First Round of Grant Recipients Selected for the FY 2018 Sumitomo Corporation Follow-up Program for the Revitalization of East Japan

Sumitomo Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and Chief Executive Officer: Masayuki Hyodo) has selected the first round of grant recipients for the FY 2018 Sumitomo Corporation Follow-up Program for the Revitalization of East Japan (hereinafter, “the Program”). The Program provides ongoing support for the reconstruction of regions affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Sumitomo Corporation launched the Program in September 2017 as a successor program to the Sumitomo Corporation Youth Challenge Program for the Revitalization of East Japan, which was implemented from fiscal 2012 to 2016 to support revitalization after the disaster. The Program aims to assist organizations that seek to solve problems faced by disaster-affected regions, enabling them to take leadership roles in reconstruction. With the cooperation of the Civil Society Initiative Fund, a specified nonprofit corporation, a grant totaling 150 million yen is scheduled to be paid out by the Program by the end of fiscal 2019.

A judging committee composed of a Sumitomo Corporation employee, an expert in revitalization, and an NPO staff member, selected four projects for the first round of grant recipients for the fiscal 2018 Program, taking into consideration opinions from regional advisors specializing in each field. The recipients are slated to receive a combined total of approximately 25 million yen. Since the Program started, a total of seven organizations have been chosen as grant recipients, receiving a total of 55 million yen combined. The second round of grant recipients for the FY 2018 Program will be decided in October 2018.
The organizations selected as grant recipients are anticipated to undertake activities on an ongoing basis and offer support catered closely to local needs in order to contribute to solving problems faced by disaster-affected regions.

Sumitomo Corporation will remain committed to providing long-term reconstruction support in the hope of restoring and revitalizing the disaster-affected regions.



<Reference material>
■Program’s grant recipients

■Specified nonprofit corporation Civil Society Initiative Fund

http://www.civilfund.org/

■Sumitomo Corporation Follow-up Program for the Revitalization of rel="noopener noreferrer" East Japan

https://www.sumitomocorp.com/en/jp/sustainability/contribution/follow-up

■News release on the Sumitomo Corporation Follow-up Program rel="noopener noreferrer" for the Revitalization of East Japan

https://www.sumitomocorp.com/en/jp/news/release/2017/group/20170929

■Sumitomo Corporation’s  Material Issues
Sumitomo Corporation Group positions “Six Material Issues to Achieve Sustainable Growth with Society” as an important factor in developing business strategies and in the decision-making process for individual businesses. Going forward, we will pursue sustainable growth by resolving these issues through our business activities. This project especially contributes to “the Development of Local Communities and Industries” .