Over 200 in S’pore apply to new $50 million fund to support community initiatives

Over 200 in S’pore apply to new million fund to support community initiatives

SINGAPORE – Ben Ang, 45, and Ismail Didih Ibrahim, 41, met five years ago at a family service centre, where they wanted to help men who had issues with violence and aggression.

Along the way, they realised that it would be better to focus on prevention rather than crisis management. Ang was the centre’s director at the time, and Didih, who volunteered there, ran a Japanese and a nasi padang food stall.

Their hope was to support men, by encouraging them to seek help when needed, and provide emotional support, said Didih.

This prompted the duo to quit their full-time jobs to start Fellowship of Men Singapore – a non-profit to encourage men to seek help – in January.

Their programmes include community engagement, mentoring and group work, which involve a combination of hands-on activities and guided conversations.

Ang said they wanted to offer a practical entry point for men to explore important topics in a relatable way, if they were not keen to seek professional help like engaging a therapist.

Fellowship of Men Singapore was one of 200 projects that applied for grants under a new $50 million fund for ground-up initiatives that benefit the community. Some applications are being processed.

Launched in April, the new SG Partnerships Fund was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget speech in February.

Speaking at the Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO) inaugural community exchange event on July 4, Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Low Yen Ling said the fund’s different tiers provide a pathway for Singaporeans to develop and grow their ideas.

Addressing about 100 attendees at the Common Ground Civic Centre in Bedok North, Low said applications for larger-scale projects can tap the scale tier, which was newly launched in July.

This category supports established organisations wanting to make sector-wide impact. Grants of up to $1 million are offered at this level.

The seed tier awards up to $5,000 for individuals, ground-ups and Singapore-registered organisations with new ideas to pilot in their communities. 

SGPO director Hasliza Ahmad said this tier – which awards the smallest sum – was the most popular among applicants.

“This is not surprising, because the idea is for citizens to step up, and they don’t need to do anything big, but start small,” she said.

The sprout tier is for those looking to grow their impact across multiple communities and groups, with grants of up to $50,000.

Hasliza said the SGPO also offers connections and access to networks. Apart from guidance and mentorship, it works with recipients to ensure the funds are used appropriately.

With the $5,000 grant, Ang and Didih conducted an engagement session involving 24 men and their families at a professional kitchen in a culinary school in Geylang, which would otherwise have been done out of pocket and in Ang’s home kitchen.

At the cooking session organised by Fellowship of Men Singapore, participants cooked a surprise meal for their loved ones.

PHOTO: FELLOWSHIP OF MEN SINGAPORE

During the three-hour session, the wives and children watched the men cook, while engaging in conversations on self-care, masculinity, relationships and seeking help.

Ang said they hope to expand their initiative into a larger movement and apply for more grants, to nudge more men to come forward and be comfortable with seeking help.

“We want to advocate what it means to be a man – more than (just) a provider or protector – but also a human being with feelings,” said Ang.

Another individual who used the seed grant is Loke Wai Yee, a 21-year-old student from LASALLE College of the Arts.

Little Wishes founder and Lasalle arts management student Loke Wai Yee (right), with partnerships co-lead and Temasek Polytechnic food science student Chloe Pek Jia En, at the inaugural Singapore Government Partnerships Office Community Exchange on July 4. — Little Wishes founder and LASALLE arts management student Loke Wai Yee (right), with partnerships co-lead and Temasek Polytechnic food science student Chloe Pek Jia En, at the inaugural SG Government Partnerships Office Community Exchange on July 4.

ST PHOTO: SARAH LEE

During the “angel tree” season in 2025, where children from disadvantaged backgrounds could hang their Christmas gift wish lists on trees in shopping malls, Loke felt more children could stand to benefit. She noticed that the trees were found in malls in only certain parts of Singapore, and the cost of expensive gifts meant younger donors and those with tighter budgets were excluded.

Together with 12 friends, she set out to close that gap with Little Wishes, an online platform they created to make giving to disadvantaged children accessible to more people.

Loke said the grant enabled the team to engage a professional to help them set up their website, which will go live in August. It will allow donors to choose gifts from a curated collection based on their budgets, and match their gifts to child beneficiaries.

“We originally planned to do up the website ourselves, but it would have been difficult… Now with the grant, the site is designed properly, to ensure a user-friendly experience,” she said.

Little Wishes is on track to support 80 beneficiaries, and Loke said the team is grateful for the help they received beyond the grant.

She said SGPO helped connect them with social service agencies, provided information like about other funds they could use, and offered guidance and mentorship.

“The SGPO journeyed with us to help bring ideas to life, so that we could effectively turn this passion project into a reality,” she said.

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