Mumbai, March 20, 2020: DBS Foundation, the first foundation in Singapore dedicated to championing social entrepreneurship, is calling for social enterprises across DBS markets in Asia – India, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, to apply for the 2020 DBS Foundation Social Enterprise (SE) Grant. Successful applicants will not only receive grant funding of up to SGD 250,000 each, but also be supported to scale their business and build business resilience especially in today’s challenging business environment. DBS will lend its support by raising awareness of the SEs through its various programmes and platforms, providing the SEs business opportunities, and assisting with capacity building.
Shoma Narayanan, Executive Director – Strategic Marketing and Communications said, “The 2020 DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant programme aims to continue our efforts towards nurturing and strengthening the social enterprise ecosystem. In the current scenario triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, we understand that social enterprises need holistic support to scale further. We hope that the initiative will allow entrepreneurs to pursue their goals and build innovative business models that tackle key social and environmental challenges.”
As part of the bank’s collective efforts to support individuals, businesses and communities impacted by the COVID-19 situation, DBS has been collaborating with DBS Foundation-supported social enterprises for relief measures across markets.
DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant 2020
The DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant is open to social enterprises across Asia that have a business product or solution that has been validated by the market. Applicants must also have clear plans to scale up the business, as well as a demonstrated commitment to social mission with a roadmap to increasing social impact. Successful applicants can expect to receive up to SGD 250,000 in grants, as well as gain access to business and partnership opportunities, and mentorship by DBS executives. Applications received before May 15, 2020, will be evaluated from July to September 2020, with the awarding of grants in November 2020. Applications received thereafter will be evaluated in the next cycle. For the first time, DBS Foundation is introducing a new Zero Food Waste category of grants for social enterprises with innovative solutions that contribute to the global target of reducing food waste. To find out more about the DBS Foundation SE Grant Programme, as well as submission of applications, visit https://go.dbs.com/grants2020.
DBS has been empowering enterprises that are passionate about creating innovative solutions to address a myriad of pressing social and environmental issues. The Bank introduced the second season of its award-winning mini-series ‘SPARKS’ centered around the theme: “Everyday Heroes for a Better World”. The series focuses on innovative social enterprises addressing key social and environmental issues. This Women’s Day, DBS released a new episode featuring the journey of Even Cargo, an Indian social enterprise, which is paving the way for women delivery personnel.
Last year, DBS Bank India entered into a strategic partnership with Social Alpha, a technology business incubator supported by Tata Trusts. The DBS-Social Alpha Social Entrepreneurship programme focuses on providing holistic support to social innovators for the growth of their enterprises through business mentoring and seed capital.