Announcing the Kyoko Arai Fund

Wednesday, Sep 29, 2021

A photo of Kyoko Arai, the namesake of the Kyoko Arai Fund and one of the fund's donors

Kyoko Arai

NYU Tisch is pleased to announce the creation of the Kyoko Arai Fund, thanks to the generosity of NYU Stern alumnus Yuki Arai ’10 (MBA) and Kyoko Arai. The Arais’ $500,000 gift will endow the fund, which will be used to fund annual HEAR US (Honoring, Elevating, and Recapitalizing Underrepresented Stories) Awards. In making this generous gift, Mr. and Mrs. Arai hope to encourage diverse voices and stories in the film industry.

The inaugural HEAR US Awards provided by the Kyoko Arai Fund will be made during the 2021-22 academic year. The Arais’ gift will help to grow and sustain these important awards, which were created in 2020 to provide artists and scholars with funding for projects that center marginalized voices and stories.

Learn more about the HEAR US Awards and Tisch’s commitments to dismantle racism.