Japan: Subsidy Presentation Ceremony for the NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs

A subsidy presentation ceremony for the Panasonic NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs was held at the Panasonic Center Tokyo on January 25 with some 60 members of organizations receiving subsidies and the selection committee present.

The Panasonic NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs is a program that provides aid to strengthen the organizational infrastructure of NPOs and NGOs working to end poverty, which is the first SDG and a key theme of the Panasonic Group's corporate citizenship activities. The fund has two subsidy categories, one for domestic and another for overseas organizations. It identifies organizational issues through a diagnostic process and then helps find solutions to them so that these organizations can better focus on sustainable development toward social change. In FY2023 64 organizations applied for subsidies worth 29.14 million yen (approx. USD 200,000) which were awarded to eight overseas organizations and nine domestic ones.

Takanori Arima, director of the Global Issues Cooperation Division of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan was a guest of the presentation ceremony and delivered a congratulatory speech. Executive Officer Mishima in charge of CSR and Corporate Citizenship Activities explained the significance and essential nature of the fund, stating that "Enhancing infrastructure enables organizations to continue to develop and facilitates solutions to social issues." He then presented aid notices to representatives of the subsidy-receiving organizations.

After the ceremony the Forum to Enhance Organizational Infrastructure was held in the same venue on the theme of reconstructing organizational mission and vision and enhancing infrastructure. Some 100 people from NPOs, NGOs, the government, recipient organizations, and corporate social responsibility staff joined the forum to deepen their learning through case study presentations, panel discussions, and sharing ideas between participants.

<Related links>
・ Newsroom for Employees article
・ Panasonic NPO/NGO Support Fund for SDGs