Making After-School Time Across Japan the 'Golden Time'. 'SoilxPolicy Fund' Selects Houkago NPO Afterschool
The 'SoilxPolicy Fund,' a joint initiative by PoliPoli and the Soil Foundation, has selected Houkago NPO Afterschool to receive up to 5 million yen and advisory support for policy proposals to improve the quality of children's after-school care.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 12:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 25, 2026 at 01:35 (13h 3m after Collected)
- 'SoilxPolicy Fund': A joint project by PoliPoli Inc. and the Soil Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.
- Commissioning policy proposal projects (up to 5 million yen) and providing advisory support to organizations tackling 'unprofitable' but 'meaningful' social issues.
- For donation inquiries, click here: https://policy.fund/
PoliPoli Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Kazuma Ito) announces that it has selected the NPO Houkago NPO Afterschool (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Kuniyasu Hiraiwa) for the 'SoilxPolicy Fund,' a joint initiative with the Soil Public Interest Incorporated Foundation (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Tetsushi Hisada).
About Houkago NPO Afterschool
https://npoafterschool.org/
With the mission to 'Make after-school time across Japan the Golden Time,' this NPO works to enrich the places and experiences of elementary school students after school, aiming to realize safe and fulfilling after-school hours nationwide.
Based on operating 'Afterschool' programs—places for elementary students after school—they collaborate with companies and local governments to support the development of environments and human resources for children's places nationwide. They also focus on policy proposals, research, and awareness-raising activities to expand systems related to after-school care.
Policy Proposals by Houkago NPO Afterschool
We aim to realize a future where children's well-being is enhanced across society, starting from after-school hours. Currently, after-school care faces three challenges: the 'loss of the three spaces/times' (time, companions, space), a lack of quantity and quality in after-school children's clubs, and the experience gap. First, aiming for qualitative expansion of after-school clubs, we will make policy proposals centered on enriching experiential activities, promoting the use of school facilities, and improving the treatment of staff. In the medium to long term, we aim to create after-school places that can be used by all children, not just those from working families.
Comment from Kuniyasu Hiraiwa, Representative Director
We are extremely honored and delighted to be selected this time.
In the medium to long term, we aim for a society where 'places that are open to all children, where children themselves want to go, and where children's rights and voices are valued exist in every elementary school district in Japan.'
To create a future that achieves both 'quality and quantity'—moving beyond the current focus on expanding 'quantity' to eliminate waiting lists for after-school clubs—we need to raise the priority in policy and implement measures strategically.
Leveraging our strength in driving both practical implementation and social change in tandem, we hope to strengthen our collaboration with the Children and Families Agency and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to move closer to our desired future.
All of us who believe in 'Making after-school time across Japan the Golden Time' will do our absolute best!
On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, we will hold an online forum for local government officials nationwide. Through this forum, we will share initiatives and challenges from various regions, creating an opportunity to connect policy with the front lines. We will organize and disseminate the knowledge gained through such platforms and aim for lateral expansion to other regions.
▶ Online Forum for Local Governments
'The Future of Diversified Learning and Children's Places | Sharing Practical Examples Created by Schools and After-Schools'
https://npoafterschool.org/archives/news/2026/04/49861/
If you are interested in participating in or donating to this project, please feel free to contact us.
PoliPoli Inc. 'Policy Fund' Secretariat
✉️ policy-fund@polipoli.io
What is the 'SoilxPolicy Fund'?
We recruit organizations with expertise in solving social issues in various fields, and Soil commissions work such as research, verification, and document creation for policy proposals. In addition, PoliPoli provides advisory support for policy proposals (the commission amount is capped at 5 million yen per organization).
This time, we received applications from 71 organizations, and after document screening, interviews, and presentation reviews by experts, we determined the selected organization.
The commission period is from April 2026 to March 2027, and after the commission period ends, the results are scheduled to be published on websites and other platforms.
Company Profile
Company Name: PoliPoli Inc.
Representative: Kazuma Ito
Location: 2-5-3 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established: February 2018
Corporate Mission: To contribute to the happy lives of people around the world by continuously creating new political and administrative systems.
