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A Call for Collaborative Giving: Closing the Gap for Disadvantaged Young Persons
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A Call for Collaborative Giving: Closing the Gap for Disadvantaged Young Persons

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The first Colabs publication discusses the challenges that disadvantaged young persons face at home, such as an unconducive family environment. It examines how these challenges impacted the young persons’ educational attainment and social mobility, and offers suggestions as to how givers could collaborate to close the gap for these individuals. The publication, based on the collective insights of over 100 participants who contributed during the series, can be downloaded here.

Speaking after the association’s annual general meeting at Kallang Netball Centre on Friday, Liang-Lin, a fund manager for a US$7 billion (S$9.5 billion) firm focused on green real estate investments in Asia, hopes to bring her expertise to the table and increase the amount of financial support for Singapore netball during her four-year term.

The 53-year-old took over from Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jessica Tan, who has been the association’s president since 2012. Tan had reached the end of her tenure, which saw the national team make several breakthroughs, including a gold medal at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore.

Liang-Lin holds various appointments such as being Singapore’s representative to the G20 for Women appointed by the Ministry of Finance. She is also a board member of the Community Foundation of Singapore, which promotes philanthropy through facilitating the establishment of charitable funds.

She said: “One of the things that is overlooked when we look at philanthropy and fundraising is that sport is not really part of the things that people will automatically think about.

“Less than one per cent of the funds that we raise in the Community Foundation goes to sport. The values that sport brings need to be amplified more, so that corporates… see the need to support sport. I think that link needs to be stronger so that we get not just more corporate sponsors, but also they can come in for longer periods of time.”

While national agency Sport Singapore provides funding to netball, corporates can also do their part, she added.

She said: “If we play our cards correctly, we can get corporates to come in and hopefully support them, to see the wider purpose of sport and bring the nation together.”

She also hopes the association can be proactive in looking for financial support, adding: “We must work more strategically with governing bodies on educating corporates on the importance of really supporting sport.”

The former netball player also made references to the recent Women’s World Cup for football, noting the “ability for a game that focuses on women in the sport to bring global attention”.

She said: “I want that kind of trajectory of the limelight going to women’s sport. I think that is a trend that will continue, and I hope that netball will be part of that trend.”

Meanwhile, Tan was satisfied that she has achieved the three objectives she had set out to do when she came on board – to improve quality of play, build a fan base and create an ecosystem which involves coaches and players.

The 57-year-old added: “As much as I do feel sad about having to step down, but at the same time, leadership renewal is very important.

“I think Trina will help to galvanise the team together, and bring a lot of new perspectives and quality to the association.”

Join us in making an impact on Singapore sports scene! Reach out to us for more information.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction

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The competition was organised by City Harvest Community Services Association and received support from FUN! Fund, a Community Impact Fund jointly established by the Community Foundation of Singapore and the Agency for Integrated Care, with the aim of addressing social isolation among the elderly.

Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of National Development Mr Tan Kiat How attended the event. He encouraged the elderly to stay physically and mentally well, as well as urging them to participate in community activities and enjoy their golden years together.

Learn more about FUN! Fund at https://www.cf.org.sg/fun-fund/.

 

The programme provides the children with a non-threatening platform to connect with peers and have positive conversations. In addition, it exposes them to different people who can assist to broaden their perspectives.

L.S., a volunteer with the Reading Odyssey programme @ Spooner Road

中心“常胜将军”胡锦盛:比赛限时反应要快

现年92岁的胡锦盛是最年长的参赛者。自2017年退休后,他几乎每天都到活跃乐龄中心报到,从此爱上了玩拉密,每次可玩上三个小时,在中心是“常胜将军”。

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The Straits Times: The ST Guide To… giving to charity

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For those with fatter wallets and who hope to create a greater impact with their gift, they can even consider setting up a charitable fund to give to causes close to their hearts.

For example, the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), a non-profit group, helps donors find a more structured and sustainable way of giving by providing advice and managing their charitable fund.

To set up a named charitable fund in the CFS, where the donor decides on the fund’s name and the causes to give to, donors must pledge at least $200,000.

For those with slimmer bank accounts, there is no minimum sum to give if they want to donate directly to the Community Impact Funds that have been set up by the CFS to support lesser known causes, such as helping migrant workers in distress and taking home-bound seniors on outings. Read more.

