School and community engagement grant

Advance your growth and benefit your network

This grant supports collaborative projects among school teachers that aim to deliver significant benefits to the broader Japanese language education community.

Projects should involve partnerships between educators across multiple schools and/or other sectors, fostering professional development and strengthening community connections.

Applicants must ensure that their proposed project contributes directly to their own professional development as a language teacher, while also creating a meaningful and lasting impact on the wider community.

Key details

Eligible activities

Examples of eligible activities include:

• Technology integration in education – developing and piloting digital tools or platforms (eg gamified language learning apps or virtual exchange programs) to enhance Japanese language teaching and learning experiences.
• Collaborative resource development – creating teaching resources (eg lesson plans, worksheets or online tools) in partnership with other schools or sectors, to be shared across the Japanese language education community.
• Regional or national workshops – organising workshops or conferences that focus on innovative teaching methodologies or tools for Japanese language education, involving teachers from multiple schools.
• Community outreach initiatives – hosting cultural exchange events or language festivals that bring together students, teachers, and the wider community to celebrate and promote Japanese language and culture.
• Professional learning communities – establishing a cross-school learning group to explore and implement best practices in Japanese language education, with regular meetings and shared outputs such as case studies or teaching strategies.
• Mentorship and peer collaboration programs – developing a mentorship initiative where experienced teachers work with newer educators to build their skills while contributing to broader community resources.

The following types of projects are not eligible:

• projects focused purely on social events or activities with no educational focus
• projects focused solely on individual outcomes without meaningful impact on the broader Japanese language education community
• those that are already fully funded by another grant or funding source
• those that do not involve partnerships with other schools, sectors, or educators (collaboration is a key requirement)
• activities such as student excursions, competitions or events that do not involve teacher professional development or community benefit.

Conditions

Successful applicants must:

• conduct and complete the intended activity or activities as per the approved application
• utilise the full grant within the grant year
• provide evidence of relevant expenses for the specified activity or activities
• submit a final report by 30 January of the year following the grant
• notify the MJS Centre immediately if circumstances change or if the grant can no longer be utilised.

Application requirements

Applicants must provide:

• Project description – outline the proposed activities, objectives, and timelines.
• Expected outcomes – detail the tangible deliverables or results of the project, such as resources created, workshops conducted, or the number of participants engaged. Emphasise measurable benefits to the Japanese language education community by using clear metrics, such as the number of participants, resources developed or feedback received.
• Impact statement – describe the anticipated impact on schools, teachers, students, and the broader community. While Expected outcomes focus on the tangible and immediate results of the project, the Impact statement addresses the broader, longer-term effects, such as how the project will influence teaching practices, enhance collaboration, or benefit the Japanese language education community over time. Additionally, explain how the project supports the applicant’s professional development as a language teacher, as this is a key requirement of the grant.
• Budget and justification – provide a detailed breakdown of costs, explaining the necessity of each expense.
• Timeline – include a timeline for project implementation and completion. Note that the project must be completed by the end of the grant year.

Assessment criteria:

• alignment with grant objectives
• potential for positive impact on Japanese language education
• feasibility and clarity of the project plan
• appropriate and justified budget.