Applications for the 2025-2026 Grant Program will be accepted until December 31, 2024, at 11:59 pm JST (Japan Standard Time).

Application forms, including new submission instructions, can be downloaded here:
Word (.docx) - Institutional 2025 Application.

Institutions
The Metropolitan Center supports projects that reflect advanced scholarship and offer new insights into East Asian art. Grants to colleges and universities, museums, and other institutions outside Japan are made in support of exhibitions, publications, symposia, and other scholarly activities. Grants are usually modest in scale, rarely cover all the costs of a project, and often serve as seed money, or to underwrite a discrete, clearly defined part of a larger project, such as workshops for the planning of exhibitions or a publication. Support is not offered for direct costs of exhibitions, such as curatorial fees or shipping costs.

General Instructions
As the Center rarely provides full support of large-scale institutional activities, applicants are urged to seek funding from other agencies and to list such agencies in their applications. The Center reserves the right to adjust its awards in the light of other contributions a candidate may receive; the Center should be notified promptly about any such awards.

Recipients of institutional grants are requested to acknowledge the Center’s support if a publication is part of the project.

Additional Information
All institutional applications must include a detailed account of research goals, collaborators, timetables, and a budget.
• Meetings and symposia: applications must include description
of other sponsors, list of proposed speakers, and other associated
activities.
• Production costs of scholarly publications: applications must
include description of publication contents, evidence of acceptance
by a publisher (where pertinent), and publication cost estimate.

Timeline
Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm, December 31, Japan Standard Time (JST).
Letters are mailed out announcing grant awards around April 15 and May 1 is the earliest date grant funds are available.

Submission Instructions
Completed application forms should be uploaded by the deadline via the secure link found on the application form. Applicants may also contact the administrator at applications[at]metcenter-grants.net to receive the link via email. Please do not email your application.

Further Inquiries:
Please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for additional information, or contact the administrator.

Recent Grant Recipients