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社区基金会让善款发挥更大爱

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portrait of CFS CEO Catherine Loh

随着出生率不断下降和人口老龄化,慈善事业下来可更专注在老人方面。

新加坡社区基金会(The Community Foundation of Singapore,简称CFS)总裁罗佩仪告诉《联合早报》,政府虽然负责照顾老人的基本需求,但公众可协助提升老人的生活素质,维护他们尊严,让他们在暮年,可以过得更有意义和活跃。

“在教育方面,除了孩童和青少年,受日新月异的科技影响、必须重新受训的成人学生,也应该获得额外支援。”

罗佩仪说,CFS有13年管理基金的经验,致力于确保有高水平的透明度和治理,好让捐款者有信心,知道他们的基金能协助和满足社会现有和未来的变更需求。

她指出,CFS与个人捐款者和慈善机构合作,加强各种慈善事业。

“到CFS的个人、家庭和企业,都希望能支持新加坡的慈善事业,发挥影响力。我们能协助捐款者通过一个有组织和战略性的形式,达到他们的慈善目标。”

过去13年来,捐献者的基金支持性质和规模不一的慈善机构,包括医疗和福利项目,以及教育学府等。

她坦言,一些人虽然知道CFS,但CFS也意识到需要更多信息,协助个人作出知情决定。

为了提高人们的认识,CFS积极向律师和金融专员和顾问介绍“捐献者指示基金”(Donor Advised Funds,简称DAF),让他们考虑将DAF当成客户规划慈善事业的工具之一。

她说,像律师和金融顾问这类提供咨询服务的人,可以为准备捐款的客户提供选项,包括直接捐助特定慈善机构,或通过DAF支持有需要的社区。

“我们因此希望专业咨询顾问与客户谈论财富规划时,也能把慈善列为其中的项目。”罗佩仪说,去年冠病疫情期间,国人鼎力支持慈善,包括不幸者、教育、健康医疗等项目。”

她以因应疫情推出的Sayang Sayang Fund为例说,有超过5185人和企业捐出超过900万元,受益者有13万6000人左右。

“国人慷慨解囊,真的鼓舞人心。作为立场中立、获公益机构(IPC)资格的慈善机构,CFS致力于加强不同社群的生活素质。”

去年4月至7月,全国志愿服务与慈善中心(NVPC)和CFS通过调查公司Toluna展开的调查显示,每10人中有六人认同人人都可以作出遗赠。

她指出,除了全国慈善遗产捐赠(legacy giving)计划,以及CFS本身的“伟大捐赠”(A Greater Gift)运动,CFS专注于提高遗赠的意识,以及捐献慈善机构的价值。

她说,CFS下来将推动捐献的各种方法,并鼓励人们多谈论遗赠和慈善事业,“不论是在餐桌或办公室”。

另外,2021年是“欢庆新加坡女性年”(Year of Celebrating SG Women),推动性别平等与促进女性发展。

罗佩说,CFS将侧重表扬参与慈善事业的女性,不论是捐款者、决策者、董事成员和义工。

以已故总统纳丹的名字命名的“纳丹教育提升基金”今年成立10周年,至今累积逾1000万元资金。这个捐赠基金已发放超过370万元,通过助学金、奖学金,以及各项经济援助计划,支持工艺教育局和高等教育学府的贫困学生顺利升学。

前总统纳丹是在2011年同新加坡社区基金会合作成立这个基金。纳丹同年卸任总统,2016年逝世,享年92岁。

纳丹教育提升基金属于“捐献者指示基金”(DAF),由CFS负责管理。该基金开放让公众捐款。纳丹生前委任一个拨款咨询委员会,负责就基金可支持的项目提供建议。这些年来,委员会的成员不时更新。

纳丹教育提升基金拨款咨询委员会主席陈育宠受询时说,前总统纳丹乐善不倦,他的一生体现出慷慨助人、关怀,以及奉献的精神。“纳丹出身贫寒家境,向来体恤和关怀社会上的弱势群体。”

陈育宠指出,纳丹生前深信教育对促进社会平等扮演重要角色,能赋予弱势家庭的孩子改善自己和家人生活的机会。

基金起初援助的项目包括四个自助团体的教育援助计划,为印度人发展协会、华社自助理事会、回教社会发展理事会,以及欧亚人协会的受益学生提供援助。多年下来,基金也支持包括工艺教育局、南洋理工学院、共和理工学院,以及新跃社科大学、新加坡国立大学和南洋理工大学等学府。

基金去年就为工教局拨款超过40万元,支持的项目包括面向弱势学生的经济援助计划,通过每月发放津贴,减轻这些学生的交通及生活费负担。

至于跃大,基金在2019年拨款为该大学设立“纳丹教育津贴”(S R Nathan Study Grant),给修读部分时间课程的跃大生提供经济援助。这些学生一般先完成工教院和理工院课程后才报读跃大,升学道路较为曲折。

