Community Chest was established in 1983 to raise funds for the many social service agencies in Singapore. The public funds raised through Community Chest are channelled to programmes that provide direct social support services and are relevant and critical to helping the disadvantaged. Periodic reviews of services are done to check for viability, effectiveness, and relevance of programmes.

Support provided goes towards empowering the vulnerable to live with dignity in a caring and inclusive society. There are five key causes – children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions, and seniors and families in need of assistance.

Qualifying Criteria

• The agency is a full NCSS member.
• The agency is registered with the Commissioner of Charities.
• The programme contributes to the psycho­social well­being of the target clients.
• The agency is willing to come under the umbrella of NCSS for development and monitoring purposes and to adhere to the minimum standards of the service.
• The programme should have an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status.
• For programmes co-funded with Ministries, the reserves of the programme should be less than one year of its annual total operating expenses. For solely funded programmes, the reserves of the programme should be less than two years of its annual total operating expenses. Programmes will be assessed for this criterion based on the latest audited financial statements.

Service-Related Criteria

• The programme has well-defined goals and objectives to meet existing gaps and clearly stated community needs. This has been ascertained with a needs assessment.
• The programme will yield desired outcomes for the target group.
• The service does not duplicate any others, which can be easily accessed by the target group in terms of eligibility criteria and geographical location.
• The target group of the programme is the poor and/or the disadvantaged.
• The agency participates, contributes to, and promotes interagency collaboration with other organisations, including NCSS, to provide needed services to the clients.
• The programme is effective and maximises available resources to meet the stated objectives and desired outcomes.
• The programme is not eligible for, or eligible but unable to obtain funding from other source.

Applications are now closed.

New applications will be routed through the 4ST Partnership Fund (4STPF) from April 2023 onwards.

For more details, please contact:

Fund Allocation, Outcomes & Standards
Service Planning & Funding Group National Council of Social Service (NCSS)
Email: fos@ncss.gov.sg