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Illuminating Lives

Overview of Grantmaking

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

Funding Approach

  • Hybrid of proactive and demand-led grantmaking
  • Enhance, accelerate and experiment with worthwhile programmes and initiatives
  • Co-funding policy

Approach to Governance, Accountability and Risk

  • Stewardship of public funds and risk-sharing with grantees
  • Risk-based approach to grant administration
  • Enabling grantees while ensuring accountability
  • Simplifying grant administration for better compliance

Strategic Outcomes

  • Equitable opportunities for vulnerable groups
  • Cohesive and caring community
  • A vibrant and liveable home

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

Strategic Outcomes

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

Guided by our SOs, we identify and curate programmes, and evaluate the impact of these programmes on the community.


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 contributions.

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 SOs are supported by Capability and Capacity Building (C&C) 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

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 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
  • Future-proof the non-profit sector ecosystem and improve sustainability of the NPOs by investing in people development, and innovation and technology adoption for effective and professional service delivery

Tote Board has approved a brand-new initiative, which aims to build greater social capital across the people, public and private sectors over the next five years. The four sub-strategies identified for TBSCI are:

  1. Enhancing opportunities for youth giving and societal leadership
  2. Forging community partnerships to grow citizen participation and consensus building
  3. Developing a vibrant ground-up ecosystem
  4. Inspiring the Singapore spirit and identity in a Volatile, Complex, Uncertain and Ambiguous world

To enable this initiative, research and youth development programmes will be explored in partnership with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and Singapore Management University



Journeying Ahead

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Journeying 1

Journey together with our grantees

 

  • 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 our Strategic Outcomes, in order to keep up with the changing grant landscape.

 

Journeying 2

Enable communities through (a) convening and collaboration and (b) building Capability and Capacity

 

  • 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 fulfill their social mission and goals.

 

Journeying 3

Anticipate and identify potential areas to drive greater social impact

 

  • 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.

 


 

  • 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 our Strategic Outcomes, in order to keep up with the changing grant landscape.

 

Journeying 1
Journeying 2
Journeying 3
Zhuo Ying & Aisyah
Mr. Christian Chao & Dr. Roland Yeow
Stanley & Kenneth
Zhuo Ying & Aisyah
Mr. Christian Chao & Dr. Roland Yeow
Stanley & Kenneth
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