Social impact hub The Foundry opens at former Elections Department building

SINGAPORE – A hub that houses 14 social impact organisations tackling challenges in the community was launched by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Nov 28.

The Foundry, located at the former Elections Department (ELD) building in Prinsep Street, will provide these organisations with resources to incubate ideas, co-create and pilot solutions, and build communities.

A new Foundry Forward Fund will be set up to boost collaboration among social impact organisations. The fund has set aside $500,000 for The Foundry’s occupants to access over the next two years.

The three-storey building, which served as the ELD office building for nearly 27 years until 2021, was rejuvenated in less than eight months and repurposed as a collective impact hub.

It used to be where the Returning Officer, whose duties include overseeing the conduct of polls and directing election officials, announced the results of each election since 1994.

The last result announced at the site was for Singapore’s 2020 General Election.

At the launch of The Foundry on Nov 28, President Tharman quipped that the rejuvenated building has kept the “feel of an elections department”. “That’s how you restore buildings. Never lose history,” he added.

Speaking about the founders of social impact organisations whom he met at The Foundry, he said: “Founders are different from staff and employees. They’re driven by a cause.”

He said the founder mindset “is that of spotting a problem, usually looking for a problem, challenging the status quo of what is possible and finding a solution to make things better”.

“We need that founder mindset as well in the social sector... The Foundry should never lose that spirit.”

Established by registered charity The Majurity Trust, The Foundry aims to eventually house 24 social impact organisations.

The Majurity Trust’s chief executive, Mr Martin Tan, said: “Today’s societal issues are increasingly complex. It’s not that organisations prefer to work in silos. Most genuinely want to collaborate but lack the environment to do so.

“The Foundry provides that home where social impact organisations can amplify their work through connection and shared resources. We hope The Foundry catalyses a new level of collaboration for the non-profit sector to tackle social challenges together.”

The Foundry was set up with donations totalling more than $10 million, contributed by private philanthropists, foundations, individual donors and corporations.

Construction firm Woh Hup led the construction of The Foundry, while co-working brand JustCo worked on its interior design and architecture firm Woha designed the site’s exterior.

The repurposing of the former ELD building was supported by the Singapore Land Authority, the Singapore Government Partnerships Office and the Tote Board, which first championed the project.

Three-year-old non-profit BapaHebat SG, which helps fathers who are incarcerated, former offenders and at-risk fathers to become more engaged caregivers, is one of the 14 social impact organisations that are housed in The Foundry.

Its co-founder, Mr Ibrahim Dawood, said: “With The Foundry, we have a ‘fixed’ home – a welcoming space to run our programmes, foster collaboration and build a supportive community. This stability will allow us to focus on our mission without the constant need to find new venues.”

Social enterprise Hatch, which trains and places disadvantaged young people in digital marketing and design roles, has collaborated with other organisations in The Majurity Trust’s ecosystem.

For instance, Hatch is working to place young people as writers in The Tapestry Project charity, which champions mental health education through narrative programmes.

The Foundry invites corporates and community partners to host events on its premises, enabling these organisations to connect with non-profits at the hub and help them expand their impact.

Occupying more than 17,000 sq ft, The Foundry includes office spaces for organisations of varying sizes, hot-desking areas for small start-up non-profits, discussion pods and meeting spaces to foster collaboration and facilitate impactful conversations.

It has a 100-seat event hall for hosting town halls and events with key stakeholders, and a 40-seat training room that will host masterclasses and learning sessions for occupants. The training room can be rented by other social impact organisations for training purposes. It also houses a 16-seat dining room, a podcast studio and a cafe operated by local coffee social enterprise Bettr Coffee, the retail brand of Bettr Group.

President Tharman said: “It will all add up. All these small efforts, founding efforts – some succeed, some don’t, but they will all add up, and they will make this a better society.”

Correction note: This story has been edited for accuracy. We are sorry for the error.