Singapore, 6 July 2026 — The Public Resource Foundation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Tsuyoshi Kusumi), a local public-interest foundation established in 2013, today launched the Japan Climate Fund, which will be housed within the Public Resource Foundation and begins with an inaugural focus to support community-led agrivoltaics.
It is established with an initial contribution of ¥20 million (approx. US$130,000) from Tara Climate Foundation (Head Office: Singapore; Representative: Jamie Choi), an Asia-based philanthropic foundation working to accelerate the region’s clean energy transition.
For its first funding initiative, the Fund will run the “Solar Sharing Grant Program: Connecting Agriculture and the Future”, which opens its public call for applications today, 6 July 2026.
Farming communities across Japan are already feeling the effects of climate change on their yields, their incomes, and how they plan for the seasons ahead. Agrivoltaics, or solar sharing, offers a practical response when it is done well — designed around the needs and knowledge of farmers themselves.
By enabling farmland to produce crops and clean energy at the same time, it can give farmers a more stable income while contributing meaningfully to Japan’s energy transition. The Japan Climate Fund focuses on the catalytic groundwork that makes agrivoltaics possible — the outreach, skills, and local partnerships that help good projects get built. By investing here, a modest fund can help unlock far larger development in the systems themselves.
“Farming communities are close to the realities of climate change, and they hold much of the knowledge needed to address it,” said Sachiko Kishimoto, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Public Resource Foundation. “With the Japan Climate Fund, we hope to back more solutions that come from the ground up — where supporting farmers and their communities also opens the door to clean energy. There’s real potential in agrivoltaics when it’s designed around farmers’ needs, and that’s where we’re starting.”
The Fund is catalytic in nature and built to grow through collaboration. Tara Climate Foundation’s initial contribution is intended as a base for other funders in Asia to build upon, with the Fund open to welcome further philanthropic partners over time — part of a broader effort to expand collaborative climate philanthropy. Individuals and organisations interested in contributing to the Fund are encouraged to get in touch.
“The best climate solutions in Asia are the ones that work for the people closest to them,” said Junichi Sato, Program Director, East Asia, at Tara Climate Foundation. “Together with the Public Resource Foundation, we hope the Fund will provide catalytic support for the Japanese organisations and communities leading this effort, as an early step in our commitment to ensure agrivoltaics delivers benefits for farmers and their communities.”
What the Fund will support
Fund website: https://www.public.or.jp/project/f0185
The program supports initiatives that centre community perspectives while advancing the wider adoption of agrivoltaics, with three main objectives: improving the resilience of farmers and their local communities to climate change; stabilising agricultural operations and strengthening the sustainability of regional economies; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the wider adoption of renewable energy.
It will back the foundational work that helps agrivoltaics take root in communities — the skills, relationships, and local knowledge that turn it into something farmers can actually adopt. Examples of eligible initiatives include:
- Establishing mechanisms to promote agrivoltaics in collaboration with local governments, communities and businesses
- Creating learning opportunities for farmers interested in adopting agrivoltaic systems
- Providing technical guidance and hands-on support to farmers considering an installation
- Documenting and sharing the experiences of farmers who have already adopted agrivoltaics, through video and social media
- Developing ways for small and medium-sized businesses to purchase electricity generated by local agrivoltaic facilities
- Developing guidelines for agrivoltaic projects that are environmentally responsible and community-oriented
To be eligible, an initiative must both improve the climate resilience of farmers and their local communities and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the wider use of renewable energy. Applications will be comprehensively assessed by an independent review committee of experts. Full eligibility requirements, application, and selection process details are available on the Fund website.
About the Public Resource Foundation (https://www.public.or.jp/)
The Public Resource Foundation traces its origins to the Public Resource Center, a nonprofit think tank established in 2000. The organisation has supported management capacity-building for nonprofit organisations, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, socially responsible investment (SRI) evaluations, and charitable giving programs, including online fundraising platforms. Building on these achievements, the organisation was relaunched in January 2013 as the Public Resource Foundation, a public-interest foundation dedicated to connecting the financial resources of individuals and corporations with social initiatives through philanthropy. Guided by its mission, “Transforming Society through Purpose-Driven Giving,” the Foundation develops and manages a wide range of giving programs, including thematic funds, customised funds, and legacy giving initiatives, while creating opportunities for people to contribute to a better future.
About Tara Climate Foundation (https://taraclimate.org/)
Tara Climate Foundation is an Asia-based philanthropic organisation established in 2021 and headquartered in Singapore. Its mission is to accelerate Asia’s just energy transition as the cornerstone of a thriving and more sustainable future for the region. Supporting close to 400 partners across 12 Asian geographies — including think tanks, research institutes, advisory groups, and industry associations — Tara provides grants, convenes stakeholders, and facilitates knowledge-sharing to advance clean energy development, drive clean industrialisation, and enable a people-centred energy transition, underpinned by a strong commitment to supporting sustainable finance, climate goals, and corporate alignment.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Baldwin Boyle Group for Tara Climate Foundation
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