In 1966, the JCCC was established to promote, among other objectives, good will and understanding between the local Japanese and American business communities. In the forty years since its founding, the JCCC has been actively pursuing this goal. Over the years, numerous Japanese businesses have opened Chicago area offices and factories. With support from the community and the JCCC, these companies have become thriving members of the local economy and have built lasting relationships with both their American and Japanese counterparts.

As the local Japanese business community has become more integrated into the community at large, Chamber members have come to realize that it is not enough to simply run a business. They recognize that it is equally as important to be a good corporate citizen and to make outward contributions as such.

Bearing this in mind, JCCC members moved to develop a means by which they could work together to serve and contribute to the greater Chicago area. The result was the JCCC Foundation, established in 1991 to mark the 25th anniversary of the JCCC. Each year the Foundation awards approximately $100,000 in grants to schools and not-for-profit organizations involved in education, community development and cultural activities. In the fifteen years since its founding, the JCCC Foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $2,000,000. Resources for the Foundation are raised through JCCC member donations and fund raising events.

JCCC Foundation's "Student Development and Achievement Grants" make the bulk of the Foundation's annual giving. As the Foundation attempts to broaden its impact by issuing more grants of smaller size, the "Student Development and Achievement Grant" can only be up to $5,000 each. This permits the Foundation to achieve its annual objectives even if its grants serve only as seed money for worthy projects. The Foundation also seeks diversity through the "Student Development and Achievement Grant" by giving to a broad range of organizations, from large institutions such as the Field Museum to small schools in under-served communities that pursue programs focusing on a particular educational niche.

In the past, the JCCC Foundation has also awarded small annual grants to cultural organizations such as the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago. In 1997, the Foundation began shifting its focus to organizations that work towards deepening relations between the Unites States and Japan and serving the local Japanese and Japanese-American communities. The recipients of these "U.S.~Japan Partnership Grants" are voted on by the JCCC Foundation Board of Directors and are not subject to solicitation.