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What does philanthropy have to do with drone football?

This article was contributed by Paul Tan, CEO of the Community Foundation of Singapore, and published by The Straits Times.A group of white-haired men and women, including one in a wheelchair, have clustered in a room and are focusing on plastic balls flying in the air. Inside each ball is actually a drone operated by a senior and the participants are trying to outmanoeuvre each other and get their drones into the circular goal. Although this is just a training session, there are broad smiles when someone scores and the occasional shout of “Goal!”

Set up during the covid-19 pandemic, Sayang Sayang Fund raised $9.7m over three years, supporting over 400,000 lives

Established in 2020 as an emergency response fund during the covid-19 pandemic, the Sayang Sayang Fund (SSF) raised $9,700,000 in three years, supporting over 276 organisations and touching over 401,000 lives.According to the Sayang Sayang Fund report published on CFS’s website, the fund disbursed $6,542,000 (67% of donations) in 2020, $2,060,000 (21% of donations) in between 2021-2022, and $1,11,900 (12% of donations) in 2023.

Donations to CFS increased by 60% over the past two years

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.

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Make Your Donations More Impactful

Donating to a worthy cause seems easy. Many people simply give to a charity that asks, give where they gave before or talk with friends. By being more strategic with your money, though, you can make sure your donation has more impact, regardless of whether it is small or large.Strategic Giving

An image capturing a lively game of dominoes being played by a group of individuals, highlighting their enjoyment and competitive spirit.

约230名年长者参加益智桌游赛 用颜色与数字一较高下

A Rummikub competition was held on 20th September at Heartbeat@Bedok, bringing together participants from 20 Active Ageing Centres. Rummikub, also known as “Israeli Mahjong,” is a cognitive tabletop game. 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. 

Two female individuals can be seen in the picture, both dressed in red shirts and holding a volleyball ball.

Trina Liang-Lin takes over as Netball Singapore chief, pledges to bring in more financial support

CFS’s Board Director, Trina Liang-Lin, is the new President of Netball Singapore. She highlights the need to address the underrepresentation of sports in philanthropic efforts and aims to change this trend by amplifying the core values of sports. Contact us to learn more on how you can support Singapore’s sports communities.Sporting bodies are usually not beneficiaries of philanthropic groups, but Netball Singapore’s new president Trina Liang-Lin hopes that will change by “amplifying” sport’s values.

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