KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES

Financials

From the e-filed returns the IRS publishes as XML (latest three processing years; amended returns replace the original). PDF copies at the IRS.

Officers, directors and key employees

As listed on the 990 for the year ended March 31, 2025, highest compensation first.

Address and contacts

Address (IRS master file)

6TH FLOOR, WASHINGTON, DC 20001-0000

In care of

% SHANTI SHOJI

Principal officer (990 for 2024)

Shanti Shoji, 1050 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 65466, Washington, DC 20035

Signed the 990

Shanti Shoji, Co-Founder & Board Member

Phone

(202) 821-2319

Mission

To inspire youth in Japan and the US to look beyond their communities embrace diversity and become active global citizens by fostering international friendship through exchange of culture and collaborative learning via an educational exchange website.

Program accomplishments

• Kizuna Across Cultures facilitated the six month bilingual and virtual exchange program Global Classmates for high school students across Japan and the U.S. from September 2024 to February 2025. Since 2011 Global Classmates has connected over 20,600 students from the U.S. and Japan. In the programs 13th year we connected 2,100 students from 79 high schools in Japan and the U.S.. We successfully delivered another year of high-quality collaborative online international learning experience as reflected in the exit survey with 97% of the students and 99% of the teachers reporting satisfaction with the program. Building on last years curriculum upgrade this year we continued to emphasize not just improving language skills and cultural understanding but also on fostering intercultural competence-the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately with people from different backgrounds build meaningful relationships and collaborate across cultures. This year many school pairs conducted live video exchanges more than once during the program. These real-time conversations significantly deepened students sense of connection with their peers which in turn sparked greater enthusiasm for the regular asynchronous exchanges written exchanges with time difference. This positive cycle created a strong mutually reinforcing impact on student engagement. In recent years generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT have made language translation significantly easier. However we believe there are still essential human abilities that AI cannot replace: the capacity to connect with people from different backgrounds build mutual understanding and develop trust. Students participating in the program shared reflections such as: No matter how different we are its important to keep talking while respecting each other When you engage with genuine curiosity its possible to build meaningful relationships and Its crucial to communicate with an understanding of different values. These comments show that through their experiences students developed both the mindset and skills needed to build relationships and collaborate with people from different cultures and backgrounds. At KAC our goal has never been just about language acquisition. Instead weve continued to evolve the Global Classmate program to help students see and connect with the broader world and the future that lie beyond language. That said bringing this vision to life in real classrooms requires steady effort and thoughtful innovation. We are grateful for the teachers who have shared our vision and worked alongside us to make this program possible. We believe that the experiences and lessons students gained through Global Classmate will reach far beyond U.S.-Japan relations and prove valuable across many areas of their future lives. This program has offered students with a meaningful first step and we sincerely hope they will carry what theyve learned here forward with confidence and a sense of purpose.
  Expenses $86,901
• The Global Classmates Summit is a summer program facilitated by Kizuna Across Cultures KAC that brings together Japanese and American high school students who hold the potential to influence and lead in diverse communities in the future. Through a wide variety of activities the students deepen their understanding of one another and develop friendships while fostering their skills to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between Japan and the U.S. as well as the broader international community. In its eighth year Kizuna Across Cultures selected sixteen outstanding students eight from the U.S. and eight from Japanfrom a pool of 2,190 students who participated in the 2023-24 Global Classmates virtual program. To reflect the increasingly diverse areas of cooperation between Japan and the U.S. we aimed to form a group of participants that are rich in diversity in terms of attributes strengths and fields of interest. Since the Summits launch in 2017 until the third year it was held as an in-person event in Washington DC; however due to the global pandemic it has been a virtual program since 2020. For this years Summit students met for three to four hours a day over the course of twelve days from late July to mid-August for online activities. The students participated in various activities including team building exercises meetings with leaders in U.S.-Japan relations and workshops led by international experts. Through these experiences they broadened their perspectives and deepened their knowledge on topics including cross-cultural understanding U.S.-Japan relations international business climate change diversity and cultural competence media literacy and the role of citizen diplomacy. At the Summit in addition to learning from mentors we place great value on fostering a peer learning community where students can learn from each other. By providing positive feedback to one another making valuable contributions in discussions stepping out of their comfort zones to be the first to share their opinions and feelings and encouraging others to participate they developed skills and mindsets essential for cross-cultural collaboration. During the webinar event on the final day one high school teacher who observed their students presentation remarked I was shocked by their growth in such a short period. With hopes that this Summit will serve as a stepping stone for them to emerge as the next generation of leaders KAC looks forward to continuing our support for these new members of theSummit alumni network.
  Expenses $30,796
• In 2021 KAC launched the Global Classmate Community to provide ongoing support to participants who graduated from the Global Classmate program. This community aims to support young people who wish to enrich their academic career and personal lives by incorporating international perspectives and opportunities. This year we held three online webinars. Two of the webinars were co-hosted with the Embassy of Japan in the United States focusing on career opportunities related to Japan and studying abroad in Japan for Americans learning Japanese. Each webinar attracted over 300 participants highlighting a strong interest in the Japanese language and culture. In the future we plan to provide more information on practical steps to support career development.
  Expenses $9,657

What it must file and when

IRS records say it files Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N. Its accounting year ends in March, so each return is due on the 15th day of the 5th month after that.

IRS record

EIN

46-1576420

Tax-exempt status

501(c)(3): Charitable, religious, educational or scientific organization

Foundation status

Publicly supported organization (170(b)(1)(A)(vi))

Donations deductible (Pub 78)

Public charity, 50% deduction limit

Exempt since

2013

Accounting year ends

March

Files

Form 990 or 990-EZ

Category (NTEE)

International, foreign affairs and national security (Q22)

Assets (IRS master file)

$222,994

Income (IRS master file)

$251,734

Filing history

990-N: the IRS bulk file holds only the latest e-Postcard per organization; earlier years come from archived copies of that file since 2020 and can have gaps (the IRS e-Postcard search lists every one). 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, 990-T: every e-filed return in the IRS e-file index since 2019; XML for the latest three processing years, amounts from the IRS Statistics of Income extracts before that. PDF copies and determination letters at the IRS (search EIN 46-1576420).

Questions about KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES

What is the EIN of KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES?

The employer identification number (EIN) of KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES is 46-1576420.

Is KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES tax-exempt?

Yes. The IRS lists it as tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) since 2013.

Are donations to KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES tax-deductible?

Yes. It is listed in IRS Publication 78 (Public charity, 50% deduction limit).

Which annual return does KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES file?

Form 990 or 990-EZ. Based on its last return; a smaller organization may file the 990-N.

When is the next return of KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES due?

The return for tax year 2025 (the year ending March 31, 2026) is due August 17, 2026. Form 8868 extends it by six months; the 990-N cannot be extended.

When did KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES last file with the IRS?

The latest return in the IRS public files is the 990 for the year ended March 2025.

Who is the principal officer of KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES?

The 990 for the year ended March 31, 2025 names Shanti Shoji.

Who are the officers and directors of KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES?

The 990 for the year ended March 31, 2025 lists 3 people; 1 received compensation from the organization, the highest $32,808 (Ayako Smethurst, Executive Director and Co-Founder).

How much revenue does KIZUNA ACROSS CULTURES have?

On its 990 for the year ended March 31, 2025 it reported revenue of $251,734, expenses of $152,143 and total assets of $222,994 at year end.

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