right portion of the Grant Letter).

Payment Requests: Many project grants are paid in installments to stabilize cash flow and carry out the Foundation's expenditure responsibility (relatively small grants are an exception). The first installment is generally paid to the Grantee upon receipt of a properly executed Grant (Contract) Letter. Refer to the Grant Letter for the payment schedule applicable to your project. Please remember that any significant expected change in the work or budget plan should be brought to the attention of the Program Officer as soon as possible.

It is important to note that USJF does not automatically pay subsequent installments to the Grantee as indicated in the payment schedule. The schedule indicates when a particular installment can be paid, provided USJF receives a letter requesting that particular installment. This "Payment Request" letter should contain certain basic information about the progress of the grant, but it does not need to be a lengthy report. Please see the following guide:

Paragraph 1: Official request for release of the next installment (please indicate the project title, grant number, payment amount, and payment number (e.g. the 2nd of 4 payments, or the 3rd and final payment)).

Paragraph 2: Briefly describe project progress since the last payment request (or start of the project). Only a basic outline is necessary. You can note the achievement of certain milestones (e.g. assembled the project team, held the first planning meeting, completed the first draft of a book, concluded a site visit), but you are not required to describe the content of those activities in any detail. Of course, a Grantee is welcome to describe project progress in detail if they so choose (or perhaps because a co-funder requires such a report, and it has already been prepared).

Paragraph 3: Briefly indicate the primary intended use of the money being requested (e.g. to pay for conference travel costs, project members' salary, production and/or distribution of a report).

Also: If the project has produced certain deliverables or work products (articles, newsletters, meeting agendas, reports, tapes, etc.), please include these with your request. You are not required to send draft versions of reports, chapters, articles, etc. unless specifically requested by a USJF Program Officer. If you have questions, please contact your Program Officer.

Please note that the signatory of the Payment Request can be either the Project Director or the original signatory on the grant contract letter.

Grant Final Report (For All Grants)

Please remember that the Grantee is required to submit a final report on the grant within ninety (90) days of the completion date for the grant. Check the grant letter for the official completion date. The Final Report has two parts:

1. Final Narrative Report: Please describe in general the project's goals, activities and achievements (with reference to the plan as described in the original grant proposal). Rather than an item-by-item listing of the project activities, a narrative that would give a fuller view of the project and the project team's experiences would be very much appreciated. For example, if there were any unexpected obstacles (intellectual or logistical), it would be helpful to learn what they were and how they were overcome, or at least how it would be proposed to overcome them in the future. If the project involved a partner institution with whom you had never worked before, please include your impressions and observations about them. If this is final year of a multi-year project, please focus the Final Narrative Report on the final year of activity, but do reflect at some point on the whole project in a broad and comprehensive context. (Approx. 2,000 words)

2. Final Expenditure Report: Please include an expenditure report for the grant period. Remember that the Grantee is required to return any unspent funds to the Foundation. Please review the Grant Letter for accounting and record-keeping requirements. A suggested format for the Final Expenditure Report is attached below for your reference.

Grant Final Report (For Renewal Grants)

1. Final Narrative Report: In the case of renewal grants, the renewal proposal will take the place of the Final Narrative Report (please see Suggested Renewal Grant Proposal Format). We understand that often the grant year is not fully completed when the renewal proposal is prepared.

2. Final Expenditure Report: As with any grant, please submit a final expenditure report on the grant within ninety (90) days of the completion date for the grant. This can be submitted separately from the Renewal Grant Proposal. Please check with a Program Officer if you have questions.

Suggested Final Expenditure Report Format
Note: included figures are for illustrative purposes only and are NOT meant to reflect real, or realistic costs.

Items	Total Expenditure	Amount Approved for USJF Grant	Amount Actually Expended from USJF Grant*
I. Salary	$50,000	$25,000	$25,000
Project Director (25% time for 12 months)	$25,000	$25,000	$25,000
Administrative Assistant (50% time for 12 months)	$15,000	$0	$0
Secretary (50% time for 12 months)	$10, 000	$0	$0
II. Consultants	$4,400	$4,200	$4,200
International Education Consultant (2 days @ $200 per day)	$400	$200	$200
Curriculum Consultant (3 days @ $500 per day)	$1,500	$1,500	$1,500
Japan / America Scholar(s) (5 days @ $500 per day)	$2,500	$2,500	$2,500
III. Travel	$36,700	$30,700	$30,700
Tokyo-New York (5 people @ $1,500 per trip x 2 trips)	$15,000	$10,000	$10,000
Hotel (5 people @ $150 per day x 10 days x 2 trips)	$15,000	$15,000	$15,000
Meals (5 people @ $40 per day x 2 trips)	$400	$400	$400
Admission Fees (i.e. museums and cultural events)	$300	$300	$300
In-country transportation (5 people @ $400 x 3 trips)	$6,000	$5,000	$5,000
IV. Program Costs	$400	$300	$300
Books (5 people x 2 books @ $20 each)	$200	$200	$200
Curriculum Materials	$200	$200	$200
V. Publication	$10,000	$5,000	$5,000
1,000 copies x 15 page report	$10,000	$5,000	$5,000
Subtotal	$101,500	$65,200	$65,200
Overhead	$20,000	$6,520	$6,520
TOTAL	$121,500	$71,720	$71,720

*Where there is a variation of plus or minus 10% between the amount initially approved by the Foundation (Amount Approved for USJF Grant) and the actual expenditure (Amount Actually Expended from USJF Grant) please provide a brief narrative explanation of the reasons for the discrepancy. This applies to significant budget items. Please check with a Program Officer if you have questions.