Social Enterprise
Grant Programme
Creating Impact, Improving Lives
Social Enterprise
Grant Programme
Overview
DBS Foundation is committed to supporting social enterprises in scaling their businesses and creating positive impact. With our grant funding and access to DBS bank’s resources, which include skills- and capacity-building, networking and business opportunities, and other initiatives, many social enterprises have successfully improved their operational capacity and innovation capabilities, expanded into new markets, and deepened their social and/or environmental impact.
Who are we looking for?
Social enterprises that are pursuing double bottom lines of profit and impact, solving critical social and/or environmental issues through their businesses and are ready to scale up to create deeper impact. To qualify, social enterprise must have:
- Been registered in Singapore, China, Indonesia, India, Hong Kong or Taiwan
- A viable business model and sales traction proven track record in sales and profitability
- Innovative solutions to tackle critical social or environmental issues
- A strong business plan to scale operations, impact, and reach (for example, leverage technologies and platforms)
- A framework to measure and track key metrics, such as growth, finances, reach and impact indicators
- Strong leadership and team experience with clear commitment towards building a sustainable business for impact
Examples of impact that social enterprises are working towards:
- Improving the lives and livelihoods of marginalised groups
- Impacting the environment, such as reducing carbon emission and footprint
- A circular economy that reduces waste and regenerates resources
- Zero Food Waste, such as reducing food loss along the supply chain, upcycling food waste
Find out more about our 2021 grant awardees.
What can the grant be used for?
Grant amount up to SGD 250,000 may be deployed towards increasing capability or capacity in
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Application and Timeline
Applications received before Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 2359hrs (Singapore time, GMT+8) will be evaluated in 2022. Applications received thereafter will not be considered for this year’s evaluation period.
Before you begin the application, here are some important information to know:
- Applications for the DBS Foundation Grant Programme are to be made online by clicking on the “Apply Now” button above.
- DBS Foundation does not process any application through any channel partner and/or third party. DBS Foundation does not charge any fee for processing an application.
- Submission of an application does not guarantee eligibility for the DBS Foundation Grant. DBS Foundation reserves the sole discretion and right to determine whether an interested applicant will be shortlisted for further evaluation and/or consideration.
- Be sure to read the eligibility and evaluation criteria
- Organise your responses offline and save a separate working copy for your own record before loading answers to the form online
- Set aside uninterrupted time of 30 minutes to complete
- Only online submission will be taken as final. Submission via other means will not be considered.
- Only one application will be accepted per entity
- If multiple applications are submitted for the same entity, only the most recent submission will be considered before the closing date
- For best user experience, please use a laptop or a desktop instead of a mobile phone
Important materials to have:
- Latest financial statements (2020, 2021)
- Pitch deck
- Videos
| Files | Download Links |
|---|---|
| Application Form Template | Download |
| Infosheet | Download |
| Terms & Conditions | Download |
| More FAQs | Download |
| Guide for preparing a good pitch deck | Download |
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Application
I have prepared my responses in the form template that I have downloaded from the link. Can I send an email to submit my application?
How will I know if my grant application has been received?
There are some mistakes in my application. Can I submit a new form again?
My social enterprise is working on many different projects that require grant funding. Can I submit a different application for each project proposal?
2. Eligibility
My business is registered as a not-for-profit organization, can I apply?
My business is not a social enterprise but has CSR programmes. Can I apply?
The Grant programme is for social enterprises only. Social enterprises are businesses that have a social mission at their core and use sustainable commercial models to achieve this social mission. Their primary objective is to achieve positive social, cultural, community economic and/or environmental outcomes. As such, income generation should play a key supporting role to achieve their social mission. Traditional commercial models focus on delivering profits to shareholders and may contribute a portion of excess profits for social good; social enterprises focus their operating models around achieving their social mission. Profits generated are committed towards strengthening their ability to create positive social impact.
Social enterprises should be able to clearly demonstrate such impact through systematic measurements. They sustain themselves with earned revenue, with no reliance on philanthropic giving for their operations. Social enterprises that have obtained other forms of grants and/or investments should retain majority control and the interest of its social mission. Social enterprises should also be independent and commercial entities that are not owned by any state governments. While social enterprises should be able to sustain themselves through commercial operations, we recognise that some reliance on grants in the early pilot/start-up stages is common.
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