Our Mission Statement

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center, there are more than 1.2 million Japanese-Americans living in the United States today.  Of this population, approximately 7% or 84,000 Japanese-Americans live in poverty.  It is our mission to help break the cycle of generational poverty for these challenged individuals and families by providing financial assistance to exceptionally motivated high school seniors who typically cannot afford the high cost of a 4-year college education.  We believe that through higher education, our sponsored students can significantly improve their social and economic mobility not only for themselves but also for their families and their future generations to come.              

Our Invitation

Are you an academically strong-Japanese American high school senior from a financially challenged household?   If so, we might be able to help with some of your college expenses that are not covered by your private and governmental financial aid.   Applicants should ideally have an outstanding academic record, demonstrate leadership ability, have impressive personal and interpersonal skills and consistently go above and beyond the classroom course work of high school.  If you believe you are all of the above, we encourage you to apply.          

Scholarships Being Offered

1. Two $5,000 and three $2,000 college scholarships are being offered to five graduating Japanese-American high school seniors who have been accepted to a 4-year Bachelor’s Degree program at an accredited U.S. college or university. 

   • Note:   If the student's plan is to start their college journey at a 2-Year Junior College with the intent of transferring to an accredited 4-year college to complete their Bachelor’s Degree, our Scholarship Administrator will postpone the disbursement of their scholarship until the student enters their junior year at the 4-Year college or university.

2. The student must remain a "full time" student in their selected field of study and plan to receive their Bachelor’s Degree in 4 years.   Exceptions will be handled on a case-by-case basis by our Scholarship Administrator.

3. College Major/Minor declaration changes are acceptable within the first 2 years of study but must be approved by our Scholarship Administrator to ensure continued funding.   

Qualifications to Receive Scholarship Funds

(Can you answer "Yes" to each of the following?)

1. Do you identify yourself as Japanese-American and/or at least 50% of Japanese ancestry?

2. Are you a U.S. citizen?

3. Are you eligible for a Federal Pell Grant as indicated on your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)?

4. Do you have a cumulative high school GPA of 3.5 or higher?  If your cumulative GPA is less than 3.5, don’t be discouraged.  The application form will allow you to explain any special circumstances.

Application Window

• Application Window Opens:       December 1, 2025

• Application Window Closes:       April 30, 2026