Nurturing The NExt Generation of Global Leaders

Overview
The goal of our program is to nurture U.S. undergraduates to broaden their worldview through long-term study abroad in Japan. Many of our graduates assume leadership roles supporting the U.S.-Japan relationship by becoming experts in arts, education, culture, business, diplomacy and security .

Bridging Scholars become proficient in Japanese culture and language, enabling them to engage effectively with their Japanese counterparts and to positively influence public life in the United States. Through their experience in Japan, Bridging Scholars cultivate a lifelong affinity for the country and become attuned to the cultural differences that facilitate working with people from any part of the world. 

We award 75-100 scholarships annually at a total value of $350,000. Nearly 600 students apply for Bridging Scholarships each year. All scholars study in Japan in credit-bearing programs for a semester or academic-year. Since its founding the Foundation has awarded over 2,000 scholarships.

Three core activities comprise the Bridging Foundation’s mission:

• Advocating for increased participation in study abroad to Japan

• Funding scholarships for undergraduate study abroad to Japan

• Mentoring and nurturing those students throughout their experience in Japan and upon return to the U.S.

An eight member Board of Directors and one staff member operate the Foundation. American and Japanese corporations provide the majority of funding. Additional funding comes from individuals and private foundations. The Bridging Foundation and the American Association of Teachers of Japanese work closely together to implement the Bridging Scholars program.

Our History
The United States-Japan Bridging Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created in 1998 at the recommendation of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission, an independent federal agency. Historically, few American undergraduates studied abroad in Japan relative to other countries. The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission sought to encourage more undergraduates to study abroad in Japan to increase understanding and cooperation between Japan and the U.S. 

The Bridging Foundation and the Bridging Project Clearinghouse, hosted by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese, were established to partner with the Commission 1) to help create study abroad programs in Japan for U.S. undergraduates, 2) to nurture faculty and curricula at U.S. campuses to provide students with a solid base for the study of Japan before and after their study abroad experience in the country, and 3) to disseminate information about and recruit students for study abroad opportunities in Japan.

The Bridging Foundation has partnered with the U.S. Department of State on several major programs, including the Friendship Blossoms-Dogwood Tree Initiative as well as the Team-Up campaign, which connected U.S. and Japanese universities.