SINGAPORE – A new initiative to raise funds to support lower-income families and boost social mobility has collected over $8 million in donations in its first year.

The Collective for a Stronger Society brings together government agencies, community partners and donors to support lower-income families and complement the Government’s efforts in this area.

The Community Foundation of Singapore and the Community Chest, the philanthropy arm of the National Council of Social Service, launched the Collective in 2024.

Through the Collective, donors can donate to 17 national or community programmes, such as KidsExcel+ and KeyStart.

A charity called Catch Them Young runs KidsExcel+, which offers academic and sports enrichment for students, while social service agency South Central Community Family Service Centre runs KeyStart, which offers a range of services and grants to help eligible families buy a flat.

The programmes also include the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s ComLink+ progress package for debt clearance, which helps eligible families clear their debts, and the Institute of Technical Education’s Monthly Financial Assistance Scheme.

Besides giving money, donors can also contribute to the Collective in other ways, such as by volunteering at its programmes.

At an event held at Wellington Primary School on July 9, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo said that Singapore’s exceptionalism in defying the odds comes not only from an individual’s resilience, but also the spirit of collective resilience and helping one another.

He said: “We have a strong ethos of putting ‘we’ before ‘me’. This can be seen from the many helping hands coming together to form a strong safety net for the less fortunate, and our spirit of leaving no one behind.

“This belief in putting the ‘we’ before ‘me’ is one of the enduring strengths of our society that needs to be passed from one generation to the next. This spirit will keep Singapore exceptional as we move forward and build our shared future, together.”

Mr Neo also reiterated the Government’s commitment towards supporting philanthropy.

For example, under the SG Gives Matching Grant, the Government will match, dollar for dollar, every dollar given to the Collective.

One of the 53 donors to the Collective so far is the Tianfu Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Tianfu Association, which helps new Chinese immigrants integrate into Singapore society.

The association’s president Hu Junhui highlighted the Collective as a worthy cause that the Tianfu Foundation has contributed $80,000 to.

Ms Athirah Rizwan, 18, an ITE student, is part of the women’s football team at Tasek Academy and Social Services. Tasek’s Youth Mentorship programme is one of the 17 programmes under the Collective.

She also receives coaching in mathematics, as it is her weak subject, and said that this support has improved her maths grades.

Ms Athirah, who is the eldest of four children and lives in an HDB rental flat with her family, shared that participating in Tasek’s programmes has made her more confident in communicating and making friends.

She said: “Before I joined Tasek (programmes), I was timid and shy. I feel I’m more confident, and better at planning and communicating with others now.”

For more information about the Collective or to donate to the initiative, go to https://collective-for-a-stronger-society.cf.org.sg/

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