$50m set aside to fund ground-up community projects

Move is part of Singapore's investment in strengthening the ties that bind its people: PM

- Isabelle Liew

(From left) Kaizen See, seven, mum Faith Ong, 43, and Kay See, nine, preparing goodie bags in their home on Feb 12. The family started the initiative, Little Hands, Big Hearts, to identify and address community needs, and it was granted up to $5,000 under Our Singapore Fund. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

(ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR)

Some $50 million will be set aside to fund ground-up initiatives that benefit the community, said Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.

The new SG Partnerships Fund will provide varying tiers of funding over different time frames, including grants of up to $1 million for larger, multiyear projects, he said in his Budget speech on Feb 12.

It will build on the existing Our Singapore Fund, which was introduced in 2016 and has supported over 800 ground-up projects by individuals and organisations. Projects under this fund can get up to 80 per cent of supported project expenditure, capped at $20,000.

However, the Government received feedback that the fund can be improved for instance, by giving out larger grants, funding projects over a longer term and a broader eligibility criteria, PM Wong said.

PM Wong said the move is part of Singapore's investment in renewing and strengthening the bonds that bind its people together at a time when societies worldwide are becoming more divided and polarised.

"We cannot let this happen in Singapore," he said.

He also stressed the importance of "strengthening our bonds, looking out for those around us, and putting the common good first", adding: "That sense of togetherness has carried us through uncertainty and brought us this far."