Corporate Website: https://www.polipoli.work/
Business Details:
- 'PoliPoli': A website to deliver voices to politics
- 'PoliPoli Gov': A website to deliver voices to administration
- 'PoliPoli Enterprise': Support services for 'policy management' for companies and organizations
- Commissioning policy proposal projects (up to 5 million yen) and providing advisory support to organizations tackling 'unprofitable' but 'meaningful' social issues.
- For donation inquiries, click here: https://policy.fund/
PoliPoli Inc. (Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Kazuma Ito) announces that it has selected the NPO Houkago NPO Afterschool (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Kuniyasu Hiraiwa) for the 'SoilxPolicy Fund,' a joint initiative with the Soil Public Interest Incorporated Foundation (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Tetsushi Hisada).
About Houkago NPO Afterschool
https://npoafterschool.org/
With the mission to 'Make after-school time across Japan the Golden Time,' this NPO works to enrich the places and experiences of elementary school students after school, aiming to realize safe and fulfilling after-school hours nationwide.
Based on operating 'Afterschool' programs—places for elementary students after school—they collaborate with companies and local governments to support the development of environments and human resources for children's places nationwide. They also focus on policy proposals, research, and awareness-raising activities to expand systems related to after-school care.
Policy Proposals by Houkago NPO Afterschool
We aim to realize a future where children's well-being is enhanced across society, starting from after-school hours. Currently, after-school care faces three challenges: the 'loss of the three spaces/times' (time, companions, space), a lack of quantity and quality in after-school children's clubs, and the experience gap. First, aiming for qualitative expansion of after-school clubs, we will make policy proposals centered on enriching experiential activities, promoting the use of school facilities, and improving the treatment of staff. In the medium to long term, we aim to create after-school places that can be used by all children, not just those from working families.
Comment from Kuniyasu Hiraiwa, Representative Director
We are extremely honored and delighted to be selected this time.
In the medium to long term, we aim for a society where 'places that are open to all children, where children themselves want to go, and where children's rights and voices are valued exist in every elementary school district in Japan.'
To create a future that achieves both 'quality and quantity'—moving beyond the current focus on expanding 'quantity' to eliminate waiting lists for after-school clubs—we need to raise the priority in policy and implement measures strategically.
Leveraging our strength in driving both practical implementation and social change in tandem, we hope to strengthen our collaboration with the Children and Families Agency and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to move closer to our desired future.
All of us who believe in 'Making after-school time across Japan the Golden Time' will do our absolute best!
On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, we will hold an online forum for local government officials nationwide. Through this forum, we will share initiatives and challenges from various regions, creating an opportunity to connect policy with the front lines. We will organize and disseminate the knowledge gained through such platforms and aim for lateral expansion to other regions.
▶ Online Forum for Local Governments
'The Future of Diversified Learning and Children's Places | Sharing Practical Examples Created by Schools and After-Schools'
https://npoafterschool.org/archives/news/2026/04/49861/
If you are interested in participating in or donating to this project, please feel free to contact us.
PoliPoli Inc. 'Policy Fund' Secretariat
✉️ policy-fund@polipoli.io
What is the 'SoilxPolicy Fund'?
We recruit organizations with expertise in solving social issues in various fields, and Soil commissions work such as research, verification, and document creation for policy proposals. In addition, PoliPoli provides advisory support for policy proposals (the commission amount is capped at 5 million yen per organization).
This time, we received applications from 71 organizations, and after document screening, interviews, and presentation reviews by experts, we determined the selected organization.
The commission period is from April 2026 to March 2027, and after the commission period ends, the results are scheduled to be published on websites and other platforms.
Company Profile
Company Name: PoliPoli Inc.
Representative: Kazuma Ito
Location: 2-5-3 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Established: February 2018
Corporate Mission: To contribute to the happy lives of people around the world by continuously creating new political and administrative systems.
Corporate Website: https://www.polipoli.work/
Business Details:
- 'PoliPoli': A website to deliver voices to politics
- 'PoliPoli Gov': A website to deliver voices to administration
- 'PoliPoli Enterprise': Support services for 'policy management' for companies and organizations