FY2026 Itabashi Ward Attractive Individual Store Collaboration Support Grant

The Itabashi Ward Attractive Individual Store Collaboration Support Grant is administered by the Itabashi Industrial Development Promotion Foundation (a public-interest corporation) to strengthen cooperation among local shops in Itabashi Ward (Tokyo), Japan. The program subsidises collaborative initiatives that local shops, farmers, and SMEs running retail outlets undertake autonomously in response to local characteristics and consumer needs. The aim is to stimulate ward-area retail and food-service economies and promote local economic vitality. Implementation rules were adopted on 7 April 2023 by the Foundation's Chair, with the latest amendments effective 1 April 2026. Eligible applicants are (1) individual stores in Itabashi Ward, (2) farmers in the ward, or (3) SMEs as defined under Article 2 of the SME Basic Act that run stores in the ward, who have no outstanding corporate enterprise tax or corporate inhabitant tax (or, for sole proprietors, no outstanding inhabitant tax or individual enterprise tax). The collaboration project must be undertaken with another shop or organisation, but the program excludes events that should be done by the whole shopping street, projects that overlap with other subsidies, projects that fully delegate execution to third parties, projects where franchise-chain operators make up the majority, applicants with close ties to organized-crime groups under Itabashi's anti-organized-crime ordinance, and adult-entertainment businesses. Eligible expenses include poster/flyer printing and ad placement; stage setup, electricity, lighting, sound and decoration construction; outsourcing of planning/operation, security, and waste disposal; venue rental; new-product development materials and packaging; gift purchases (unit ≤ JPY 10,000, total ≤ JPY 100,000, openly announced quantities); performer fees (≤ JPY 100,000 per day per case); insurance premiums; road-use permits; short-term employment wages (≤ JPY 1,000/hour incl. transit); stationery and consumables; utilities; photography (total ≤ JPY 10,000); and other costs the Chair deems appropriate. Where equipment can be rented at lower cost than purchase, only the rental cost is eligible. The subsidy rate is 1/2 of eligible expenses in general; 4/5 if a holder of the "Itabashi-no-Ippin 2025" certification leads the project; or 2/3 if a holder of the "Origin! Itabashi-no-Ippin" or "Itabashi-no-Ippin 2022" certification leads the project. The cap is JPY 500,000 (rounded down to the nearest thousand). Applications are accepted from 20 April 2026 (Mon) to 11 December 2026 (Fri), or until the budget is exhausted, between 09:00–17:00 on weekdays. A prior phone-call consultation is required. The project execution window is 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027. The achievement report (Form 5) and supporting documentation must be filed by 2 March 2027 (Tue). Contact: Itabashi Industrial Development Promotion Foundation, Sales Expansion & Technical Support Group, Tel 03-3579-2191.