The Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 invites multinational teams from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia to apply for research grant funding from a total pool of 80 million yen, targeting projects that deepen mutual understanding and advance shared solutions across the region. Administered by the Toyota Foundation, this program prioritises cooperative projects that bring together practitioners, researchers, policymakers, creators, and journalists from multiple target countries. Projects must survey issues, implement solution-oriented activities, and produce tangible disseminable outputs. The application deadline is May 30, 2026.
Program Highlights
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Opportunity Type | Research Grant |
| Organising Body | The Toyota Foundation |
| Mode | Online Application |
| Duration | Project-Dependent |
| Location / Platform | East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia |
| Last Date to Apply | May 30, 2026 |
About the Program
The Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 operates from a distinctly collaborative philosophical foundation: it rejects the conventional hierarchical model of international development — where one party supports and another receives — in favour of genuinely horizontal, multinational partnerships. Consequently, funded projects are expected to form creative alliances that transcend nationality, age, and organisational affiliation, producing social change through structured processes of mutual learning rather than top-down knowledge transfer.
The Toyota Foundation, established in 1974 as one of Japan’s leading private grant-making organisations, has a long institutional history of funding cross-border research and civic initiatives across Asia. Notably, the International Grant Program specifically channels resources toward grassroots and mid-level actors — people on the ground who are already engaged with shared regional challenges and who bring contextual knowledge that centrally administered programs frequently miss. Furthermore, by requiring teams to span multiple target countries, the program structurally ensures that no single national perspective dominates the project’s analysis or proposed solutions.
Eligibility Criteria
Academic Qualification
- Open to applicants based in East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia — covering the full list of target countries across all three sub-regions
- Teams must be multinational in composition, with members based in multiple target countries within the eligible regions
- No specific academic degree requirement is stated; eligibility is determined by professional role and regional location rather than formal qualifications
Experience & Other Conditions
- Team members must bring practical experience and knowledge relevant to addressing issues in the target countries
- Eligible team member profiles include practitioners, researchers, creators, policymakers, journalists, and other media representatives
- Projects must fulfil three mandatory requirements: (1) identify issues and conduct a review by surveying and analysing the situation in target countries; (2) carry out activities aimed at providing solutions to those issues; and (3) produce and disseminate tangible output
- Projects must avoid conventional linear support relationships and instead demonstrate cooperative, non-hierarchical team structures
Benefits & Funding
Selected projects receive grant funding drawn from the Toyota Foundation’s total International Grant Program pool for 2026.
| Component | Amount / Detail |
|---|---|
| Total Grant Pool | 80 million yen across all selected projects |
| Individual Grant Amount | Refer to official Toyota Foundation notification |
Topics / Themes Covered
The Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 funds projects that address shared issues relevant to communities across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. Eligible thematic areas include, but are not limited to:
- Shared social, environmental, or development challenges common across multiple Asian sub-regions
- Issues requiring cross-border policy analysis and comparative situational assessment
- Community-level issues where multinational collaborative action can identify and implement practical solutions
- Knowledge-sharing initiatives that generate new perspectives by bringing together diverse actors across national boundaries
- Projects that produce tangible, disseminable outputs — including research reports, policy briefs, educational materials, media content, or other documentable outcomes
Selection Process
- Review of application completeness and team composition — teams must be multinational and span multiple target countries
- Evaluation of project design against the three mandatory requirements: issue survey and analysis, solution-oriented activities, and tangible output production
- Deliberation by a responsible Selection Committee composed of external experts
- Formal award decisions made by the Toyota Foundation Board of Directors at a meeting scheduled for late September 2026
How to Apply
- Assemble a multinational team with members based in multiple target countries across East Asia, Southeast Asia, and/or South Asia, ensuring that each team member brings practical experience or professional expertise relevant to the project’s focus issue.
- Design a project that addresses all three mandatory requirements: systematic survey and analysis of the issue in target countries; concrete solution-oriented activities; and the production and dissemination of tangible outputs.
- Ensure the team structure reflects a cooperative, non-hierarchical model that avoids conventional supporter-supported or instructor-trainee dynamics.
- Access the official Toyota Foundation application portal via the link provided in the Important Links section.
- Submit the completed application before May 30, 2026.
No application fee is stated for this program.
Important Dates
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Last Date to Apply | May 30, 2026 |
| Board of Directors Award Decision | Late September 2026 |
Important Links
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Apply Online | Click Here |
| Visit Website | Click Here |
Eligible Target Countries by Sub-Region
East Asia: Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Mongolia
Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam
South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to apply for the Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026?
Applicants must be based in East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia, and must form multinational teams with members drawn from multiple target countries within these sub-regions. Notably, the Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 does not restrict eligibility by academic qualification — team members may be practitioners, researchers, creators, policymakers, journalists, or other media professionals, provided they bring relevant experience addressing issues in the target countries.
What is the total grant funding available and how is it distributed?
The total grant pool for the Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 amounts to 80 million yen, distributed across all selected projects. Individual grant amounts per project are not specified in the program notification and are determined through the foundation’s selection process. Applicants should refer to the official Toyota Foundation page for project-level funding details and budget guidance.
What are the three mandatory requirements all projects must fulfil?
Every funded project must accomplish three things: first, identify and review issues by systematically surveying and analysing the situation in the target countries; second, carry out concrete activities aimed at providing solutions to those identified issues; and third, produce and disseminate tangible output — whether a research publication, policy document, media product, or other communicable deliverable. Proposals that do not address all three requirements will not satisfy the program’s evaluation criteria.
Why does the program explicitly require multinational team composition?
The Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 is premised on the conviction that shared regional challenges require perspectives from multiple national contexts to be understood and addressed effectively. Furthermore, by requiring teams to span multiple countries, the program structurally prevents any single national viewpoint from dominating the project and ensures that cooperative, horizontal learning — rather than conventional hierarchical assistance – drives the research and solution process.
When will grant award decisions be announced?
Formal decisions on the awarding of grants under the Toyota Foundation International Grant Program 2026 will be made by the Toyota Foundation Board of Directors at a meeting scheduled for late September 2026. These decisions are based on the deliberations of a Selection Committee composed of external experts who review all submitted proposals. Consequently, applicants should expect to receive outcome notifications following that Board meeting.