{"id":64805,"date":"2026-04-08T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=64805"},"modified":"2026-04-07T17:47:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T08:47:20","slug":"konami-founders-financial-support-program-for-young-anime-and-manga-artists-significantly-increases-yearly-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/konami-founders-financial-support-program-for-young-anime-and-manga-artists-significantly-increases-yearly-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Konami founder\u2019s financial support program for young anime and manga artists\u00a0significantly increases yearly grants\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The\u00a0Kozuki Foundation<\/strong>,\u00a0established\u00a0in 1982\u00a0by Konami\u00a0Group\u00a0founder\u00a0Kagemasa\u00a0Kozuki\u00a0to\u00a0promote\u00a0Japanese sports, education, and culture,\u00a0announced on March 31<\/a>\u00a0that it would be\u00a0expanding\u00a0financial\u00a0support\u00a0offered\u00a0through\u00a0its\u00a0\u201cManga Artist and Animator Development Program.\u201d\u00a0Grant recipients for the period from August 2026 to July 2027 will\u00a0receive an annual total of 1.2 million JPY (about $7,500 USD), as opposed to the 900,000\u00a0JPY\u00a0( about $5,630 USD)\u00a0promised upon the opening of applications last February.\u00a0It’s worth noting that the originally\u00a0announced\u00a0900,000 JPY was already a 180,000 JPY increase compared to the past year, so this comes as a\u00a0significant boost.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Initially called the \u201cCreator Development Program,\u201d the Manga Artist and Animator Development Program\u2019s name was changed to reflect its focus on fostering talents capable of developing Japanese manga and animation. Aspiring manga artists, animators, and those in similar fields aged 15 to 25 who pass the screening process are given grants to pursue their creative passions, with 734 successful individuals over the course of the program\u2019s 23-year history now working in industries such as manga, animation, illustration, painting, and fine arts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the 1.2 million JPY\u00a0subsidy, grant recipients will\u00a0participate\u00a0in an annual presentation event designed to foster creativity and camaraderie. They will also be asked to produce a total of eight commissioned works over the\u00a0course of the\u00a0program, with media coverage opportunities to get their work\u00a0seen by\u00a0a wider\u00a0audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applications for the 23rd Manga Artist and Animator Training Program are open until May 7, with roughly 30 grant recipient slots. The selection process consists of two rounds (a portfolio review followed by a practical skills assessment and interview) and will be conducted by a committee consisting of animator Yuichi Ito (K-On!, Full Metal Panic!), manga artists Wataru Yoshizumi (Marmalade Boy) and Akeji Fujimura (As the Gods Will) as well as Shoji Dewa, Senior Managing Executive officer at Konami Digital Entertainment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:\u00a0Anime creators received \u201c0.0%\u201d of Japanese government\u2019s entertainment industry subsidies\u00a0in 2024, official documents show\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Stone artist Boichi says that mangakas\u2019 fixation on Shonen Jump might negatively impact the creative diversity of the industry in the long run<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recipients of Kozuki Foundation’s grant will now receive 1.2 million JPY (over $7,500 USD) annually as support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":64807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[73,17],"class_list":["post-64805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-anime","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nKonami founder\u2019s financial support program for young anime and manga artists\u00a0significantly increases yearly grants\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Recipients of Kozuki Foundation's grant will now receive 1.2 million JPY (over $7,500 USD) annually as support.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/konami-founders-financial-support-program-for-young-anime-and-manga-artists-significantly-increases-yearly-grants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Konami founder\u2019s financial support program for young anime and manga artists\u00a0significantly increases yearly grants\u00a0 - 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