United States - Japan Bridging Foundation

Created in 1998 at the recommendation of the Japan-US Friendship Commission (JUSFC, an independent federal agency), the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation (USJBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was designed to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship by developing global leaders and cultivating the next generation's workforce through study abroad in Japan as "Bridging Scholars." While the people-to-people exchange that study abroad develops is essential to building an effective bilateral relationship, insufficient funding and Japan's higher cost of living pose major barriers for U.S. undergraduates to study in Japan. USJBF directly and positively addresses this need... read more Created in 1998 at the recommendation of the Japan-US Friendship Commission (JUSFC, an independent federal agency), the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation (USJBF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was designed to strengthen the U.S.-Japan relationship by developing global leaders and cultivating the next generation's workforce through study abroad in Japan as "Bridging Scholars." While the people-to-people exchange that study abroad develops is essential to building an effective bilateral relationship, insufficient funding and Japan's higher cost of living pose major barriers for U.S. undergraduates to study in Japan. USJBF directly and positively addresses this need, having awarded 1,748 study abroad scholarships to help close this funding gap. USJBF provides scholarship grants of $2,500 to $7,500 to help defray the cost of studying abroad in Japan--essential for many students, including the 42% of PELL grant-eligible students we serve. Now in its nineteenth year, the USJBF expands opportunities for American undergraduate students to foster the academic, personal, and professional skills that will prepare America's young people to assume leadership roles in all aspects of trade, security, science, education and other collaborative relations between Japan and the United States. A sixteen-member Board of Directors and staff of three part-time professionals operate the Bridging Foundation. Mr. Thierry Porte, Managing Partner, J. C. Flowers and Co. is Chairman of the Bridging Foundation Board of Directors. He serves with representatives from academia, business, and the nonprofit sector. Paige Cottingham-Streater, former Deputy Executive Director of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation and JET alumna, is Executive Director of the USJBF and responsible for the Bridging Scholars program. She also serves as Executive Director of the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission.