Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation grants
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation funds UK-Japan projects promoting mutual understanding, including Butterfield Awards in medicine and health of around £10,000 a year.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, charity number 290766, supports and develops mutual understanding and co-operation between the UK and Japan, mainly through small grants to projects in both countries. Its London office has three annual deadlines for grant applications each year, and its Tokyo office has two; the next deadline for standard applications to its UK office is 15 September 2026, for consideration in November 2026. Its Butterfield Awards in Medicine and Health offer awards of around £10,000 annually, with proposals for continuous funding of up to £10,000 per year for a maximum of three years. The foundation will not award grants retrospectively for completed or current projects, so applications should be for future activity, and applications are not normally accepted from individuals seeking support for personal projects.
What they fund
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation funds health, arts and culture, sport, education and training, and environmental conservation, with a UK-Japan focus.
Who and where
It supports children and young people, other charities and the general public, across England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Japan.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“supports and develops mutual understanding and co-operation between the UK and Japan, mainly through small grants to projects in both countries”
Source: gbsf.org.uk — The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation →
What they say they won't fund
“The Foundation will not award grants retrospectively for completed or current projects, so applications should be for future activity.”
Source: gbsf.org.uk — The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation →
“Applications are not normally accepted from individuals seeking support for personal projects.”
Source: gbsf.org.uk — The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“awards of around £10,000 are offered annually. Proposals for continuous funding of up to £10,000 per annum. for a maximum of three years”
Source: gbsf.org.uk — The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation →
Deadlines they mention
“The next deadline for standard applications to our UK office is 15 September 2026 for consideration in November 2026.”
Source: gbsf.org.uk — The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation →
“The London office has three annual deadlines for grant applications, and the Tokyo office has two annual deadlines.”
Source: gbsf.org.uk — The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
To advance the education of the citizens of the united kingdom and thecitizens of japan in each othersã institutions, people, history, language, cultureand sport, in science & technology, medicine & health and also in each othersãintellectual, artistic and economic life; (b) to promote research in any of the above and…
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation typically give?
This varies by programme. Its Butterfield Awards in Medicine and Health, for example, offer awards of around £10,000 annually, with proposals for continuous funding of up to £10,000 per year for a maximum of three years.
What does it fund?
Projects that support and develop mutual understanding and co-operation between the UK and Japan, mainly through small grants to projects in both countries.
What won't it fund?
It will not award grants retrospectively for completed or current projects - applications should be for future activity. Applications are not normally accepted from individuals seeking support for personal projects.
When can I apply?
Its London office has three annual deadlines for grant applications, and its Tokyo office has two. The next deadline for standard applications to its UK office is 15 September 2026, for consideration in November 2026.
How do I apply?
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation does not set out a specific application form on its website beyond its programme pages. Its London office has three annual deadlines and its Tokyo office has two — the next UK deadline is 15 September 2026. Check the funder's own website (www.gbsf.org.uk) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 290766) for current guidance, as processes can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.