Opinion

Giving from strength to strength

Opinion

Home Resources Opinion Giving from strength to strength

Opinion

Giving from strength to strength

John Doe

In the Community Foundation of Singapore’s (CFS) first year of operation, few individuals wanted to talk to us about philanthropy. Thanks to a founding group of seven donors in 2008 who placed their faith in us, we started to see growth.

As CFS commemorates its 10th anniversary, we are delighted to witness how our carefully cultivated seeds to enable philanthropy have borne fruit. Earlier this month, the Straits Times published an article More wealthy donors setting up private charity funds highlighting the encouraging trends amongst private donors in Singapore and featuring two of our donors here and here.

Ensuring A Brighter Future for Vulnerable Families and Children

Group of elderly sitting around a round table

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For instance, CFS’s donor pool has grown more than ten-folds, from seven in 2008 to 110 in 2018.

Our donors increasingly include younger individuals. Today, around 40% of our donors are aged 50 and below, as compared to one such donor in 2008. We think the growth of younger donors underscores a broader, positive shift in giving attitudes, and with many latent donors in our society, we believe this number is set to grow.

As we celebrate these recent events, we are also delighted to highlight three programmes that are expanding their activities and impact through the generous contributions of our donors.

Care Corner Educational Therapy Service plugs a critical gap for children with special learning needs in mainstream schools.

Apex Harmony Lodge’s personalised model of dementia care empowers patients to live with dignity and well-being.

Tabung Project by Beyond Social Services is an innovative grassroots initiative that has enabled children from lower-income families to experience the benefits of saving.

After all, growing together – CFS, our donors and charities – is what allows us to offer the local communities we support the best means for meaningful change.

Catherine Loh
Chief Executive Officer
Community Foundation of Singapore

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John Doe

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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Leading youths-at-risk through a pandemic

John Doe

For charities working with youths-at-risk, engaging youths in positive activities, developing trusted relationships with social workers, and structured programmes are vital keys to success. Charities have traditionally relied heavily on face-to-face or group engagements to deliver these activities…

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News

Donations to CFS increased by 60% over the past two years新加坡社区基金会两年多善款增六成

March 27, 2024

Over two years, the number of Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) managed by the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) has increased from 162 to 235, and total donations received since inception has risen from $192 million to $311 million. As of 31 December 2023, CFS has disbursed over $169 million in grants, a big jump from the $114 million disbursed as of 31 March 2021.

Speaking to Zaobao, CEO Ms Catherine Loh, shared that one reason for the significant increase in donations was due to a few large donations exceeding $10 million over the past three years. She also highlighted the introduction of Legacy Giving by CFS, and the organisation’s efforts to work more closely with financial and legal advisors to promote philanthropy. Notably, about 15% of CFS’s DAFs are memorial in nature, including the recently established Adrian Tan Memorial Fund in 2023.

Learn more about our DAFs at https://cf.org.sg/donors/donor-advised-funds/.

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Set up during the covid-19 pandemic, Sayang Sayang Fund raised $9.7m over three years, supporting over 400,000 lives
应疫情设立 Sayang Sayang基金三年筹970万元惠及40万人

过去两年多，新加坡社区基金会管理的慈善基金从162个增至235个，善款从1亿9200万元提高到3亿1100万元，增约六成，显示国人对慈善的意识不断提高。

截至2023年12月31日，新加坡社区基金会（The Community Foundation of Singapore，简称基金会）发放的善款超过1亿6900万元，比截至2021年3月31日的超过1亿1400万元多，造福更多人。

