wavy line banner

AGEING WELL

portrait of CFS CEO Catherine Loh

社区基金会让善款发挥更大爱

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。

portrait of CFS CEO Catherine Loh

The Community Foundation of Singapore spreads greater love through effective use of charitable gifts

Catherine Loh, the CEO of the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS), recently spoke to Lianhe Zaobao to share more about the work the organisation is doing. CFS has over 13 years of expertise in philanthropy advisory, fund administration and grantmaking and has been recognised for its commitment to transparency and governance. Hence donors can be confident that their grants will help meet the evolving needs of the community – now and into the future.As shared by Ms Catherine Loh, the CEO of CFS: “With falling birth rates and a rising elderly population, philanthropy can focus more on the elderly in the coming years. While the government take cares of the basic needs, there is much that the general public can do to improve the quality of life of the elderly, give them dignity and allow them to have a meaningful and active third age.

people of different races and ages socializing and catching up at a local cafe.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way … to give a legacy

Where there’s a will, there’s a way … to give a legacy.
(Adapted from opening remarks at a Community Foundation of Singapore-LSPBS “Legacy Giving” Webinar on 1 September 2020.)Legacy giving is one of the best kept secrets in town. For many years now, I’ve often wondered why more charities had not jumped on the bandwagon of legacy
giving. Why aren’t charities proactive in encouraging individual donors to give legacies whether via wills, CPF nominations, or even insurance policies? Examples
abound overseas. I saw firsthand one such stellar example of a pro bono law firm utilizing this modality of legacy giving during our Law Society “Lawyers Go
Global” mission trip to Sydney in 2018.

Three people posing with a check from Aleta Planet, expressing joy.

Aleta Planet Foundation: Supporting children and elderly in the fight against COVID-19

To help bolster the combined efforts in combating the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic within our community, fast growing fintech company Aleta Planet has donated $100,000 to the Mediacorp Enable Fund, a community fund administered by SG Enable.The proceeds are part of an initial larger commitment of $200,000, and will go towards supporting the elderly who have to work despite their frailties and children with disabilities, as well as those from low income families.

Financial management by Catherine Loh

CEO Catherine Loh goes on MONEY FM 89.3 to speak about the Sayang Sayang Fund with Michelle Martin

Michelle: Let’s start with CFS and the work that it does. How does it support charities and why did the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) start the Sayang Sayang Fund?Catherine: The Community Foundation of Singapore is also a charity. We were founded in 2008, and our main objective is to inspire philanthropy in Singapore. We do that by helping donors achieve a greater impact with their giving in communities through charitable funds. Donors can establish their own funds or if they wish, they could support one of the Community Impact Funds that we’ve started up.

A woman and two girls, wearing joyful expressions, pose happily in front of the camera.

Celebrating women who give in different ways

It is seldom that we honour the accomplishments of women who give their all without asking anything in return, whose humanitarianism managed to achieve great success against all odds.International Women’s Day is one such day of reflection and remembrance of the efforts of women all around the world, both past and present. It looks back on the struggles of women from the past like Rosa Parks, the ‘first lady of civil rights’, who strove for an equal and fairer society to empower the women of the future.

Woman standing next to a large flower painting.

Giving back through art

When Lebanese painter Marie-jose Jed was looking to adopt a charity for her art exhibition, a chance conversation with a friend turned into an opportunity to collaborate with the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS).Having lived in Singapore since 2008, Marie-jose believes in giving back to the place she now calls home. “Singapore has given me so much. The least I can do is to give back in any way I can,” she said.

An Asian woman (Catherine) gracefully seated on a vibrant red and black couch, exuding elegance and poise.

Three donor trends shaping giving in 2020 and beyond

Widening social inequality, an ageing population, and climate change – these are the issues that frame our world, as Singapore celebrates its bicentennial year in 2019. Yet alongside these social challenges, we’re also reminded of our long history of philanthropy in tackling local community needs. Take for instance, the recent 200 Years of Philanthropy in Singapore at the Temasek Shophouse, where it was heartening to see philanthropy being celebrated as a vital thread in Singapore’s success story.But how will local donors continue to contribute to Singapore’s future? With the number of high-net-worth individuals here expected to grow by 22% to 250,000 by 2023, philanthropy is at an inflection point. We’ve already seeing broader shifts in our donor landscape: donors are getting younger; more Singaporeans are becoming socially aware, and technology is empowering new modes of giving.

Scroll to Top