California
Recipient: National Japanese American Historical Society, Inc. (San Francisco, CA)
Project Title: Fragile Freedoms: Regional Perspectives on US WWII Confinement Sites Education ProjectGrant Award: $1,012,001
Description: The National Japanese American Historical Society, Inc. (NJAHS) will lead a project in partnership with the National Writing Project, Japanese American community organizations, and the National Park Service to present a national series of hands-on, interactive, intensive professional development trainings for over 500 classroom educators (grades 4-12) and conduct leadership training for a core group of next-generation teachers. A network of teacher leaders will be recruited to study Japanese American incarceration through a regional lens and then design professional training and educational products like curricula for their peers in their home communities. The project will produce workshops and fieldtrips using NJAHS’s extensive collection of primary and secondary sources.
Washington
Recipient: Densho (Seattle, WA)
Project Title: Densho Education Engagement Platform (DEEP) for Teaching HistoryGrant Award: $1,639,151
Description: Densho will develop the Densho Educational Engagement Platform (DEEP), an innovative, free, AI-assisted educational platform designed to support teachers with accurate, engaging content about Japanese American incarceration during World War II. DEEP will integrate and enhance Densho’s core resources—including the Digital Repository, Names Registry, Encyclopedia, and Sites of Shame—into a comprehensive, education-focused platform. To enhance educator support and outreach, Densho will offer classroom-ready resources, and virtual and in-person teacher workshops.
Wyoming
Recipient: Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (Powell, WY)
Project Title: Exiled to the Rockies: Japanese American Incarceration during World War IIGrant Award: $776,775
Description: The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation will lead a multifaceted educational program in partnership with the Amache Alliance, Friends of Minidoka, Historical Museum at Fort Missoula, Topaz Museum, and nationally recognized scholars and educators. The project will include leveraging the Nikkei Community Platform, a social media space that facilitates crowdsourcing where survivors and descendants can upload content, share stories, and interact with each other across the country. The platform will be adapted for use as an educational tool for K-12 teachers, students, and scholars. On-site and traveling teacher workshops, professional ethics seminars, and public events will be held to support this multi-year program bringing Japanese American incarceration history to new audiences.
Last updated: November 21, 2025