新加坡社区基金会总裁罗佩仪答复《联合早报》询问时说，过去三年，基金会接到几个超过1000万元的慈善基金，这是善款增加的其中原因。

另一原因是因为基金会积极推广遗赠项目，并且与财务专员和律师更紧密合作，让更多人认识基金项目，所以取得积极成效。

基金会在2008年成立，通过可持续、妥善和具透明度的方式，协助个人、家庭或企业设立或管理慈善基金。

捐款者能以自己、家人或公司名义设立基金，或为逝者设立基金。遗赠可包括现金、提名基金会为受益人的保险赔付或公积金存款，以及有价证券或房地产等。

捐赠者可指定受惠者，基金会将与相关慈善团体配对，制定有效的行善策略。

基金会与超过400个慈善伙伴合作，协助对象广泛，包括孩童、年长者、客工或社会边缘人，援助范围包括医疗、教育、艺术和动物福利等。

罗佩仪说，基金会管理的“捐献者指示基金”（Donor Advised Funds）分三类，一种是捐赠基金（Endowment fund），慈善资产将永久保存在社区基金会并进行投资，投资收益直接用在所选择支持的慈善机构和项目。

第二种属于流转基金（Flow-Through Fund），在特定时期内支持个人选定、所喜爱的慈善机构和项目，占总指示基金约75%。另一种是可投资流转基金（Investible Flow-Through Fund），捐款用于投资，投资回报和本金都可用于个人选择的慈善事业。

捐献者指示基金目前最大款项超过2000万元

在捐献者指示基金中，目前款项最大的超过2000万元，而总指示基金也有约15%属于纪念性质的基金，包括去年设立的陈锦海纪念基金。

她说，陈锦海纪念基金是陈锦海妻子为了向亡夫致敬，并支持他生前热衷的慈善事业而设的。

“纪念基金是缅怀亲人的绝佳方式。我们当中的许多人都是读陈锦海的书长大的，很荣幸能与陈太太合作向他致敬。陈锦海纪念基金确保他的遗赠得以延续，支持他生前关心的公益事业。”

罗佩仪也指出，可投资流转基金是一种新的基金类型，“我们看到捐助者的需求不断增加，他们希望利用捐款投资获取回报，并灵活使用捐款和投资回报，支持所选择的慈善机构。”

已故前总统纳丹生前设立“纳丹教育提升基金”

已故前总统纳丹于2011年卸下总统职务时，通过社区基金会，以他的名义设立“纳丹教育提升基金”。

属于捐赠基金的纳丹教育提升基金，两年多前累积逾1000万元资金。

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，通过助学金、奖学金，以及各项经济援助计划，支持工艺教育局以下工艺教育学院和高等教育学府的贫困学生顺利升学。纳丹2016年逝世，享年92岁。

信用：联合早报©新报业媒体有限公司。复制需要许可

This article was originally published in Zaobao here. Source: Zaobao © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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Opinion

How philanthropy can help tackle gender-based online harms

John Doe

Technology and the Internet have made our lives better in many ways. But they are also facilitating an alarming increase in online abuse, particularly of young women. There is upskirting, where the perpetrator takes intrusive photos or videos up someone’s skirt without their permission. There is revenge porn, where explicit photos or videos of a person are posted on the Internet, typically by a former sexual partner.

With the ubiquity of social media, there is flaming (insulting someone with offensive language), doxxing (revealing private information), and cyberstalking. And on encrypted direct messaging platforms, victims are being threatened with violence. As actress Ashley Judd noted in a powerful TEDTalk in 2016, the online abuse of women has spiralled out of control (Judd, 2016).

Giving back to society without fuss, the Singaporean way

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The Funding Network (TFN)

In Singapore, a poll conducted in January 2022 by the Sunlight Alliance of Action (AfA), a public-private-people partnership to tackle online harms, found that close to half of the 1,000 respondents polled have personally experienced one or more types of online harms (MCI, 2022). Most of those who faced gender-based cyber abuse were between 15 to 35 years. With young girls, there is the added danger of sexual grooming.

Yet, women do not always come forward to seek freedom from online harm. One reason is a lack of knowledge about recourse. Another revolves around the gendered myths that direct blame towards the victim, writes academic Laura Vitis in Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women in Singapore: Key Considerations (Vitis, 2021).

