Crossing Sectors to Co-create a Rich Civil Society: About the "Keio Leaders Program for Nonprofit Management"

On March 17, 2025, coinciding with the visit of the Los Angeles Dodgers to Japan, a grant presentation ceremony for Japanese NPOs by the United States-Japan Foundation and the Dodgers was held at the Mita Campus. While the Dodgers are this year's World Series champions, it may not be widely known that the team also promotes social activities and philanthropy. On this stage, President Kohei Itoh announced the launch of the "Keio Leaders Program for Nonprofit Management" (commonly known as "Keio LEAP for Nonprofit"), aimed at leading personnel in private non-profit organizations (NPOs), in cooperation with the United States-Japan Foundation.

Amid the diversification and increasing severity of social issues, the global expansion of NPOs has been noted for a long time. In Japan, the concept of "NPO" was introduced in the 1990s, and their numbers have increased particularly since the enforcement of the Act on Promotion of Specified Non-profit Activities (NPO Law) in 1998. Today, in addition to approximately 50,000 NPO corporations, there are about 10,000 public interest incorporated foundations/associations and over 100,000 general incorporated foundations/associations. The fact that private non-profit activities have expanded to this extent in about a quarter-century indicates an increase in issues that the government and markets cannot fully address, and a growing number of people who wish to confront them.

On the other hand, looking at today's NPOs and the surrounding social situation, there are numerous challenges such as social understanding, the promotion of institutional policies, the improvement of individual organizational capabilities, and the acquisition of resources. Among these, the issue of the people who handle these tasks is crucial. Looking ahead to the development of civil society as a whole in Japanese society, there will be an even greater need for personnel who can lead across organizations, positions, and sectors from such a perspective. Keio LEAP for Nonprofit is conducted as part of the activities of the KGRI project "Keio Cross-Sector Platform" (Co-representatives: Hiroshi Nakamura, Graduate School of Business Administration; Gen Miyagaki, Faculty of Policy Management) to develop human resources active in such cross-sector environments.

Management and leadership development programs for NPOs are commonly found at universities in other countries; in the United States, leading universities such as Harvard and Stanford offer similar specialized education. Conversely, while there are many management courses provided by private support organizations in Japan, there are almost no programs offered by universities for practitioners. Furthermore, there are no programs that look toward developing human resources who can move between positions, organizations, and the industry-government-academia-civil sectors, rather than just focusing on individual organizational issues. In that sense, Keio LEAP can be described as Japan's first full-scale NPO leadership program.

The reasons and social significance of Keio University tackling this are not small. This is because Keio University itself was born out of the voluntary participation and cooperation of people with high aspirations, and it has produced many talented individuals, including NPO founders and practitioners. Anyone involved in this sector has likely encountered Keio students or Keio University alumni at activity sites both domestically and internationally. In particular, the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) has prominently produced human resources in this field since its establishment. Many people apply to its undergraduate and graduate schools with this goal, and the curriculum regarding NPOs, social entrepreneurs, and social innovation is extensive. Furthermore, at the business school (KBS), the number of students interested in solving social issues has increased in recent years, including NPO managers and business professionals responsible for social contribution within companies. This program utilizes Keio University's history and track record in education and research to promote graduate-level human resource development, aiming to take the lead in fulfilling social roles through these efforts.

The program targets practitioners, similar to KBS executive seminars. Although it is not a degree program, graduates are awarded a certificate. One of its characteristics is that the faculty is composed of a wide range of instructors, including faculty from KBS and SFC, leading NPO researchers in Japan, and practitioners active at the forefront. This allows participants to learn from leading figures in both academia and practice across various fields, such as foundational academic understanding, the cutting edge of social issues, organizational design, leadership, fundraising, collaboration, advocacy, and academic skills. Additionally, many opportunities for PBL (Project-Based Learning), case methods, and discussions are provided, aiming for participants to deepen their learning in teams while the program itself becomes a cross-sector platform.

In the pilot program that began in September, a total of 30 classes by 25 instructors were prepared, and about 20 "Cohort 0" students, selected from a large number of applicants, participate enthusiastically every time. Participants come not only from NPO leadership but also from corporations and government administration, and the 5th floor of the North Building, which serves as the venue, is quickly becoming a place for cross-sector dialogue. The pilot program also serves as research and development for an effective and high-value program that will be needed in Japanese society in the future. All members are continuing their deliberations while receiving commitment and feedback from the participants. Moving forward, we expect that unique research results will be generated not only from the research and development of such programs but also from the various activities carried out during this process.

Furthermore, to respond to requests from outside the participants, an open seminar series (3 sessions in total from November to December) themed "Bridging NPOs and Society" was planned. The first session reached capacity shortly after the announcement, giving us a real sense of the high expectations.

Through this process, the program is scheduled to be fully implemented as a full-year program starting in the spring of 2026. Future plans include collaboration with NPOs and universities in the United States, as well as field studies both in Japan and abroad, for which preparations are currently underway. We plan to announce program details and the recruitment of "Cohort 1" participants after January 2026. We look forward to the participation of all motivated individuals who seek to create the future of Japanese civil society across sectors.