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FY2025 1st Startup Grant

Startup Grant supports new artistic creation activities that are challenged by emerging artists and art organizations who want to develop their activities in Tokyo's art scene. The program covers performances, exhibitions, art projects, participation in international festivals, international collaborations, etc. in Tokyo and overseas, and supports startups that help young talents build a foundation for future artistic activities.

Public Offering Briefing (Online)

2025年度 第1回「スタートアップ助成」について、助成申請を検討されている方を対象にオンライン公募説明会を開催します。参加を希望される方は、締切日までに申し込みフォームからお申し込みください。
　※参加に際しては、公募ガイドラインを必ず事前にお読みください。
　※公募説明会への参加は助成の採否には影響しません。
　※申請にあたってのご質問は、お問い合わせフォームや電話【03-6256-8431】でも随時承ります。

Date and Time

Part 1: Thursday, May 1, 2025 14:00~16:00
Part 2: Friday, May 9, 2025 18:00~20:00(Sign Language Interpretation Scheduled)
*The explanation is the same each time.

method of implementation

Online meetings via Zoom
*For those who have decided to participate, we will send you an email from Arts Council Tokyo with instructions on how to join the meeting by the day before the event. (Forwarding to non-participants is not allowed.) ）

capacity

60 persons each time (If the number reaches the maximum before the deadline, the application will be closed at that time.)

How to apply

Please fill out the application form and apply.
* If you need a sign language interpreter, please let us know "Sign language interpreter requested" in the form.
Sign Language Interpreter Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 18:00　Sign Language Interpreter Applications are now closed. We don't have sign language interpretation.

application deadline

1st session: Monday, April 28, 2025, 15:00
2nd Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 15:00
※ Reception will be completed with the participation reception email from Arts Council Tokyo.
*If the capacity is reached before the deadline, the reception will end at that time.

Notes

・Instructions on how to register and participate in the meeting will be sent from setsumeikai*artscouncil-tokyo.jp. Please set your settings so that you can receive emails from this address. (Please replace * with @)
・If you do not receive an email from Arts Council Tokyo by the day before the event, please contact us.
・Participation in the public recruitment briefing session will not affect the acceptance or rejection of the grant.
・The personal information we receive will be strictly managed and used only for communication related to the operation of this open call briefing session.

Application Guidelines

Implementation period of the target project

Projects beginning on or after September 1, 2025 and ending by August 31, 2026

target business

(1)Creative artistic activities in Tokyo
Performances, concerts, exhibitions, screenings, art projects and other creative activities in Tokyo
(2) International creative artistic activities
Overseas performances and exhibitions, international collaborations, international festivals, invited performances and exhibitions, etc.

Applicants who are eligible

Individuals (Emerging artists, producers, planners and producers, etc.) or up-and-coming groups (Arts organizations, executive committees, etc.) who are engaged in artistic activities based in Tokyo and are expected to play a role in the next generation of the Tokyo art scene.
*For individuals: In the field for which the applicant is applying, it has been less than three years since he/she first organized a public activity in Tokyo, or he/she has organized no more than five public activities in Tokyo.
*For organizations: less than three years have passed since the organization was established. It does not matter whether you have a corporate status or not, or whether you are classified.

Venues

Tokyo or overseas
* Including online publication

Artistic fields covered

Music, theater, dance, art and video, traditional performing arts, and mixed arts (art activities whose core field cannot be specified)

application ceiling

Group: 1 million yen
Individual: 300,000 yen
and within the scope of subsidized expenses
* Starting from FY 2025, all consumption tax and local consumption tax will not be subsidized. Please be careful.

How to apply

Application documents can be submitted online.
Please use the application form to register the applicant, fill in the fields, and upload the required documents.

Application period

From 10:00 on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 to 18:00 on Thursday, May 22

public offering guidelines

2025年度第1回スタートアップ助成 公募ガイドライン

Q＆A

2025年度 第1回「スタートアップ助成」に関するよくある質問Q＆A

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Consumption Tax in the Budget

収支予算書における消費税について

Notes

* Co-sponsored projects and affiliated projects with facilities managed and operated by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture are not eligible for subsidies.
* Projects sponsored or co-sponsored by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, or projects that are or are scheduled to be paid subsidies, support funds, subsidies, consignment fees, etc. by Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture and Tokyo are not eligible for subsidies.

採択概況［PDF］

◆Number of applications (adopted): 232 (46)

Startup Grant is a grant program that supports new artistic activities that are taking on the challenge of emerging artists and art organizations who want to develop their activities in Tokyo's art scene. In the first round of the 2025 public offering, 232 applications were received, and 46 were adopted. The number of applications increased from 219 in the previous year (3rd round in FY2024).

This time, there were many discrepancies between the name of the applicant and the name of the sponsor, inadequate location verification documents, insufficient past results, and inadequate budget documents. Even if you finish filling in the application form, please review the contents of the input again and check if the uploaded file is correct before pressing the submit button. As the deadline approaches, it is possible that the confirmation of the content may become easy, so please consider the schedule for preparing the application well before the deadline.

