Release number

No.15027

Posted date

2026/4/20

Category

• CSR

Charitable Trust “Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation” Announces Recipients of FY 2026 Grant Programs

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  (Left) Release of the Japanese crested ibis back into the wild (Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture)
  (Right) White-bellied heron (Kingdom of Bhutan)
  Photo courtesy: Royal Society for Protection of Nature (Bhutan), White-bellied Heron Conservation Team

Tokyo, JAPAN (April 20, 2026) ― Charitable Trust Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation, managed and supported by Suntory Holdings, today announced the recipients for the FY2026 grant programs. This fiscal year, a total of approximately 42 million Japanese yen will be granted to 29 projects across three categories – Bird Conservation Groups Activities Grant, Regional Bird-watching Activities Grant, and Waterfront Large Bird Conservation.

The official website of Charitable Trust Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation is here, and the list of this year’s recipients can be found here: FY 2026 Grant Projects:The Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation

Recognizing that wild birds are barometers of the environment, Suntory started its bird conservation activities in 1973. The company established the Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation in 1989, later registered as a Charitable Trust in 1990, to promote environmental conservation and restoration through providing grants to various bird conservation activities. In 2022, the Fund launched a Global Application Scheme under the Bird Conservation Groups Activities Grant category, accepting applications from overseas bird conservation organizations*.

*Applications from overseas organizations must be submitted through a Japanese organization.

To date, the Fund has granted over 700 million Japanese yen to a total of 563 projects, including grants for FY 2026. The Fund will continue to support various bird conservation activities in Japan and globally.

<About Suntory’s bird conservation activities>
In 1973, Suntory started the Save the Birds! Campaign in a newspaper advertisement with the slogan “Today Birds, Tomorrow Humans”. It means the tragedies that happen to birds today, will also happen to humans tomorrow, and the happiness that happens to birds today may bring happiness to humans tomorrow. On the same year, the company also established a wild bird sanctuary in Suntory Hakushu Distillery in Japan where it conducts various activities such as wild bird research and observation as well as nest box hanging. In order to further its effort in bird conservation activities, the company established the Suntory Fund for Bird Conservation in 1989 to support a variety of activities.
Suntory manages a total of more than 12,000 hectares of forests across 27 locations near its production sites in Japan, known as the Suntory Natural Water Sanctuaries. Experts conduct ongoing research on wild birds, and the findings are utilized as one of the guidelines for forest maintenance and nature restoration. Under the Eagle/Hawk Nurturing Support Program, Suntory also nurtures young raptors such as eagles and hawks, which are at the pinnacle of the ecological pyramid, by creating a rich and well-balanced natural environment suited for nesting, feeding and child-rearing.

Learn more about Suntory’s bird conservation activities here.

About Suntory Group
As a global leader in the beverage industry, Suntory Group aims to inspire the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Sustained by the gifts of nature and water, the Group offers a uniquely diverse portfolio of products across more than 80 countries, from award-winning Japanese whiskies Yamazaki and Hibiki, iconic American whiskies Jim Beam and Maker's Mark, canned ready-to-drink -196 (minus one-nine-six), The Premium Malt’s beer, Japanese wine Tomi, and the world-famous Château Lagrange. Its brand collection also includes non-alcoholic favorites Orangina, Lucozade, Oasis, BOSS coffee, Suntory Tennensui water, TEA+ Oolong Tea, and V energy drink, as well as popular health and wellness product Sesamin EX.

Founded as a family-owned business in 1899 in Osaka, Japan, Suntory Group has grown into a global company operating throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania, with approximately 40,000 employees worldwide draw upon the unique blend of Japanese artisanship and global tastes to explore new product categories and markets.

For more information, visit www.suntory.com and Drink Smart.