One Team Singapore Fund kicks off with S$500,000 donation for elite athletes

SINGAPORE — The One Team Singapore Fund is off to a winning start, as the Government-led initiative pocketed S$500,000 from three donors - Fullerton Health, Deloitte Singapore, and Tiong Bahru Gardens Joggers – at its official launch at Swissotel the Stamford on Tuesday (Oct 3).

First announced in March, the fund will see the Government matching donations of up to S$50 million from Singaporeans and corporate firms – which translates to a total of S$100 million from donors, corporations and the Government - from 2017 to 2022. 

The money will go toward the High Performance Sports (HPS) system for national athletes, who stand to benefit from more competition opportunities, pathway and coaching development, as well as better access to data analytics, training software, sport science and medicine, among others.

The aim of the fund is to get more individuals, corporates and organisations behind Team Singapore, increase resources to support and sustain the HPS system for athletes, and to improve the NSAs’ capabilities to raise funds.

Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said: “Our Team Singapore athletes train hard and make many personal sacrifices to excel in their respective sports, and make Singapore proud.

“Many Singaporeans are already supporting our athletes in their inspiring journeys toward sporting excellence – our athletes really appreciate the encouragement and support. With the launch of the One Team Singapore Fund, all of us – from individuals to businesses and organisations – can make a donation to support our athletes in High Performance Sports,” she added.

“Together, let’s all support our athletes as One Team Singapore, as they strive to bring glory to our nation!”

Individual donors, groups or corporations can choose to donate directly to the fund – which will go into the pool of money for HPS – or to a specific sport.

National sports associations (NSAs) with charity and Institutions of Public Character (IPC) status can apply for matching grants for donations they raise through this fund.

The matching grants for NSAs will be divided into three tiers: the basic scheme, and two different enhanced schemes.

Under the basic scheme, NSAs which have charity status can apply for matching, dollar-to-dollar grants of up to S$80,000 per financial year. Those who have IPC status under the first enhanced scheme will get matching grants for up to S$250,000, and associations in the highest tier (enhanced scheme) will be able to get matching amounts of up to S$1 million.

While those in the first tier will receive dollar-to-dollar returns, the other two enhanced schemes will be calculated differently. For example, if a donor donates S$420,000 to an NSA in the first enhanced schemed (capped at S$250,000), the association will get S$80,000 in dollar-to-dollar grants, followed by S$170,000 – which is half of the S$340,000 remaining after the first S$80,000 – for a total of S$250,000 in grants. The Government will put the remaining S$170,000 in grants – the other half of the grants from the donation of S$340,000 – into the One Team Singapore Fund.

Those applying for matching grants in the different schemes will need to meet certain criteria and targets. For the basic scheme, they will need to achieve regional success at major Games such as the SEA Games and other significant competitions, ensure that there is an athletes' development pathway, and implement their HPS plans effectively.

Those under the two enhanced schemes will need to attain continental (first enhanced scheme of up to S$250,000) or world success (second enhanced scheme of up to S$1 million) respectively at major Games such as the Asian Games or the Olympics, develop multi-year or comprehensive development and resourcing plans, as well as establish a joint management committee with the Singapore Sports Institute to implement their plans effectively.

The fund has already raised S$500,000 from its first donors, with business management consultant Deloitte Singapore, running club Tiong Bahru Garden Joggers, and Fullerton Health contributing S$150,000, S$100,000, and S$250,000 respectively.

The donors presented their cheques to Ms Fu at the Celebrate the Extraordinary event at Swissotel the Stamford on Tuesday, an event that saw some 180 national athletes and representatives from corporate firms coming together to mark the achievements of Team Singapore’s athletes at the recent 29th SEA Games and 9th Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Mr Tan Kok Sing, 92, who founded Tiong Bahru Gardens Joggers in 1977, said he wanted to donate the money as part of the club’s 40th anniversary celebration.

“Because of my love for the sport, I hope they (the athletes) get the money to do something meaningful in their sport. We hope to make a difference and give our athletes more opportunities to achieve their sporting ambitions,” he said in a video interview.

Mr Philip Yuen, Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Southeast Asia and Singapore, added: “We believe in the power of sport to change lives and unite the nation; we cheered loud and proud for Team Singapore athletes at the recent SEA Games and Asean Para Games which saw a very successful away performance, and we hope our support can contribute to continued success for these athletes on the international sports stage.”

Interested donors can make a donation at www.teamsingapore.sg or send a cheque made payable to “Vision 2030 Fund” to this address: Sport Singapore Office, 3 Stadium Drive, Singapore 397630. They can also donate directly to their preferred NSA to activate a matching grant for that association.