Conglant and Kyoto University Launch Joint Research to Uncover Institutional Barriers to Donations

Conglant Inc. (headquartered in Nishi-ku, Osaka; CEO: Masataka Sato; hereinafter "Conglant"), a provider of a "Donation DX System" for social sector organizations and corporations, announces the launch in April 2026 of joint research with the Strategic Development Headquarters of Kyoto University (a National University Corporation) titled "Research on Enhancing Institutional Capital to Promote Donations in Japan" (Principal Investigator: Associate Professor Fumitaka Watanabe).

This research brings together Conglant, which has provided its Donation DX System since 2018, and Kyoto University’s Strategic Development Headquarters, which established the “Donation and Fundraising Data Analysis and Research Unit” in 2025. Together, they aim to comprehensively examine the concept of "institutional capital" that supports donation activities, with the goal of expanding Japan’s donation market.

In this study, "institutional capital" refers to systems, norms, knowledge, research findings, and operational foundations that promote donation behavior and donation acceptance activities.

Why Study Donations Now?

Japan’s donor rate stands at 17%, significantly lower than 61% in the United States and 67% in the United Kingdom (CAF World Giving Index 2024), indicating substantial untapped potential for growth in Japanese philanthropy.

This joint research specifically focuses on two areas: (1) sectors that are socially needed but face structural difficulties in fundraising, and (2) areas where individuals have the willingness to donate but are hindered by institutional barriers. The goal is to identify the factors that make fundraising difficult and those that obstruct donation behavior, ultimately guiding efforts to reform institutional capital.

Key Research Focus Areas

This study will examine hospital fundraising as an example of a sector that is socially necessary but faces fundraising challenges, and donation behavior among general citizens—including youth—as an area where willingness exists but institutional barriers are evident.

1) Hospital Fundraising

Japan has approximately 8,000 hospitals. However, under the current medical fee reimbursement system, rising costs, and increasing labor expenses, hospital management faces severe financial challenges. While many hospitals require new funding sources, some hesitate to initiate fundraising due to uncertainty about whether it is appropriate to solicit donations from patients. This research aims to analyze the structural challenges that prevent hospitals from fundraising despite their needs, and to clarify why hospitals need donations and how they should conduct fundraising.

2) Donation Behavior Among General Citizens, Including Youth

According to the 2025 Giving White Paper, 19.8% of donors prioritize "ease of procedures" when choosing where to donate, and 19.7% emphasize "tax incentives." This research aims to empirically identify the institutional factors that hinder donation behavior among the general public, including youth, and to provide society with insights that can contribute to the expansion of Japan’s donation market.

Overview of the Joint Research

Research Title: Research on Enhancing Institutional Capital to Promote Donations in Japan

Research Period: April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027

1) Evaluation of the Impact of Donations in the Hospital Sector

The first research theme focuses on hospitals as a specific case to evaluate the impact of donations.

This study will qualitatively analyze who hospitals solicit donations from, for what purposes, what activities they implement, how much funding they raise, how the funds are used, and what meaning and impact the act of fundraising has had for hospitals, patients, and local communities.

Additionally, the research aims to propose various hypotheses regarding the social value of donations in areas not fully supported by tax revenue and their effectiveness in addressing challenges that cannot be solved by public funding alone—examining the outcomes (impact) of donations on organizations and society.

2) Research on Institutional Factors That Encourage Donation Behavior Among Youth and the General Public

The second research theme is to identify institutional factors that encourage donation behavior among the general public, including youth.

The study will experimentally examine how broad "institutional factors"—such as tax incentives that lower psychological and physical barriers to donating, and simplification of procedures—affect individual behavioral change. It will also explore, from the perspective of advocacy and lobbying research, how such evidence can be communicated to society to drive substantive institutional reforms.

Research Structure

Kyoto University

Fumitaka Watanabe (Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Donation and Fundraising Data Analysis and Research Unit, Strategic Development Headquarters)

Research fields: The science of fundraising, nonprofit marketing, operations management, and funding of social common capital. PhD in Management Science from Kyoto University.

Affiliations: Japan Fundraising Association, Kyoto University iPS Cell Research Fund (Public Interest Foundation), W-E Inc., among others.

https://researchmap.jp/watanabe-fumitaka

Mari Shimbu (Affiliated Researcher, Strategic Development Headquarters)

Promotion of the concept of social common capital through seminars and outreach. Physician.

Affiliations: Uzawa International Academy Co., Ltd., Japan Memento Mori Association (General Incorporated Association), Initiative for Co-Creation of a Peaceful Society (General Incorporated Association)

Ikuo Kodaki (Affiliated Researcher, Strategic Development Headquarters)

Graduated from Kyoto University’s Faculty of Integrated Human Studies, former policy secretary to a member of the Diet, worked at Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, and currently serves as an advisor to Iwate Prefecture’s DX Promotion Expert Committee.

Conglant Inc.

Masataka Sato (Representative Director & CEO)

Chika Naito (Head of Management Planning Department)

Shunsuke Imai (Management Planning Department)

Comment from CEO Masataka Sato

Since launching our service, Conglant has supported donation activities for over 4,000 organizations. Through continuous engagement with the field, we have observed that many organizations want to raise donations but remain inactive due to a lack of evidence-based guidance. For both hospitals and youth, the issue is not willingness but structural barriers.

Conglant aims not only to provide donation payment solutions but also to build societal infrastructure centered on donations. This joint research is part of that vision. By combining our accumulated data with Kyoto University’s academic expertise, we aim to deliver actionable evidence that field practitioners and policymakers can reference.

Comment from Researcher Fumitaka Watanabe

This is the first joint research project between our unit—the Donation and Fundraising Data Analysis and Research Unit, established in 2025 under Kyoto University’s Strategic Development Headquarters—and a private company. This research will focus on the structural and institutional aspects affecting the donation market.

We believe that for Japan’s donation market to develop sustainably, institutional capital—a form of social common capital—must be strengthened at both macro and micro levels. We will work with stakeholders to ensure this research contributes to a deeper understanding of these issues.

About Conglant Inc.

Conglant Inc. provides a "Donation DX System" centered on donation payment processing for social sector organizations and corporations. The company offers a one-stop solution for donation fundraising, payment processing, and CRM, serving over 4,100 organizations with total donation volume exceeding ¥16 billion. It also operates initiatives to promote donation DX for corporations and employees, contributing to the improvement and development of human capital-related disclosure items for large enterprises.

[Company Name] Conglant Inc.

[Representative] Representative Director & CEO Masataka Sato