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Our Grantmaking Journey

Since our inception in 1988, Tote Board has been working towards building a better home, a better society and a brighter future for all Singaporeans. We work closely with partners from diverse sectors to provide opportunities and pathways for vulnerable groups, strengthen communities, and create vibrant and inspiring community spaces.

We support projects that align with our Strategic Outcomes, with a focus on the key areas that we had identified. Since 1988, we have approved more than $10.8 billion in grants, true to our vision of Giving Hope and Improving Lives.

How We Give

Our grant management activities are generally guided by these broad principles:

Broad Principles

Funding Approach

Hybrid of proactive and demand-led grantmaking

Complement government funding to better support the community

Co-funding policy

Arenas of Action

Exclusion criteria

Setting of minimum grant threshold

Approach to Governance, Accountability and Risk

Stewardship of public funds and risk-sharing with grantees

Risk-based approach to grant administration

Be enabling while ensuring accountability

Simplifying grant administration for better compliance

We support projects that align with our Strategic Outcomes, with selected focus areas identified based on research and engagement with various stakeholder.

Strategic Outcomes (FY2020 – FY2024)

Our Strategic Outcomes are based on our foundational beliefs of giving hope and improving lives that drive what we do and give us purpose.

They help us to identify and curate the programmes, and evaluate the impact on the community with these programmes.

Equitable Opportunities for Vulnerable Groups

We believe in an inclusive society that supports different pathways for members of society to fulfil their potential and make meaningful contribution.

Cohesive and Caring Community

We believe in forging a common identity that we can aspire towards, developing our ability to thrive together, and caring for each other, despite adversity and change.

A Vibrant and Liveable Home

We believe in building a nation home with vibrant community spaces and programmes that inspire a sense of belonging. A home where avenues are provided to enjoy arts and culture, and to lead an active and healthy lifestyle, enhancing the quality of life for all.

The three Strategic Outcomes are supported by Capability and Capacity Building of Non-profit Organisations (NPOs) – the enabler which supports the growth of sustainable and effective NPOs in the long run.

Key Focus Areas of Our Grantmaking (FY2020 – FY2022)

Based on research and engagement with diverse communities, Tote Board has identified the following focus areas in the next few years:

  • Empower PWDs to better manage life transitions, and encourage greater levels of independence and self-sufficiency
  • Enable PWDs to have meaningful opportunities and experiences by developing their skills and knowledge
  • Engage the community to create greater inclusiveness by increasing the accessibility of services, facilities and opportunities
  • Create opportunities for PWDs to contribute as fully-abled members of society
  • Enhance community-based services for children and youth with mental health issues
  • Allow PMHCs to better integrate into society through destigmatisation, mental health literacy and the creation of employment opportunities
  • Conduct research that will benefit programme design, and build sector capability to meet current and future needs
  • Build up social, emotional and mental well-being of children and youth
  • Support development-focused early intervention initiatives, to Inculcate value-based learning and create opportunities for youth-at-risk
  • Strengthen the non-profit ecosystem and improve sustainability in NPOs through knowledge sharing and collaboration
  • Invest in people development, innovation and technology adoption for effective and professional service delivery

While Tote Board has identified focus areas to improve our grantmaking strategy and the impact of our grants, we believe that collaborations to achieve shared goals are imperative, and encourage the development of programmes that enable such co-operations. Tote Board also puts emphasis and priority on beneficiary-centric, innovative, sustainable and community-led grant proposals. As part of our engagement with key stakeholders, we remain keen to engage the ground to uncover emerging areas of challenges and needs, and continue to exchange insights and perspectives with relevant partners.

Overview of Grants Approved for FY2019/2020

In FY2019, Tote Board approved a total of $691 million in grants in the following sectors:

Overview of Grants Approved for FY2019/2020
Journeying Ahead

In line with our Transformation Journey FY2020 – FY2024, we strive to be a ‘Valued Partner’ that embodies the following elements:

  • Commit to longer-term strategic partnerships and provide flexible, reliable and sustainable funding to our grantees. This provides grantees with the security that our support is for the longer term with the possibility of renewal, as long as the programmes are relevant and merit support.
  • As part of due diligence, we will work closely with partners and grantees to enhance performance, relevance and governance, in line with the Board’s Strategic Outcomes, in order to keep up with the changing grant landscape.
  • Do more than giving grants to support grantees by uplifting their effectiveness in delivering stronger programmes, building connections, as well as encouraging sustained learning and improvement
  • Utilise leverage as a broad-based funder and convening agent, unifying actors and partners across 3P sectors to collaborate, tackle cross-sectoral issues and co-create shared solutions
  • Invest in C&C building of non-profit sector, enabling them to fulfil their social mission and goals
  • Conduct regular environmental scans, systematic needs assessments and stakeholder consultations to actively scout for signals that point to future strategic areas of needs and gaps in the external operating landscape
  • Employ ‘accelerate, enhance and experiment’ approach towards grantmaking – from catalysing and scaling up successful programmes for greater depth and reach, to propelling pilots and experimentation