陈育宠说,社会各阶层人士深受纳丹的启发,不少人慷慨解囊捐钱给纳丹教育提升基金。“我们希望纳丹教育提升基金可作为规划遗产捐赠的一个典范。”

已故家庭科医生林文忠生前时常免费为贫困病人看诊。为纪念他乐善好施的精神,家人从他的遗产拨款2400万元设立慈善基金会,援助年长及末期病人,也资助癌症研究。

林文忠是一名敬业乐业的家庭科医生。他在70多岁时被诊断患上前列腺癌,坚持行医至80岁才退休。林文忠晚年笃信天主教。他于2002年逝世,享年84岁。

新加坡社区基金会受询时说,林文忠生前多年的行医经验,以及他晚年患病的经历,促使他生前非常希望能援助弱势年长者及泌尿科疾病患者。

据林文忠的女儿林春娘透露,她的祖父生前也患前列腺疾病,父亲当年对祖父的病情爱莫能助,为此感到懊恼,当父亲患病后,更希望尽一己之力,推展泌尿科癌症方面的研究,以造福癌症患者。

林文忠两个女儿林春娘和林素真按照他的遗愿,于2018年咨询CFS,以父亲的名义设立基金,支持父亲生前关心的慈善和医疗研究项目。林文忠医生基金会也是“捐献者指示基金”,由CFS负责管理。基金会并不开放让公众捐款。

CFS指出,林春娘和林素真对父亲希望这个基金能发挥怎么样的社会影响力有清楚的概念,CFS提供专业咨询协助她们设立基金会,并建议基金会可资助的项目。


新加坡国立大学医院的“林文忠医生泌尿科癌症研究”是其中一个受益的项目。林文忠医生基金会捐赠700万元资助这个项目进行临床试验研究,以提升泌尿科癌症患者的护理及医疗水平。

经营三家疗养院的天主教福利协会(Catholic Welfare Services)获基金会捐赠800万元,作为提升其疗养院设施和运作的经费,让院内年长住户受惠。

此外,基金会也捐赠800万元资助雅西西慈怀病院(Assisi Hospice),帮助该病院拥有16个床位的圣迈克病房减轻提供住院护理方面的开销,让有需要的末期病患获得慈怀护理。

信用:联合早报©新加坡报业控股有限公司。复制需要许可

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Stories Of Impact

Healing and hope for migrant workers

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Our decade-long partnership with HealthServe has helped Singapore’s only medical charity for migrant workers bring healthcare, mental health support and social assistance to this underserved community. CFS is commemorating 15 years of giving and this story is one of a three-part series that highlights the strong relationships CFS has fostered with charities over the years. 

They have helped me with everything. If I ever had a problem at the hospital, with my company or dormitory, they would step in. Here, I don’t have family. But HealthServe has helped me like family.

Like many migrant workers, Shah* came to Singapore to provide a better life for his family in Bangladesh. But soon after he arrived, he was struck with inflammatory bowel disease, causing gastric issues, skin problems and chest pain. All this came on top of the devastating diagnosis of his father’s cancer and his wife’s stomach ulcers. 

Shah was under immense pressure to take on loans to pay for multiple mounting medical bills in excess of $16,000. The financial and emotional stress caused his health to worsen. He is not alone in facing unexpected hardships while trying to provide for family back home. Close to one million low-wage foreign workers reside in Singapore. Access to affordable healthcare is limited for many of them and none were prepared, mentally or physically, for the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Joining forces to help an underserved community

Thousands of migrant workers were quarantined in cruise ships, hotels and dormitories when Covid-19 hit Singapore’s shores. Many struggled mentally, feeling helpless. Others needed medical care. These hardships became the catalyst for the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) to join hands with our long-time charity partner, HealthServe, and help this underserved community. CFS decided to pool donations into a Collective Impact Fund called the Sayang Sayang Fund. With a grant from this fund and other funders, HealthServe was able to deliver much-needed medical attention, mental health support and social assistance to approximately 7,500 workers. For these foreign workers on the margins of society, HealthServe offered healing and hope.

Alongside these grants, CFS supported HealthServe with grants from the KrisFam Fund and the Kampong Spirit Fund. The KrisFam Fund grant enabled HealthServe to treat workers with serious chronic health conditions and extend financial aid to those in need while the Kampong Spirit Fund grant allowed the charity to provide the migrant community with meals and groceries amid the on-off pandemic lockdowns in 2021. For beneficiaries whose illness or injuries made it impossible for them to work, the much-needed help and donations came as a huge relief. In all, HealthServe made about 470 visits to foreign worker dormitories across Singapore.

