Stories Of Impact

“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。

In the area of education, in addition to the young, we should also be helping adult learners who need additional support as they re-train due to disruptions brought on by rapidly changing technology.” 

Catherine Loh also shared that, following last year’s outpour of generosity, CFS saw how much Singaporeans care about others – supporting programmes relating to the disadvantaged, education, health and more. The Sayang Sayang Fund, established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has drawn over S$9 million in donations from 5,185 individual and corporate donors, helping an estimated 136,000 individuals across Singapore.  

Since its establishment, CFS has collected a total of 192 million, distributing more than 114 million dollars in grants and is currently managing a total of 162 charitable funds. As a charitable organization, CFS helps individuals and corporates set up and manage their own donor-advised funds, supporting causes which they are passionate about.   

Building on the momentum of the launch of the Legacy Giving Initiative and “A Greater Gift” campaign, CFS is focusing on growing knowledge of legacy giving and the value of gifts to charity. A poll – conducted by CFS and NVPC between April and July last year with survey firm Toluna – found that 6 in 10 agree that everyone can make a legacy gift. Going forward, CFS will focus on highlighting ways of making gifts, as well as encouraging and enabling philanthropy conversations – whether at dinner tables or in office settings. 

CFS recognise that, while there is awareness, more information is needed to help individuals make informed decisions. CFS actively reaches out to legal and financial professional advisors, to share about the donor-advised fund as a modern tool for planning philanthropy. It is our hope that professional advisors will more frequently include charitable giving in conversations about wealth planning with clients.  

One example of CFS’s donor-advised fund would be the SR Nathan Upliftment Fund (SRNEUF), which has distributed millions of dollars to bursaries, scholarships and various financial assistance programmes, to support financially disadvantaged students to smoothly advance to higher education. 

As shared by Mr Bobby Chin, Chairman of the Grant Advisory Committee of the S R Nathan Education Upliftment Fund: “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. 

As we celebrate the Fund’s 10^th anniversary, we are happy to share that the SRNEUF has disbursed over $3.7 million to support ITE, polytechnic and university students through awards, bursaries, scholarships as well as monthly financial assistance.” 

The other example is the Dr. Lim Boon Tiong Foundation which donated 24 million dollars from his estate, to assist elderly and terminal patients, and fund cancer research. Working as a doctor till the age of 80, Dr Lim’s medical background and life experiences shaped his interest in helping the elderly and those suffering from urological conditions. After he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his 70s, Dr Lim became interested in supporting urological cancer research.  

His daughter Sylvia revealed that her father was frustrated because he was unable to help her grandfather who also had prostate issues. When he became ill himself, he wanted more research in this area to benefit future generations. 

Dr Lim passed away prior to the establishment of the fund, leaving his wishes to be executed by his adult children.  

In 2018, his daughters Sylvia and Ivy set up the Dr Lim Boon Tiong Foundation, a donor-advised fund with CFS – with a gift of $24 million supporting causes that Dr Lim was passionate about. 

CFS worked with them to identify and support projects such as the Dr Joseph Lim Boon Tiong Urology Cancer Research Initiative at the National University of Singapore (NUH), Catholic Welfare Services (CWS) and Assisi Hospice. 

This translated article was originally published by Lianhe Zaobao.  

Credit: Lianhe Zaobao © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Permission required for reproduction.