STORIES OF IMPACT

portrait of a woman wearing a traditional dress

BLLNR: How to donate time and money to a charity effectively

While the notion of giving is indeed widespread, it isn’t easy to commit to help those in need when you find yourself caught up in today’s ever-changing environment.The Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) is one such organisation that facilitates this line of work by bridging donors with causes of interest to develop programmes and provide grants to enrich lives. It values the 3 C’s to make giving better: connect donors with respective causes, collaborate with charities and commit to managing donor funds.]

KidsExcel – Leaving no child behind

At a time when after school tuition and enrichment programmes have become the new norm, children from less affluent backgrounds are increasingly disadvantaged by their inability to afford these lessons. This creates an educational landscape that places each child at different starting points by virtue of their socio-economic backgrounds.KidsExcel is a values-driven, academic and sports enrichment programme that aims to support schools and parents in providing a holistic education for kids. Its mission is to provide a holistic, well-rounded programme that develops healthy minds, healthy bodies and strong character, using sports and academic enrichment to nurture the physical, intellectual and social skills of children.

picture of CFS CEO Catherine Loh sitting on a chair

The Peak Singapore: How responsible businesses can make their philanthropic dollars travel further

While more companies are heeding the call to give back to the community, selecting a worthy cause and monitoring the use of donations may be a complex task. That’s where the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) comes in. It helps corporations develop a long-term philanthropy strategy, find suitable charity partners, and track the outcome of donations.“We help donors go beyond what they can do on their own, and identify charity partners who can provide accountability,” says Catherine Loh, CEO of CFS.

a man holding a microphone publishing his book

EDIS Cares Fund – Helping disadvantaged young children reach their full potential

EDIS (Economic Development Innovations Singapore) is an international economic development company that provides strategic advice to other countries by leveraging on its experience in Singapore. Innate to its business is the need for a long-term, strategic view, flexibility and a nimble attitude, which it also applies to its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts.Its CSR initiative EDIS Cares creates opportunities for disadvantaged children in Singapore by helping them to reach their full potential. From the onset, EDIS Cares adopted a non-traditional CSR model – looking to understand the basic needs of beneficiaries, co-run programmes with community partners and recruit volunteers from outside the company.

The Straits Times: Philip Yeo biography raises more than $500k for charity

“More than half a million dollars have been raised for charity in conjunction with the launch of former senior bureaucrat Philip Yeo’s biography, Neither Civil Nor Servant.The funds collected by the Economic Development Innovations Singapore (EDIS) – which Mr Yeo chairs – will go towards helping underprivileged children, via the company’s corporate social responsibility arm, EDIS Cares.

Lianhe Zaobao: CFS has helped donors set up more than 80 funds in the past 8 years

胡洁梅 14 November 2016从资助年长者活动的基金，到帮助工艺教育学院学生的“纳丹教育提升基金”，新加坡社会基金会协助设立的基金从八年前的七个，蓬勃发展至目前的80多个，支持各类公益项目。

a two page write up regarding Collective Pilantrophy

Social Space issue 8: Collective philanthropy – the strength of giving together

By Rob John
“Giving to charity has never been a solitary activity in any culture. People have joined together to give for millennia. In Asia, clan associations, religious groups or just friends have enjoyed the benefits of giving as a group. But there appears to be a renaissance of collective giving with the advent of more organised, strategic and outcome-focused philanthropy. At the Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy (ACSEP) where I am presently based, our research team’s curiosity about giving circles was first piqued when investigating the nature of innovation in Asian philanthropy in 2012. In that study, we reported several initiatives where individuals pooled their resources and jointly selected a non-profit organisation to fund. Since then, the number and variety of giving circle models have increased across the region, leading me to believe that giving circles will contribute significantly to the development of philanthropy in Asia over the coming decade.”Read more about ‘Collective Philanthropy, the Strength of Giving Together’ on Pg 19 of Issue 8 of Social Space.

The Asian Parent: Is your bub safe with infant educarers? This carer tells all!

“Well, all that hard work did not go unnoticed, for Madam Intan was awarded the Leading Foundation Teacher Award (LFTA) last year. For the uninitiated, the Leading Foundation Teacher Award is an initiative by the Leading Foundation which supports programmes in education and leadership. It is administered by the Community Foundation of Singapore, a non-profit philanthropic organisation that bridges donors with community needs.The LFTA recognises passionate and dedicated teachers who have made significant contributions to the care and teaching of children in the fields of early childhood and special needs education.

The Straits Times: Teen violinist with an astonishing maturity

by Chang Tou Liang, 29 October 2016“Fifty years ago, the classical music scene in Singapore was spearheaded by Goh Soon Tioe (1911-1982), violinist, pedagogue, conductor and all-round music entrepreneur.

a group of teachers posing with their awards

Leading Foundation Teacher Award – Recognising outstanding teachers in early childhood and special needs education

Winners of the 2016 Leading Foundation Teacher Award together with representatives from the Leading Foundation, National Education of Singapore, Ministry of Education and Community Foundation of Singapore.The Leading Foundation Teacher Award was established in 2014 by Lim Siong Guan and Joanne Lim – co-authors of ‘The Leader, The Teacher & You’ and ‘Winning with Honour’ – to honour passionate and dedicated teachers in early childhood and special needs education.