Community Chest celebrates 40th anniversary by rallying the corporate community to pledge towards sustainable philanthropy

27 Apr 2023

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New 4ST (Social Service Sector Strategic Thrusts) Partnership Fund to receive its first $2 million boost from Community Chest

SINGAPORE, 27 APRIL 2023 – Community Chest is celebrating its 40th anniversary with the focus on sustainable philanthropy as the way forward to improve the lives of those in need. Community Chest has also seeded the first $2 million of the 4ST (Social Service Sector Strategic Thrusts¹) Partnership Fund, a new Fund launched by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) to support innovative solutions and projects co-created by stakeholders in the social service ecosystem.

Partners support Community Chest’s sustainable philanthropy vision

2. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies who attended the event as Guest-of-Honour, reiterated the importance of sustainable philanthropy as part of a whole-of-society effort to strengthen social compact.
3. The event, hosted by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for Health, saw 40 trees planted in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Community Chest. This event was also held in support of the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners, as well as National Parks Board’s OneMillionTrees movement in support of the Singapore Green Plan 2030.
4. Lending their strong support were corporate partners such as AGOP (A Group of Philanthropists), DBS Bank, NTUC Fairprice Foundation Ltd, Singapore Exchange Limited, Singtel, who have contributed generously to the occasion, among many others. Members of the public who wish to contribute and empower communities in need, may also do so via www.comchest.gov.sg/sosp.
5. As part of its 40th anniversary in 2023, Community Chest has also been working with businesses to incorporate giving into their business models to enable their customers to make donations conveniently under the Change for Charity initiative, encouraging companies to give in a holistic manner through donations, regular volunteerism and providing resources and networks. Beyond this year, Community Chest will continue rallying partners to make giving a part of living, to adequately resource the social service sector to meet current and future needs. (Please refer to Annex A for Community Chest milestones and Annex B for a list of upcoming events and third-party initiatives in support of Community Chest’s 40th Anniversary.)

New fund to support innovative partnerships within the social service ecosystem

6. Another way that businesses can engage in sustainable philanthropy is by supporting the new 4ST Partnership Fund, which aims to encourage sector partners to embrace innovation and collaboration, to develop solutions that empower service users and lead to an improvement in their quality of life. Unlike traditional funds that support individual programmes. the 4ST Partnership Fund will consolidate resources from different like-minded funders and allow them to collectively contribute towards larger projects that will bring greater impact. For social service agencies (SSAs), this will also mean a single source of funding to support their programme delivery.
7. NCSS will co-administer the 4ST Partnership Fund with The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organisation that works with funders and charities to guide funding towards underserved areas. SSAs, social enterprises and ground-up groups that wish to co-create such initiatives are welcome to apply for the Fund at go.gov.sg/4stpf. (Please refer to Annex C for more information on the Fund.)

Annex A – Community Chest milestones
Annex B – Upcoming events and third-party initiatives in support of Community Chest’s 40th Anniversary
Annex C – The 4ST Partnership Fund
Annex D – Translations of Key Terms

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Ms Tan Min Yan
Senior Manager, Communications & Marketing
National Council of Social Service
Tel: 6210 2606
Email: tan_min_yan@ncss.gov.sg

Ms Joyce Poon
Senior Manager, Communications & Marketing
National Council of Social Service
Tel: 6433 7282
Email: joyce_poon@ncss.gov.sg

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About Community Chest

As the hallmark of care and share, Community Chest has been uniting the community to mobilise resources and raise funds to serve those in need since 1983. Community Chest supports more than 100 social service agencies to meet underserved and critical social needs. As our fundraising and operating costs are covered mainly by Tote Board, 100% of your contributions goes towards empowering the lives of:

• Adults with disabilities
• Children with special needs and youth-at-risk
• Families in need of assistance
• Persons with mental health conditions
• Seniors in need of support

For more information about Community Chest, visit www.comchest.gov.sg.

