Institutional givers play a significant role in addressing societal challenges through organised and sustained efforts, often backed by substantial financial resources and strategic planning. However, the full power of institutional giving in Singapore has yet to be realised. By improving data transparency and understanding of the motivations and behaviours of institutional givers, as well as the ecosystem-level gaps and opportunities, the role institutional givers play can be further enhanced.
The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre’s Foundation Landscape Study 2023 report presents the first comprehensive overview of institutional givers in Singapore, offering insights into how operational decisions are made and opportunities for building a more effective philanthropy ecosystem.
Key points highlighted in NVPC’s report are:
1. The Singapore institutional giving landscape largely mirrors the global situation, with private foundations dominating and driving growth. Education, social welfare and health are the top supported causes. Regional features, such as the tendency of private foundations to manage their own programs and institutional philanthropy aligning with government priorities, are also evident. While some institutional givers can spend more than S$70 million annually, the most common range of annual grants falls between S$100,000 and S$500,000, followed by S$1 to S$5 million. To better illustrate and improve the efficiency of resource flow, protocols for sharing information about available resources and identifying needs and gaps while respecting cultural, privacy, and security concerns need to be developed.
2. Institutional givers provide special value-add when they go beyond providing material resources and embrace roles such as risk-takers and enablers. Strong partnerships between funders and grantees rely on the alignment of purpose and value as well as operational considerations. Some immediate steps for charities to take include: 1) establishing a track record and expanding networks; 2) clear articulation of the value-add their programmes/ organisation and the change they would like to create; 3) learning how to measure output, outcomes, and impact. Meanwhile, recommended steps for institutional givers include: 1) articulation of purpose, focus, and funding eligibility criteria; 2) offering more flexibility in grant conditions; and 3) embracing diverse funding models. One potential way to strengthen the relationship between funders and charities could involve co-creating project outcomes, evaluating impact together, and sharing the learnings.
View the NVPC Foundation Landscape Study 2023 below, and share your thoughts with us!