What can be done? This is a problem that requires a whole-of-society effort. It needs awareness, advocacy, education, as well as enhancements in regulatory response, law enforcement and social services support. We can start by talking about what constitutes technology-facilitated sexual violence. Reinforce the message that image-based sexual abuse, camera sexual voyeurism and coerced sex-based communication are offences. Urge tech companies to make their services safer by removing offending images or gendered invective.

On July 13, the Ministry of Communications and Information launched a public consultation on a Code of Practice for Online Safety (Reach, 2022). This will require social media services with significant reach or impact to have system-wide processes to mitigate exposure to harmful online content for Singapore-based users, including those below the age of 18.

Aside from this, we need to empower women to protect themselves against online abuse. Let them know how to record evidence and who to contact for support. These include the government’s 24-hour National Anti-Violence Helpline, AWARE’s Sexual Assault Care Centre, and TOUCH Cyber Wellness. There is also Solid Ground, a volunteer-run project that provides step-by-step guides for those facing online abuse.

More recently, in April 2022, a new non profit was formed to empower, assist and support women and girls facing gender-based harm. SG Her Empowerment Limited (SHE) was born out of the work of Sunlight AfA and is chaired by Stefanie Yuen Thio, a member of Sunlight AfA. Stefanie is also a managing partner at TSMP Law Corporation and a board member at the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS).

The new charity plans to work with technology platforms to streamline reporting procedures and expedite takedowns. It will also liaise with the Law Society Pro Bono Services Office to provide legal clinics and pro bono legal services to those coming to the newly set up Victims’ Support Centre. SHE also hopes to work with the police to provide more holistic and empathetic support to the victims.

“This is an urgent and underserved need in our community,” says Stefanie. “Philanthropy can be a powerful driver and partner in our collaborative, public-private effort to combat online harm. This is a scourge that needs more than government regulation; it requires a whole-of-community response, from setting right mindsets, to calling out offending behaviours, to taking up the cause of victims,” she adds.

In addition to tackling online harms, and in light of the recommendations from the Singapore Government’s White Paper on Women’s Development released earlier this year, SHE will also be rolling out more programmes to support women and girls generally, hoping to work with both men and women to advance and equip the gender.

As a cause-neutral advisor, CFS works with a number of charities and initiatives that raise awareness about gender injustices and provide access to justice for victims of gender abuse, including online harm. If you would like to find out more about supporting these causes or for more information on the work we do, please go to www.cf.org.sg/grants/what-we-support/.

This article was written by Sunita Sue Leng, a former financial analyst and journalist who believes that the written word can be a force for good. She hopes to someday write something worth plagiarising.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of CFS or its members.

References

Association of Women for Action and Research. (20 April 2022). Image-based sexual abuse featured in 7 in 10 cases of technology-facilitated sexual violence seen by AWARE in 2021.
https://www.aware.org.sg/2022/04/image-based-sexual-abuse-featured-in-7-in-10-cases-of-technology-facilitated-sexual-violence-seen-by-aware-in-2021/

Judd, Ashley. (2016). How online abuse of women has spiraled out of control. TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/ashley_judd_how_online_abuse_of_women_has_spiraled_out_of_control/transcript

Ministry of Communications and Information. (25 March 2022). Sunlight AfA Releases Topline Findings from Poll on Online Harms at Webinar.
https://www.mci.gov.sg/pressroom/news-and-stories/pressroom/2022/3/sunlight-afa-releases-topline-findings-from-poll-on-online-harms-at-webinar

Reach. (2022). Public Consultation on enhancing online safety for users in Singapore.
https://www.reach.gov.sg/Participate/Public-Consultation/Ministry-of-Communications-and-Information/public-consultation-on-enhancing-online-safety-for-users-in-singapore

Today. (13 July 2022). Singapore lays out proposals to shield young social media users from harmful content; seeks public feedback. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/singapore-lays-out-proposals-shield-young-social-media-users-harmful-content-seeks-public-feedback-1942991?cid=braze-tdy_Today-Morning-Brief_newsletter_14072022_tdy%0A%0A