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ANNEX A: COMMUNITY CHEST MILESTONES

Established by Dr. Ee Peng Liang in 1983 under the then-Singapore Council of Social Service (SCSS), Community Chest was set up to raise funds and engage the community, so that social service agencies can focus on developing and providing critical services for those in need. In 1992, SCSS restructured to form National Council of Social Service (NCSS) as the national coordinating body for social services in Singapore.

Through the years, Community Chest, the philanthropy and engagement arm of NCSS, has forged strong partnerships across the people, public and private sectors to build a collaborative and impactful social service ecosystem to empower every person to live with dignity in a caring and inclusive society.

KEY MILESTONES

Year	Event
1983	Community Chest was founded by Dr. Ee Peng Liang.
1984	The Community Chest SHARE monthly giving programme was launched to encourage the wider community to donate a small amount of their salary to charity. Sharity, Community Chest’s mascot, was introduced to instill the values of caring and sharing among the young.
1985	The first televised fundraiser, Heartstrings Phone-A-Donation Show, raised $3 million by encouraging the community to give to the less fortunate.
1987	The first Care & Share campaign was launched by then-President Wee Kim Wee, calling for community support to care for the vulnerable. The first Sharity Radio Show and My Sharity Collection activity books were released to encourage more children to care and share. The SHARE Campaign was launched in September, designated as Care and Share Month by the Prime Minister’s office. The campaign brought in almost 57,000 new donors and 262 new company partners.
1992	SCSS was restructured into NCSS in May, legally incorporating Community Chest as its philanthropy and engagement arm. Dr. Richard Eu was appointed as Chairman of Community Chest.
1998	Internet Cashcard donations were made available in January 1998. Then-President Ong Teng Cheong became the first donor at the launch of the new system. Singapore Pools (a subsidiary of Tote Board since 2004) agreed to underwrite the annual operating expenditure of Community Chest, enabling 100% of funds raised through Community Chest to go directly to supported social service agencies.
2000	Ms Jennie Chua was appointed as Chairman of Community Chest.
2008	The Anniversary Carnival and Heartstrings Walk was held to commemorate the 50th and 25th Anniversaries of NCSS and Community Chest.
2013	Mr Phillip Tan was appointed as Chairman of Community Chest. The Care & Share Movement, a national fundraising and volunteerism movement led by Community Chest in celebration of SG50 was launched. The 28-month movement raised a record $1.3 billion in donations and matching government grants for the social service sector.
2016	The SHARE as One Programme was launched to encourage sustained and regular donations through dollar-matching provided by the Government.
2018	Community Chest 35th Anniversary Charity TV Show was held on 20 May, raising over $10 million.
2020	Community Chest channelled donations for The Courage Fund to support individuals and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Invictus Fund was launched to support social service agencies to adopt technology and other business continuity initiatives to ensure that critical services continue to be available through the pandemic.
2021	In FY2020 (year ending March 2021), Community Chest raised a record $87 million in total donations for Community Chest’s five causes as well as social service agencies and individuals affected by the pandemic.
2022	Mr Chew Sutat was appointed as Chairman of Community Chest.

 

