公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金

What 公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金 does

公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金 (Tsunagu Inochi Fund) is a Tokyo-based public interest incorporated foundation established in 2012 and certified by the Japanese Cabinet Office on December 20, 2012. The foundation operates as an intermediary support organization (中間支援団体) that connects donors — particularly elderly individuals seeking meaningful social contribution — with vetted child welfare organizations across Japan. Its flagship program is the つなぐ助成 (Tsunagu Grant) program, launched in 2014, which provides financial and hands-on support to small-scale child welfare NGOs; in FY2018, the foundation awarded 1.2 million yen across 7 organizations selected from 48 applications. As of FY2018, the foundation had supported 16 organizations historically, with 5 advancing to the Cabinet Office's Children's Future Support Fund.

The foundation's revenue model is built on direct donations, tiered supporting memberships (individual at 3,000 yen/unit, corporate at 10,000 yen/unit, special at 50,000 yen, regular at 6,000 yen), monthly supporter subscriptions, named endowed funds (冠基金), and alternative donation channels such as used book charity fundraising. Its only notable collaborative partnership is the Iris Project (launched 2017) with Ikubunkan Global High School and Seiyu Home social welfare corporation, which combines high school student volunteer work with content creation around child welfare. The foundation has 12 employees and supports over 100 children and youth annually. Key leadership is representative director 鵜居由記衣 (Ukai Yuki). There is no technology platform, proprietary software, or AI/ML capability; the foundation operates through relationships, community engagement, and grant administration.

Name

公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金

Legal name

公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金

Website

https://tsunagu-inochi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金 is a Tokyo-based public interest foundation that acts as an intermediary, connecting donors with small child welfare organizations across Japan through grants, supporting memberships, and the Iris Project high school volunteer initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Child Protection & Child Rights (BPAGABAG)

Keywords

• Charitable grant funding
• Child welfare support
• Nonprofit philanthropy
• Community grantmaking
• Social welfare intermediary

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives direct donations from individuals and corporations, with a commitment to using 100% of direct donations for children's support programs. The foundation also operates a supporting membership system (賛助会員制度) with annual fees.
2. Supporting Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from individual supporters (3,000 yen per unit) and corporate supporters (10,000 yen per unit), with special supporting memberships at 50,000 yen and regular memberships at 6,000 yen.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金 (Tsunagu Inochi Fund) is a Japanese public interest incorporated foundation that functions as an intermediate support organization (中間支援団体) for child welfare. It selects small-scale child welfare organizations facing economic and physical difficulties, then connects them with individual donors, corporate supporters, and supporting members who wish to contribute. Core activities include the Tsunagu Grant (つなぐ助成) program providing financial and hands-on support to vetted child welfare groups, supporting membership tiers, monthly donation programs, and named endowed funds, with a stated commitment that 100% of direct donations are used for children's support.

Product overview

The foundation operates as an intermediary support organization ('中間支援団体') providing grant programs that connect donors with child welfare organizations. Its core product is the grant program (助成事業), which selects and funds qualifying child welfare organizations. Supporting programs include the Iris Project collaborative initiative with local high schools, the Tsunagu Library knowledge resource, monthly and supporting membership systems, and named endowed funds. All programs focus on supporting children facing economic and physical difficulties to achieve healthy development and independence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• あいりすプロジェクト (Iris Project): A collaborative project between Ikubunkan Global High School's welfare seminar, Seiyu Home (social welfare corporation), and the foundation. Combines volunteer activities at child welfare facilities with academic content creation and welfare awareness outreach. Launched in 2017.

Products and services

• Tsunagu Grant Program (つなぐ助成 / 助成事業)
• Supporting Member System (賛助会員制度)
• Monthly Supporter System (マンスリーサポーター制度)
• Named Endowed Funds (冠基金)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 children and youth supported annually with bright future opportunities
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 郁文館グローバル高等学校 (Ikubunkan Global High School)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaborative partnership through the Iris Project (あいりすプロジェクト), where high school students from the welfare seminar conduct volunteer activities at child welfare facilities and create content about social welfare issues. Students engage in front-line volunteer work at facilities like Seiyu Home while also producing academic reports and content.
• 社会福祉法人聖友ホーム (Social Welfare Corporation Seiyu Home)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild welfare facility that hosts volunteer activities for the Iris Project. Students assist with facility maintenance, events, and community engagement activities. The foundation's grant recipients include Seiyu Home's related organizations.
• NPO(法人設立準備中)ささえあい Link-AgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the collaborative Iris Project, contributing to the multi-stakeholder approach of connecting different generations and social welfare actors.
• チャイボラ (Chaibora)minorOthersH30 (2018) grant recipient: Created training manuals for accepting interns at child welfare facilities to address staff shortages in the child welfare sector.
• NPO法人サステナブルネットminorOthersH30 grant recipient operating free children's cafeterias to address child poverty and build community-based child poverty support teams.
• 特定非営利活動法人合 (NPO Ai)minorOthersH30 grant recipient focused on disaster preparedness, providing backup generators for children with medical equipment needs to ensure safety during power outages.
• つばめの会 (Tsubame-no-kai)minorOthersH30 grant recipient providing awareness website development for eating and swallowing disabilities, supporting families dealing with these conditions.
• 公益社団法人ア・ドリームア・デイ IN TOKYOminorOthersH30 grant recipient creating exchange opportunities for families of seriously ill children through travel experiences in Tokyo.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• 公益財団法人キリン福祉財団: Corporate Japanese welfare foundation focused on child welfare grants across Asia. Directly comparable mission of funding child welfare programs and supporting vulnerable children through grantmaking, though backed by a major corporate sponsor.
• 公益財団法人地域創造基金 (さなぶり): Japanese community-focused grantmaking foundation acting as an intermediary between donors and grassroots nonprofit projects. Closely comparable operating model of vetting small community organizations and providing hands-on support beyond cash disbursement.
• 公益財団法人パブリックリソース財団: Japanese grantmaking intermediary foundation that channels donor funds to vetted nonprofit programs, similar in role to the Tsunagu Inochi Fund as an 'intermediate support organization' (中間支援団体) selecting and funding recipient NGOs.
• 公益財団法人SOMPO福祉財団: Japanese welfare foundation funding community welfare and child-related initiatives through competitive grant rounds. Comparable grantmaking structure for social welfare nonprofits and similar selection-driven funding model.

Broad incumbents

• 公益財団法人日本財団: Japan's largest grantmaking foundation with a much broader portfolio spanning social welfare, education, and disaster relief. Operates as a major incumbent in the same grantmaking space, dwarfing the Tsunagu Inochi Fund in scale and scope.
• 公益財団法人Panasonic 財団: Corporate Japanese foundation supporting education, child welfare, and community development. Comparable grantmaking approach focused on child and community welfare, but with broader scope and the financial backing of a major multinational corporation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/irisp.ikubunkan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E5%85%AC%E7%9B%8A%E8%B2%A1%E5%9B%A3%E6%B3%95%E4%BA%BA%E3%81%A4%E3%81%AA%E3%81%90%E3%81%84%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A1%E5%9F%BA%E9%87%91

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about 公益財団法人つなぐいのち基金