The Asian Research Foundation concentrates its giving on Korean-focused educational and cultural initiatives, supporting academic scholarship and museum-based preservation of Korean heritage. Its grants are targeted and sizable, favoring established institutions that advance Korean studies and public education about Korean culture.
Concentrated, high-dollar giving to a very small number of recipients; repeat support to at least one core grantee (International Society for Korean Studies) and large one-time gifts to cultural institutions.
Asian Research Foundation’s recent giving is anchored by large, targeted support for Korean studies and Korean cultural preservation, including two $80,000 grants: one to Osaka Korea Town Museum for an educational grant and another to the International Society for Korean Studies for conference and planning activities. That mix points to a funder that backs both public-facing heritage work and academic exchange rather than broad general philanthropy. The foundation also supports institutions that produce and circulate scholarship. In 2025, it gave $20,000 to the Center for Korean Studies in Honolulu to support a conference in Korea, extending its support for academic convening beyond the United States. In 2023, it made an $8,500 educational grant to the same center and provided a $6,500 publication subvention to University of Hawaii Press for a translation of a Korean history. Taken together, these grants show a pattern of funding established organizations that advance Korean historical knowledge, scholarly dialogue, and cultural education through conferences, museums, and publications.
Asian Research Foundation supports academic Korean studies through grants tied to conferences, planning, and research exchange. In 2025, it gave $80,000 to the International Society for Korean Studies to support conference and planning activities for an organization that promotes academic dialogue across Northeast Asia and particularly in Korea. It also funded the Center for Korean Studies with $20,000 in 2025 to support a conference in Korea, showing an emphasis on scholarly convening. In the publication space, the foundation made a $6,500 grant to University of Hawaii Press for a translation of a Korean history, which fits its support for scholarly works that broaden access to Korean history. Cultural education is another clear strand, reflected in an $80,000 educational grant to Osaka Korea Town Museum.
Asian Research Foundation’s grants are relatively large for a targeted private funder: the typical award sits at $8,000 at the 25th percentile, $39,250 at the median, and $72,500 at the 75th percentile. The recent record shows repeat support to the same institutions across multiple years, including the International Society for Korean Studies and the Center for Korean Studies. That pattern suggests ongoing institutional relationships rather than isolated one-time gifts. It is structured as a foundation that funds individuals as well as organizations, and it does not make program-related investments.
$100K
$1.3M
$73K
$173K
Most grants fall between $8K and $73K, with a median of $39K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$39K
75th Percentile
$73K
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Asian Research Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 6 | $61K | 60.0% |
| 2 | Japan |
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Notable grantees: International Society for Korean Studies, Osaka Korea Town Museum
Giving is tightly localized: 100% of grants go to recipients in Hawaii, and Hawaii is also the top state by grant count. The recipient set in the recent grants includes Honolulu organizations such as the Center for Korean Studies and University of Hawaii Press, alongside Osaka Korea Town Museum in Japan. The country distribution is split evenly between the US and Japan, with three grants in each country.
Its recent grants support Korean studies, Korean cultural heritage, and scholarly exchange. Examples include conference and planning support for the International Society for Korean Studies, a conference grant for the Center for Korean Studies, and publication support for a translation of a Korean history through University of Hawaii Press.
Yes. The recent grants list shows repeat support to the International Society for Korean Studies in 2023 and 2025, and to the Center for Korean Studies in 2023 and 2025. That indicates ongoing relationships with some institutions rather than purely one-time awards.
The grant-size profile is centered on mid-sized awards: p25 is $8,000, median is $39,250, and p75 is $72,500. Recent gifts also include larger $80,000 grants, which sit above the 75th percentile in the available distribution.
The foundation gives locally, with 100% of grants to recipients in Hawaii. The recent grants also include one recipient in Japan, and the country distribution in the recent list is split evenly between the US and Japan at three grants each.
Recipients include museums, scholarly societies, university centers, and a university press. Recent grantees include Osaka Korea Town Museum, the International Society for Korean Studies, the Center for Korean Studies, and University of Hawaii Press.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
| 4 |
| $305K |
40.0% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KOREAN STUDIES | OS | $80,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT CONFERENCE AND PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ORGANIZATION WHICH PROMOTES ACADEMIC DIALOGUE ACROSS NORTHEAST ASIA AND PARTICULARLY IN KOREA |
| CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES | HONOLULU, HI | $20,000 | 2025 | TO SUPPORT A CONFERENCE IN KOREA |
| INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KOREAN STUDIES | OS | $75,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT CONFERENCE AND PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ORGANIZATION WHICH PROMOTES ACADEMIC DIALOGUE ACROSS NORTHEAST ASIA AND PARTICULARLY IN KOREA |
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR, MI | $15,000 | 2024 | TO COVER TRANSLATION COSTS OF FIVE ARTICLE FROM KOREAN TO ENGLISH FOR AN UPCOMING CAMBRIDGE OF HISTORY VOLUME ON KOREA |
| HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION | HONOLULU, HI | $10,000 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT MAUI STRONG INITIATIVE |
| CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES | HONOLULU, HI | $1,309 | 2024 | TO SUPPORT A CONFERENCE IN KOREA |
| OSAKA KOREA TOWN MUSEUM | OS | $80,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL GRANT |
| INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KOREAN STUDIES | OS | $70,000 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL GRANT |
| CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES | HONOLULU, HI | $8,500 | 2023 | EDUCATIONAL GRANT |
| UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS | HONOLULU, HI | $6,500 | 2023 | PUBLICATION SUBVENTION FOR A TRANSLATION OF A KOREAN HISTORY |
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KOREAN STUDIES
$80,000TO SUPPORT CONFERENCE AND PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ORGANIZATION WHICH PROMOTES ACADEMIC DIALOGUE ACROSS NORTHEAST ASIA AND PARTICULARLY IN KOREA
CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES
$20,000TO SUPPORT A CONFERENCE IN KOREA
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KOREAN STUDIES
$75,000TO SUPPORT CONFERENCE AND PLANNING ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ORGANIZATION WHICH PROMOTES ACADEMIC DIALOGUE ACROSS NORTHEAST ASIA AND PARTICULARLY IN KOREA
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
$15,000TO COVER TRANSLATION COSTS OF FIVE ARTICLE FROM KOREAN TO ENGLISH FOR AN UPCOMING CAMBRIDGE OF HISTORY VOLUME ON KOREA
HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
$10,000TO SUPPORT MAUI STRONG INITIATIVE
CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES
TO SUPPORT A CONFERENCE IN KOREA
OSAKA KOREA TOWN MUSEUM
$80,000EDUCATIONAL GRANT
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KOREAN STUDIES
$70,000EDUCATIONAL GRANT
CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES
$8,500EDUCATIONAL GRANT
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS
$6,500PUBLICATION SUBVENTION FOR A TRANSLATION OF A KOREAN HISTORY