ANNEX B: UPCOMING EVENTS AND THIRD-PARTY INITIATIVES IN SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY CHEST’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Date	Event details
Ongoing	To instill the values of caring and sharing among the younger generation, Community Chest’s iconic mascot Sharity elephant will make his appearance at a series of school engagements (such as storytelling and befriending sessions between mainstream and special education schools) and public events like the Istana Open House.
From August	Renowned local chef Violet Oon will rally lifestyle partners and chefs, and curate a series of F&B-related events to fundraise for Community Chest in a year-long initiative. Some of the events will include: Cooking masterclasses by Chef Violet and/or partners An inclusive dining experience at a luxury mall in Orchard Road Private dining experiences. More information will be available later.
August	Co-organised with Marina Bay Sands, Community Chest Heartstrings Walk is an annual community event that rallies partners, volunteers and the community to build a caring and inclusive society. This year’s event will include a new Relay Majulah community challenge to commemorate Community Chest’s 40 years of empowering lives. More information will be available later.
6 September	Organised by Vine Ventures Pte. Ltd., the World Corporate Golf Challenge Singapore will bring together corporate executives around the world who share a passion for the game. The event will be held at the Sentosa Golf Club. Vine Ventures will be donating: At least 50% of the sales proceeds of the golf package 50% of sponsorship fee 50% of the net proceeds (winning bid less off retail price) raised from the charity auction towards Community Chest More information will be available later.
24 September	The Community Chest 40th Anniversary TV Show will showcase contributions of our founders, leaders, community partners and social service agencies who have journeyed with Community Chest over the past four decades. The TV show, which will be broadcast on Mediacorp’s Channel 8, will feature performances that exemplify the importance of empowerment and inclusivity. More information will be available later.
November	The annual Christmas on A Great Street Community Chest Light-Up Ceremony, co-organised by Community Chest and Orchard Road Business Association seeks to encourage individuals and corporates to make giving a part of living and support those in need. More information will be available later.

 

ANNEX C: THE SOCIAL SERVICE SECTOR STRATEGIC THRUSTS (4ST) PARTNERSHIP FUND

The 4ST Partnership Fund was established to enable the social service sector to implement the 4ST strategies and achieve 4ST outcomes so needs can be met holistically and in a timely manner. How the 4ST Partnership Fund differs from other funds
The 4ST Partnership Fund will sharpen the focus on collective processes, shared outcomes and measurements, and the collaborative leadership that enable partnerships within and across the sector. Funding parameters and criteria will be designed to emphasise these enablers for collaboration, as they are important in addressing complex and systemic issues faced by communities in need.

NCSS invites grant makers and donors to pool resources together in the 4ST Partnership Fund so resources can be optimised to create greater impact for communities in need.

Target applicants and projects supported by the 4ST Partnership Fund
Target applicants for the fund are SSAs, social enterprises and ground-up groups that can help to co-create innovative, empowering and collaborative solutions that address one of the three NCSS’ service priority areas in addressing intergenerational cycle of disadvantages, supporting caregivers and persons with mental health conditions, or emerging needs.

The Fund supports ideas and initiatives at different stages – Seed (where ideas have potential to meet a need in the sector and require funding to be tested) and Grow (where initiatives have a working proof of concept and can be further developed or have a proven model and potential to scale). Each approved application is funded up to between 90% and 100% of the project’s Total Operating Expenses at a maximum of three years, with funding quantum ranging from $10,000 to $400,000 per year. More information is available at go.gov.sg/4stpf.

Application process
There will be two application windows in a calendar year . The first is from 27 April to 31 May 2023. The estimated application assessment period is around 3 to 4 months. Applications that are incomplete, larger and/or more complex will require more time to be evaluated.

Applications can be submitted via go.gov.sg/4stpf. For more information, applicants may email NCSS at FOS@ncss.gov.sg.

 

ANNEX D: TRANSLATION OF KEY TERMS

English	Chinese	Malay	Tamil
Social Service Sector Strategic Thrusts (4ST)	社会服务领域策略重点	Teras Strategik Sektor Perkhidmatan Sosial (4ST)	சமூக சேவைத் துறைக்கான உத்திபூர்வத் திட்டங்கள் (4எஸ்டி)
4ST Partnership Fund	4ST 协作基金	Dana Perkongsian 4ST	4எஸ்டி கூட்டாண்மை நிதி
Year of Celebrating Social Service Partners	欢庆社会服务伙伴年	Tahun Meraikan Rakan Khidmat Sosial	சமூக சசவைப் பங்காளிகவளக் ககாண்டாடும் ஆண்டு

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¹ The 4ST was first launched in 2017 as a five-year strategic roadmap for the social service sector. It presented a shared vision and directions to guide the sector in achieving the shared vision of every person empowered to live with dignity in a caring and inclusive society. To better respond to emerging trends, NCSS released the refreshed 4ST in 2022 to chart the sector’s progress from 2022 to 2026.

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