TSMP Law Corporation. (25 April 2022). SG Her Empowerment Limited (SHE).
https://www.tsmplaw.com/news/sg-her-empowerment-limited-she/

Vitis, Laura. (2021). Technology-Facilitated Violence Against Women in Singapore: Key Considerations. Emerald Publishing Limited. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/978-1-83982-848-520211031/full/pdf

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Stories Of Impact

10th Anniversary Edition – S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund: How recipients turned their lives around with the gift of education

John Doe

2021 marks a monumental turn of a chapter for the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund (SRNEUF). The fund that was set up by the late former president S R Nathan enters its 10^th year of fruition and continues to fulfill its purpose of providing students financial ease to allow them to flourish in their studies.

To celebrate this anniversary, students Arshad Supa’at and Danish Said shared how their lives changed for the better through the gift of education.

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Arshad, 33 years old, is currently an undergraduate at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, majoring in Social Work. He was originally studying in Millenia Institute (MI) but dropped out of school in his first year to find a job to support his family’s finances. At that time, his father, Supa’at Sarajoo, suffered from kidney failure, which resulted in him no longer being able to work.

After completing his national service and GCE ‘O’ level examination, Arshad enrolled in the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and started work as part-time as a food deliveryman to help with expenses. Unfortunately, he was involved in a road accident and had to quit his job. With only his mother holding a part-time job to support the family, he could not turn to his family to support his education and living expenses.

His turning point came when he received assistance from the SRNEUF. The monthly allowance it provided allowed Arshad to supplement his school and daily expenses, allowing him to continue his studies whilst he recovered from the accident. He eventually went on to graduate from ITE, receiving the Tay Eng Soon Award and the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship for Encouraging Improvement (LKY-STEP) in 2013. The SRNEUF has changed his life, allowing him to complete his education in ITE when he most needed help.

Arshad shared, “I strongly believe and am confident that education can make us equal on a social level. Regardless of your background or your social or family background, if you do your best, education can open doors for you.”

Danish is another student who has managed to turn his life around due to the aid provided by the SRNEUF.

Danish, 25 years old, had always wanted to do something related to finance, as it is an issue close to his heart. Danish enrolled in ITE at a later age compared to most of his peers as he had previously dropped out from his studies at the Republic Polytechnic when he was younger. He recounted how he had never fully focused on his education then and felt that he had unfinished business with his educational journey. Thus, he wished to prove to himself that he could do it as long as he had the right mindset.

As the youngest in the family, he feels lucky to have been offered the SRNEUF which provides him with a monthly allowance. This allowed him to focus more on his schoolwork instead of worrying about having his parents bearing his expenses. In fact, he has taken this chance to work part-time as a food deliveryman to cover his own expenses, as well as to help his parents in managing their finances. Danish aspires to work on his skills needed to be a financial advisor, fund manager or financial analyst, to be able to provide quality advice to help those in difficulty to manager their financial decisions.

“My interest in finance started when I was little because my family always had to struggle just to meet our daily needs. It made me interested because I wanted to know how I could manage my finances better,” said Danish.

Throughout the years, the SRNEUF has worked with ITE to provide assistance to underprivileged students who require financial help. Since 2012, the SRNEUF has supported needy students in ITE, with a total of 1,848 bursaries disbursed over the years with a cumulative grant total of $2.47 million.

“President Nathan’s life epitomises the spirit of generosity, caring and giving. He was a tireless giver. Known to come from humble beginnings himself, he was always known to have a heart for the less privileged in society. In 2011, Mr Nathan established the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund (SRNEUF) to provide financial support to students for their education,” said Mr Bobby Chin, the Chairman of the Grant Advisory Committee of the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund.

He firmly believed that education was an important social leveller which provides students from disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity to seek a better life for themselves and their families,” he continued.

To transform lives with your giving, get in touch with us at contactus@cf.org.sg or read more about it here.