There were also applications from organizations that did not meet the criteria for public offering, and applications for projects that are not eligible for subsidies because their main purpose is to sell exhibits and works. Please check the requirements before applying.

The program is designed to provide grants to projects that are clearly defined and have appropriate budgets and schedules. When preparing an application, please carefully review the guidelines and Q & A in advance, confirm the target period, clarify the specifics and feasibility of the project, and apply at an appropriate time.
If you have any questions regarding the application, please feel free to contact us by phone or via the "Inquiry Form" or ask questions at the public application briefing.

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In the field of music, 47 applications were submitted, of which 10 were accepted. The selected projects ranged in genre from ancient music to classical music, contemporary music, and experimental music, but each project presented its own concept and program. Many projects in which new works by young composers are scheduled to be presented have been adopted. On the other hand, projects that are an extension of past achievements and lack originality or challenge were not selected. In addition, projects for the sole purpose of sales promotion and promotion are not eligible for subsidies. Please note that businesses that plan to pay for distribution after the subsidy period are also not eligible for the subsidy. The selected projects include projects that were not selected in previous applications but were selected through reconsideration. Please confirm the content and purpose of the grant and consider a specific implementation plan before applying.

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In the field of theatre, 76 applications were submitted and 14 were selected. The projects that were selected were presented in the application form with their uniqueness as theatrical productions and challenges in their creation, and the budget plan and progress schedule for their realization were elaborated in detail. Projects that attempt approaches to plays and texts that are not limited to speech, such as the search for physical expression and the design of performance spaces, and projects that aim to renew traditional theatrical expression by incorporating expressions, works, and cultural customs outside the existing field of plays and plays into creative works in multiple layers, have been adopted. There were many applications in which the project planner's own experience and awareness of issues served as the starting point for the project plan. However, applications in which the purpose of the project or its relation to the specific activities was unclear were rejected. We look forward to an ambitious application in which your challenges and challenges in the business are verbalized and the process for achieving them is clearly articulated.

Dance Field
In the field of dance, 8 out of 31 applications were accepted. This time, we received ambitious applications from a wide range of genres, including contemporary dance, butoh, flamenco, classical ballet, street dance, and oily. All of the selected projects are planned from a unique perspective, specific methods are presented, and the content is expected to step up the applicant through the implementation of the project. There were many deficiencies in the requirements for the rejected applications, such as the discrepancy between the name of the applicant and the name of the organizer, the venue was not in Tokyo, the past performance of the organization could not be confirmed, and the correct budget form was not used. If you do not meet the requirements of this grant program, other grant programs may still meet the requirements. For other grant programs, please visit the Arts Council Tokyo website.

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In the field of art and video, 42 applications were submitted, and 8 were selected, including solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, and exhibitions at overseas festivals. Subsidies are available for projects that delve deeper into themes that have been continuously addressed to date, and for projects with new approaches to expression and exhibition methods, starting with human beings, nature, time, cities, and technology. In addition, several projects have been adopted that attempt to develop effective works by combining multiple media of expression in a cross-disciplinary manner. On the other hand, applications for solo exhibitions or group exhibitions that focus entirely on explaining the concept and do not reveal the necessity of participating artists or themes, applications that lack concrete business plans or exhibition contents, and applications that lack creativity or challenge and whose main purpose is to promote appreciation are not accepted. In addition, with regard to group applications, there have been cases where the name of the applicant group and the name of the organizer, the name of the organizer of the credit in past results, and the name of the group in the articles of incorporation do not match, and there have been cases where the activities of the applicant group cannot be objectively confirmed in the results.

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Seven applications were submitted and one was accepted. The number of applications was the smallest since the second public application in FY 2023. Applications were made for Noh, kyogen, nagauta, shakuhachi, and multiple categories. Applications for sokyoku and buyo (traditional Japanese dance), which had been applied for in the past, were not made, so the categories were narrowed down slightly. The projects that have been selected are highly challenging, with concrete efforts to address issues that have been identified through past activities, and will lead to future steps up. On the other hand, many of the applications that were not accepted were lacking in concrete plans or feasibility, or were inconsistent with the objectives of the grant program. This subsidy program does not apply to projects that focus on nurturing and cultural exchange, so please consider using other subsidy programs.

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A total of 29 applications were submitted in multiple fields, of which 5 were selected: 4 by organizations and 1 by individuals. Each of these projects is expected to create new forms of expression, such as theater piece creation, exhibition of crafts, and experiential art combining technology and physical expression. These projects are highly evaluated in terms of originality and challenge in the purpose of creation and have been selected. On the other hand, applications for which the method of creation is unclear, the specifics and clarity of the project are lacking, and applications that do not meet the purpose of the grant program are rejected.

Inquiries about this matter

公益財団法人東京都歴史文化財団 アーツカウンシル東京
活動支援部 助成課 助成係
TEL:03-6256-8431（平日10:00～18:00）
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