Temasek Foundation (TF) today unveiled plans for a new TF OSCAR Toolbox which incorporates a budget management and crowdfunding component to match co-funders and ground-up groups with full transparency, as well as a tool to value social impact to quantify the different ways ground-up groups have positively benefited both individuals and communities.

TF also launched the Pledge for Good initiative with five initial partners who will each support a promising ground-up group with funding matched dollar for dollar by TF.

TF with our partners aim to support one in two ground-up groups in Singapore¹ as a start for the next two to three years and eventually support more. These next steps undertaken by TF to continue to nurture the flourishing ground-up sector, promote collaboration and grow their community impact, were announced at TF OSCAR Night 2024, an occasion to celebrate the achievements of OSCAR Friends, who are ground-up groups supported by TF and our partners, under the TF OSCAR Fund.

Ms Woon Saet Nyoon, Head, Community Networks and Partnerships, Temasek Foundation said, “Temasek Foundation can be a catalyst in facilitating resource matching and expand the networks for ground-up groups and community enterprises in their journey of doing good and connecting with the community. By providing the right support and resources, together with our partners, we can unlock the full potential of the ground-up sector and drive a culture of care.”

TF OSCAR Toolbox

Ground-up groups typically face key challenges including access to funding, networks and data to improve planning, as well as credibility with stakeholders. To support the growth of ground-up groups, the TF OSCAR Toolbox will connect them with diversified sources of co-funders and resource owners with a technology-enabled solution for budget management and crowdfunding. It will provide enhanced transparency, where co-funders will have access to information on how their contributions are utilised; as well as robust accountability, where ground-up groups will be equipped with tools to budget, maintain financial records and provide regular updates on the use of funds.

The TF OSCAR Toolbox will also incorporate a customised tool to value social impact for ground-up groups, to improve credibility with stakeholders with a clearer articulation of their social impact. Accessible to all parties, this tool will provide simplified reporting and metrics, for activities and outcomes to be tracked and showcased; as well as data-driven insights, for ground-up groups to continuously refine and optimise their positive impact in the community.

Currently in development, the TF OSCAR Toolbox will be prototyped and launched in phases from 2025. Follow-up grant and programme governance from successful crowdfunding matches will be provided by TF as an assurance to all participants of the TF OSCAR Toolbox.

Pledge for Good Initiative

The Pledge for Good initiative aims to help grow the impact of promising ground-up groups, by raising awareness of their work and enhancing their network and support base. Under this initiative, FairPrice Foundation, SMRT, and SP Group, as well as Mr Yang Kai and other anonymous individual(s) are the five initial partners who have pledged to co-fund with TF, and where possible, work alongside one ground-up group each on their upcoming projects. Details of the five matches are in Annex A.

TF will be facilitating more matches of like-minded co-funders with promising ground-up groups to strengthen the community and culture of care in Singapore, and catalyse collective efforts from the ground up make lasting positive change.

Based on the scale of the project, funding for the ground-up groups under this initiative can range from $5,000 to not more than $100,000 each. As a co-funder of this initiative, TF will provide the requisite grant and project governance.

The TF OSCAR Fund was started in 2020 to support community initiatives that demonstrate Ownership, Sustainability, Care, Assurance and Resilience of the OSCAR spirit. The Fund has since supported more than 370 projects from about 150 ground-up groups, with approximately $14 million committed in funding, helping more than 1 million beneficiaries in total.