FAQs

VentureForGood awards up to $300,000 for seed grants, targeted at new or existing social enterprises addressing a social gap or need by addressing one or more of the following outcome areas:

• Provision of employment opportunities
• Provision of education
• Provision of skill development
• Provision of basic human needs (eg housing, transport, food)
• Provision of economic tools and services (eg financial access, crowdfunding, ecommerce)
• Provision of health care/social care products and services (include disease/illness prevention and mitigation)
• Provision of products and services to improve the mental health & well-being (eg address social exclusion)
• Capacity building for organisations in the social sector

The funding quantum is decided based on the proposal and funding needs of the business.

No. There are specific grant call windows in the year. Please stay tuned to the raiSE website for the opening of the grant calls.

Please refer to the application process infographic for more details. Please note that raiSE’s decision is final.

Grants are disbursed in tranches according to the funding needs of each social enterprise, and on the achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are mutually agreed between raiSE and the applicant. Typically, funds are reimbursed across three tranches, once every six months.

Upfront disbursement will be decided on a case by case basis, depending on the quality and needs of the proposal.

VFG Youth provides up to 80% of the total projected capital expenditure and first year operating expenditure, capped at $20,000.

Funds are disbursed as reimbursements in tranches, released upon meeting of pre-determined key milestones. Supporting documentation as evidence of having met milestones, and evidence of expenditure of released funds must be submitted before the next tranche is disbursed.

We consider beneficiaries as people or communities who are facing issues, or susceptible and at risk of facing issues that will affect their social and economic well being. Generally, this occurs when there is deprivation in at least one of the following areas:

• Economical
• Physical (e.g. abilities to perform daily activities)
• Mental
• Social (e.g. ex-offenders, victims of crimes, elderly)

Some examples of groups that have relatively higher percentage of people who are in need or at risk of being in need includes:

• People/Families with low income
• People with health conditions
• People with disabilities and/or special needs
• People with mental health needs
• Ex-offenders
• Disadvantaged youths
• Disadvantaged elderly

Depending on the funding quantum, the contractual period can range from 1 to 3 years.

Applications must show that the social enterprise has:

A Compelling Social Objective

• Clear engagement model to sustain social objectives that addresses a gap/need in Singapore.
• Prior engagements with validation from SSAs, sector experts and intended beneficiary groups are encouraged. Proposed interventions or social objectives should preferably be validated with a pilot/proof of concept.

A Viable Business Proposition

• Strong business model and feasible operations plan. Proposal should include information such as potential size, market survey, product differentiation, product pricing, potential competitors and strategies to sustain the business.
• Reasonable organisational capabilities and capacity to carry out its plans to achieve sustainability and growth.

A Committed Team

• Management and implementation team should demonstrate commitment and ability to execute proposal.
• Members of the team should possess relevant experience and expertise in the market/ industry that the social enterprise operates in. The team should also preferably possess some experience in working on the social need.
• Management and implementation team possesses a mind-set geared towards results, accountability, sound business principles and a clear understanding of the social need.

Submission details

VentureForGood (Youth) was set up to provide funding support to youths under 35 in developing and implementing their social enterprise ventures. The fund is administered through our VentureForGood (Youth) Partners who will assess the eligibility of the proposal and help applicants strengthen and ready the proposal for final approval.

VentureForGood provides funding support of up to $300,000 for seed grants, targeted at new or existing social enterprises addressing a social gap or need. Grant calls for VentureForGood are held twice a year and applicants may apply to raiSE directly when the call is open.

National University of Singapore (NUS) Enterprise

Nanyang Technological University

Funds can be used to fund 80% of the total project cost (capital expenditure and up to first two years’ operating costs).

Grants cannot be used to fund previous activities and programmes. Grants will cover expenditures that have been incurred after grant agreement has been signed.

Decisions made by raiSE are final. Appeals will not be entertained.

raiSE has a limited pot of funds available for VFG cases. Therefore, VentureForGood is a competitive grant call. However, do note that applications are assessed on their merit and adherence to the eligibility criteria.

Grant recipients are required to submit a half-yearly Progress Report, and an annual audited financial report to raiSE for monitoring purposes. Reporting obligations will be stated in full in the grant agreement.

Yes you may apply for raiSE’s VentureForGood. However, you are required to disclose the necessary information of the grant in your application. The funds should also not be used for the same purposes.

Over the contractual period, grant recipients are not allowed to withdraw profits. All profits should be re-channelled to the business to sustain operations, or for expansion purposes.