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Social Contribution Activities

Mitsui & Co. Co-creation Fund

Mitsui & Co. aims to solve social issues through co-creation by providing grants to the projects conducted by issue finders (discoverers of social issues) from outside the company, who will work together with our officers and employees to create a path to solutions.

Outline

Objective of Fund

Social contribution activities that aim to solve social issues through co-creation by making use of the experience of issue finders from outside the company who are discoverers of social issues such as social entrepreneurs, NPOs, and researchers, and our company's officers and employees who share their aspirations with them. We hope to link initiatives with our business through the involvement of employees of our Head Office, branch offices in Japan, and overseas subsidiaries (hereinafter referred to as "officers and employees") (Resulting connection to our business at the end of the grant is not a prerequisite.).

Grant Mechanism

Item Details
Application method Private submissions based on the recommendations of our officers or employees.

The Fund Team will provide matching opportunities between issue finders and officers or employees for the projects recommended by our officers or employees, or inquired through the website. Projects must be recommended by our officers or employees before being applied.
Screening method After receiving proposals, the Fund team confirms the details. After the Internal review board and Project Evaluation Committee, grant recipient projects are selected.
Grant amount and number of grants Approximately ¥10-100 million yen per project. Two projects will be selected each year. If there are no qualifying projects, the grant will be deferred to the following year.
Period A period of three years from the start of the grant period. Reviews will be conducted every year to determine whether to continue or discontinue the grant.
Progress management and evaluation Follow-up meetings will be held every two months. A social impact evaluation will be conducted and disclosed.

Communication to Officers and Employees

Candidate projects and information on issue finders are posted on the Issue Finder Portal in the intranet which Mitsui group officers and employees have access to.

In March 2023, we held an in-house briefing session to explain the background and purpose of the establishment of this fund, and invited three commentators, including Mr. Daichi Konuma, Co-Founder and CEO of NPO Cross Fields, to hold dialogue with our employees.

Roles of Parties Involved

Roles of parties involved

Application Eligibility

  1. Applicants must be recommended by an eligible officer or employee working at the Mitsui & Co. Head Office, at a branch office in Japan, or at an overseas affiliated company (Please note that officers and employees on secondment to affiliated companies are not eligible).
  2. In principle, the applicant must belong to an organization or group with a juridical personality, such as an NPO, public interest corporation, university or college of technology, general incorporated association, joint-stock company, limited liability company, or a similar commercial enterprise government or administrative agency. The applicant must have the approval of the head of the organization or the person who has the authority to sign the contract.
  3. Applicants must be able to conduct an online interview.
  4. If the applicant intends to use funds from other companies or its own funds other than those provided by the Fund to implement or realize the grant project, it must be certain that the funds will be procured and allocated.
  5. Applicants may be subject to other conditions that the Fund may set with reasonable justification.

Grant Eligibility

Projects or activities eligible for grants:

No restrictions on type of social issue or region (domestic or overseas)

Projects or activities not eligible for grants:

  1. Projects in which grant funds are directly used for Mitsui's investment or capital
  2. Projects that are purely for-profit activities
  3. Political or religious activities or projects
  4. Projects or activities in which the applicant corporation is not the main executing entity, or projects or activities that provide grants to other corporations, organizations, or individuals
  5. Projects and activities that contribute to the interests of a specific business, individual, or industry group
  6. Projects to be conducted by an organization or corporation in which a relative of the endorser or supporter is involved
  7. Other cases that the Fund team deems inappropriate (i.e. involvement of antisocial forces, listed companies, etc.)

Screening and Selection Process

Screening and selection process Screening and selection process

Schedule from Application to Selection

  • Deadline for application submission

    ①End/May
    ②End/Nov

  • Preliminary review by the Fund Team

    ①June
    ②Dec

  • First round of screening by Interview Review Board

    ①July
    ②Next Year Jan 

  • Second round of screening by external reviewers

    ①Aug
    ②Next Year Feb 

  • Notification of selection, notification of initial decision, adjustment of activities, period, and grant amount

    ①Sep
    ②Next Year Mar 

  • Official notification of selection is issued upon approval of the grant request by the Fund Team

    ①Sep
    ②Next Year Mar 

Main Screening Items

Item Details
Co-creation potential Degree of commitment to co-creation by our officer or employee who supports an issue finder, and consistency with our Sustainability Management Strategy.
Support system by Mitsui officers or employee Recommendation by the superior of the organization to which the officer or employee who recommends and supports the project, and whether or not the recommendation/support is approved.
Potential to create social impact Potential to create positive impact, appropriateness, consistency of short-term and long-term outcomes, and collaborative nature.
Issue finder's ability to promote the project Basic practical skills, management skills; Networking, track record, and growth potential; Technical expertise; Ability to understand stakeholder needs; Enthusiasm and integrity.

The above are the main screening items. Applicants may be subject to additional screening.

The Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund

Supporting activities and research that contribute to solving global environmental problems and aiming to achieve sustainable society where the economy and the environment coexist in harmony.

Mitsui & Co. Environment Fund was closed in the fiscal year ending March 2023

Information