The continuation of a long and rewarding partnership 

HealthServe started as a small clinic providing medical and dental services to the vulnerable migrant-worker community in 2006. Today, HealthServe offers a range of expanded services comprising mental health programmes and counselling, casework support for injuries and salary-related issues, and other forms of social assistance, much of it supported by grants and donations facilitated by CFS.  Our partnership with this unique charity goes back to 2013.

Over the past 16 years, HealthServe has remained mission-focused in serving low-wage migrant workers who fall through the cracks, even as we tackle constant challenges and headwinds such as post-pandemic dips in both donations and volunteers. Only with your continued trust and support can we do more. We look forward to actively leading every migrant worker in need towards a life of health, well-being, and dignity, with you.

Dr Benjamin Kuan, CEO, HealthServe Ltd

HealthServe’s commitment to migrant workers’ holistic health, well-being and dignity aligns with our focus on promoting mental well-being and healthcare to marginalised communities.

“CFS has helped educate donors and stakeholders about the plight of this very underserved segment of society. As a result, HealthServe’s mission is more well understood,” says Dr Benjamin Kuan, CEO of HealthServe. “The partnership between HealthServe and CFS has grown, with CFS shifting its vision to long-term outcomes, aligning with HealthServe’s goal of preventive care, which is also in line with the nation’s Healthier SG strategy.” 

Philanthropic support is critical

Largely volunteer run, HealthServe operates with a small staff team and hundreds of medical and non-medical volunteers and interns. Fundraising can be a challenge, especially now that reduced charitable dollars tend to go towards causes supporting Singapore citizens post-pandemic. Philanthropic support from CFS donors therefore remains crucial. 

“Over the years, CFS has demonstrated its ability to form strategic partnerships to deliver funds to the community in the fastest and most effective way and HealthServe is confident that our partnership with CFS will remain relevant in serving the underserved segments in society,” says Dr Kuan.

We are proud to maintain a long-term partnership with HealthServe and are committed to working with other like-minded charities to bring greater support to Mental Well-being as a cause and to create greater impact for the underserved communities.

CFS is celebrating our anniversary throughout 2023—15 years of empowering donors to make a meaningful impact. Since our inception in 2008, we have received over S$292 million in donations in Singapore and disbursed over S$157 million in grants to over 400 charity partners.  

To discover how you can make a difference, please visit www.cf.org.sg/contact-us/get-in-touch/ 

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Events

CFS Celebrates 15 Years of Enabling Philanthropy

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On 14th February 2024, CFS marked its 15th Anniversary with a Chinese New Year “Lohei” (Prosperity Toss) celebration. The event was graced by Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Minister of State for Trade and Industry, and gathered nearly 160 donors, charity partners, and business associates, both longstanding and new.

As a community foundation, we aspire to champion effective philanthropy with purposeful and informed givers, to uplift lives and catalyse positive change. We want to build communities that care and thrive together.

Unveiling the Sayang Sayang Fund Report was a great way to mark our 15th year, as it displayed the power of collective impact and love for our community. Established as an emergency response fund at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to support vulnerable groups, the Sayang Sayang Fund (SSF) impacted the lives of over 401,000 beneficiaries in Singapore. In a span of three years, an impressive $9.7 million was raised, showcasing the remarkable generosity and willingness of the community to offer their support.

As a philanthropic advisor and grantmaker, CFS links donors with well-governed charities that champion the causes closest to their hearts, to offer funding for beneficiaries to thrive. Two SSF grantees, ITE and Care Corner Singapore, shared about their programmes for lower-income students and children with learning difficulties and special needs respectively. Guests were then charmed by a captivating performance by two talented scholars from The TENG Company, which is also a CFS grantee for their Music for Wellness and Comfort initiative. 12-year-old Li Zhixin took command of the stage with a melodic piece on the Ruan, while Ee Anzhi, aged 11, held the audience in awe by masterfully sustaining a long tone on the Dizi using the highly challenging technique of circular breathing.

Q&A segment with Sayang Sayang Fund Grantees from Care Corner, Mr Christian Chao (left) and ITE, Mr Aw York Bin (right)
Li Zhixin, scholar from The TENG Company performing on the Ruan
Ee Anzhi, scholar from The TENG Company, performing on the Dizi

As the luncheon drew to a close, Ms Radha Basu, Senior Director of the Centre of Applied Philanthropy (CAP) at CFS invited donors and partners to participate in The Collective for a Stronger Society. Convened by CFS in partnership with MFS and Community Chest, the Collective will bring together donors, non-profits, public and private organisations to offer a coordinated series of cross-sector programmes and initiatives to uplift, enable and empower lower-income families. Find out more here.

We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to making this event a successful and memorable one. Here’s to many more years of impactful giving!

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