Foundation History
In 1973, Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. (currently Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd.) celebrated the 80th anniversary of its founding. To commemorate the occasion, our foundation was launched in 1973 as a private organization, the Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Association. In September 1975, permission was obtained from the Prime Minister’s Office (currently the Cabinet Office), and we officially began our activities as the Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation.
Japan at that time was at the apex of its period of rapid economic growth, but this led to distortions, and remedies were being discussed on all sides. Since its founding, Sumitomo Marine consistently adhered to the mission of “serving society and the public, and contributing to their welfare and prosperity through the non-life insurance business,” and adopted this as its business creed.
Taking this situation into account, we established this foundation outside our corporate activities, as a step beyond our previous social contribution through the property insurance business. Our idea was to repay our obligation to society, even in a small way, through this foundation.
The grant activities of the foundation began with the grants for relief activities such as support for the victims of traffic accidents and the surviving families of police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty. Other than these relief activities, we have provided aid for publicity/education activities, facilities, research, and other efforts in fields relating to traffic accidents and disasters that have a close relationship with the non-life insurance business. Furthermore, Japan is becoming a full-fledged aged society, and dealing with that has become an urgent issue. Therefore we took the opportunity of the 15th anniversary of our foundation’s establishment, and expanded our aid activities from fiscal 1991 into fields relating to the welfare of the elderly.
Later, in 1995, we received certification as a “special public interest promotion corporation” from the Prime Minister, and in recent years have shifted the main thrust of our activities to research grants.
In October 2001, the foundation name was changed to the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation due to the merger of the parent organization Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. with Mitsui Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.
Under the new system governing public interest corporations, the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Foundation became a public interest incorporated foundation in December 2009.
Description of Programs
We provide the following aid programs in two fields: Traffic Accidents and Disasters (referred to below as “Traffic Safety, etc.”) and Senior Citizen Welfare. At present, we make public appeals for research grants and authorship/research paper awards, but as a rule, we do not publicly solicit for other aid.
The research grants are available outside of Japan. Applications are welcomed for the subjects of Traffic Safety in Thailand and Taiwan. Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co., Ltd. Thailand Branch and MSIG Mingtai Insurance Co.,Ltd. are the acting liaisons for the foundation.
I. Subjects of grants in the field of Traffic Safety, etc.
Research grants
Research on prevention, damage reduction, and medical care for traffic accidents, etc.
“Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Award” for authorship/research papers
Award for outstanding authorship and research papers on research and publicity/education relating to prevention, damage reduction, and medical care for traffic accidents, etc.
Publicity and education grants
Publicity and education activities relating to prevention, damage reduction, and medical care for traffic accidents, etc.
Facility and project grants
Facilities and projects relating to prevention, damage reduction, and medical care for traffic accidents, etc.
II. Subjects of grants in the field of Senior Citizen Welfare
Research grants
Research relating to welfare of the elderly
“Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Welfare Award” for authorship/research papers
Award for outstanding authorship and research papers on research and publicity/education relating to welfare of the elderly
Publicity and education grants
Publicity and education activities relating to welfare of the elderly
Facility and project grants
Facilities and projects relating to welfare of the elderly
III. Grant periods
Grants are provided after selection decisions made at periodic meetings of the board of directors held three times a year (in June, October, and March). However, research grants and authorship/research paper awards are granted based on a decision of the board of directors after examination by a selection committee.
