Grant Recipients Decided for the 'Touching Experience Support Fund' Founded by Kazuo Hirai! 6.5 Million Yen Awarded to Activities Providing Opportunities for Children in Poverty Facing the 'Experience Gap' to Carve Out Their Own Lives

Based on Kazuo Hirai's desire to "create inspiring experiences that serve as catalysts for every child," the Public Resource Foundation (Location: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Tsuyoshi Kusumi) collaborated with Project Kibo (Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kazuo Hirai) to establish the "Touching Experience Support Fund" in FY2022, funded by a donation from Mr. Hirai. This fiscal year, a public call for the 4th grant applications was held, receiving 68 applications from across the country, out of which 4 organizations were selected as grant recipients. This fund aims to address the "experience gap" of children in economically difficult situations. By providing "touching experiences" that serve as opportunities for them to learn about diverse ways of living and working, and gain the strength to carve out their own lives, it supports the elimination of future poverty and breaks the intergenerational cycle. Furthermore, starting from this 4th round, the grant amount per organization has been increased (2 million yen per organization) to enhance the content of the touching experiences. Additionally, a "Startup Quota" has been established as a special framework to provide both financial and non-financial support to NPOs that have been active for 1 to less than 3 years. In the 4th public call, the application projects of 4 organizations (Standard Quota: 3 organizations, Startup Quota: 1 organization) that align with the purpose of this fund were selected. ## Overview of Screening and Results Regarding the 68 total applications this time, a rigorous screening was conducted at the screening committee held on January 14, and as a result, 4 organizations were selected for the grant. - Screening Committee Members: Ryo Imamura (Representative Director, Discovery Studio Inc.) *Screening Committee Chair Keiko Hayashi (President, Certified NPO Bridge for Smile) Kazuo Hirai (Representative Director, Project Kibo) Kyo-shik Lee (Representative Director, NPO Learning for All) - Total Grant Amount: 6,500,000 yen - Selected Organizations and Grant Amounts: [Standard Quota] - NPO AYA (Tokyo) 2,000,000 yen - Certified NPO Acchi Cocchi (Kanagawa) 1,500,000 yen - NPO Learning Support Lupis (Hokkaido) 2,000,000 yen [Startup Quota] - NPO CURASCOPIUM (Kanagawa) 1,000,000 yen ## What is the Public Resource Foundation?