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 Since the end of the cold war the international situation has undergone dramatic changes. The eclipse of Marxism has robbed the working hypothesis that the only basic choice needed is between two major ideologies of its power and revealed the need for the coexistence of pluralistic values and new paradigms to subsume them. Moreover, the dramatic advance of information technology has led to increased blurring of the borderline between international issues on the one hand and domestic issues predicated on the traditional idea of national sovereignty on the other. In addition, such changes in the international situation are making the functions of NPOs increasingly apparent. This is leading to more rigorous scrutiny of the legitimacy of the influence exerted on the public interest by NPOs, which after all are not elected, and of their accountability for their actions and outcomes. Ensuring pioneering Every five years or so SPF reviews its areas of concern and publishes the results as midterm program guidelines. This exercise is designed to enable us to respond flexibly to changes in the world situation and implement pioneering projects, and also to periodically verify the efficacy and efficiency of projects and methods. In addition to clarifying SPF's priorities and sense of mission, the guidelines provide useful indicators for grant applicants. Under the current guidelines for grant projects, Operational Guidelines for the Fourth Midterm Program, 2007-2012, we are supporting projects that fall into the following three categories:
―Comprehensive Understanding of the Various Problems of Civilization― II. What Is Public and What Is Private: The Meaning of Redefinition ―Civil Society and Private Nonprofit Activities― III. Knowing and Transmitting: The Significance of Transmission ―Transmission of Information to the Global Community―
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