Donations to 3 charities here total $90m in first 5 months

Sum equals donations ComChest, Giving.sg received in 2019; bulk of funds for Covid-19 aid

People in Singapore have stepped up to help those in need and those most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

From January to last month, $90 million was donated to the Community Chest, the Community Foundation of Singapore's Sayang Sayang Fund which was set up in February, and through online donation platform Giving.sg.

This amount was about equal to the overall donations received by the Community Chest and Giving.sg throughout the whole of last year, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and the Ministry of Social and Family Development in a joint statement yesterday.

The ministries added that more than 13,300 people signed up to volunteer through Giving.sg in the first five months of this year, compared with 11,300 in the same period last year. This was despite a decrease in volunteering opportunities during the circuit breaker period.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu said the pandemic has not dampened the spirit of caring in people here, but has brought out the best in Singaporeans and shown that many in the community care about the country deeply.

"Let us continue to grow this spirit of Singapore Together and partner one another to overcome our challenges. By doing so, we will make it through this difficult period and emerge as a stronger society," said Ms Fu.

Of the $90 million, $42.2 million was donated to the Community Chest, of which 40 per cent went to causes related to Covid-19.

During the same period last year, the Community Chest collected $22.9 million in donations.

Under the Sayang Sayang Fund, more than 4,500 donors - individuals, multinational corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises - contributed $7.6 million from February to last month.

The donations to the Sayang Sayang Fund have funded over 330 projects that help individuals, families and seniors from marginalised backgrounds who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Giving.sg portal received $40.7 million from January to last month, with $20.4 million donated in April, after the first tranche of $600 Solidarity Payments was given out. The bulk of donors contributed to causes related to Covid-19, such as to help migrant workers and healthcare staff.

The ministries noted that while donations to causes related to Covid-19 have increased during this period, causes not directly related to the coronavirus have experienced a decline in donations.

They added that the Community Chest projected a 20 to 30 per cent drop in donations this year for its funded programmes.

To aid these charities, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre has launched the City of Good Show, an online game show fund-raiser. Episodes will air every Wednesday at 8pm on the centre's Facebook page from this week on.

Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee said he was encouraged that the community spirit is strong and Singaporeans from all walks of life have pitched in to help fight the coronavirus. He added, though, that it was imperative to focus on community needs that go beyond causes related to Covid-19.

"Our social service agencies need our sustained support so that they can continue to deliver critical services, as well as meet growing and more complex needs in our society," said Mr Lee. "With everyone lending a helping hand and looking out for one another, Singapore will emerge stronger from Covid-19."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 23, 2020, with the headline Donations to 3 charities here total $90m in first 5 months. Subscribe