Toyota Announces Winners of FY2006 Environmental Activities Grant Program

Tokyo, Japan, Nov 13, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Motor Corporation announced today the 25 winners of the FY2006 Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program, who will each receive a total of 170 million yen. In the seven years between FY2000 and FY2006, the cumulative total of grants given by the Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program has amounted to approximately 1.24 billion yen, supporting 113 projects in 40 countries.

The Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program was launched in commemoration of TMC's receipt of the Global 500 Award*, in 1999, from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Since then, the program has been supporting practical projects concerning environmental education and environmentally sound technology implemented by non-profit/non-governmental organizations and groups. During the application period between May and July 2006, 548 applications were received, with 424 coming in under the original category of "general grants" (with no restriction regarding project implementation site(s) and the limit of the grant amount) and 124 coming in under the category of "small-scale grants" (which focus on community-based grassroots activities with a limit on the grant amount).

The program's selection committee, consisting of a group of experts from Japan and elsewhere around the world and chaired by Dr. Keiko Nakamura, director general of the JT Biohistory Research Hall, deliberated intensely while selecting the 2006 grantees. The entries were judged on criteria such as: appropriateness of the projects; continuity and future development; clear demonstration of the necessity of funding; and the level of collaboration with local communities. The grant program will support the chosen projects for up to three years for "general grants", and up to one year for "small-scale grants".

* An award program (1987 to 2003) established by the UNEP to recognize individuals or organizations that contribute to greater environmental protection or improvement in terms of sustainable development. TMC received the award for being the world's first to development and mass produce hybrid vehicles.

For a full list of FY2006 Awardees of the Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program, please visit http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/06/1113.html .