• Arts groups welcome S$4 million in donations raised to help them achieve long-term sustainability
• The funds have allowed some groups to hire staff and stage performances
• But the groups say the sector’s future industry remains uncertain given the changing Covid-19 situation

SINGAPORE — Smaller arts groups hit hard by Covid-19 welcomed a S$4 million boost in funding to support them on Wednesday (Jan 13). The funds are part of an initiative to keep these groups sustainable in the long term.

However, the groups cautioned that the future remains uncertain for the sector given the ongoing restrictions on live performances and the changing Covid-19 situation.

On Wednesday, the National Arts Council (NAC) officially launched the Sustain the Arts (stART) Fund which is raised from private donations and dollar-for-dollar matching by the Government under the Cultural Matching Fund.

First announced in March last year, the fund is intended for smaller arts groups which have a total operating expenditure of less than S$1 million a year and are working towards charity or Institution of Public Character (IPC) status.

Charities with IPC status are more attractive to donors as donors can claim tax relief.

To date, close to 20 arts groups have received between S$20,000 and S$50,000 from the fund.

Speaking at the initiative’s launch on Wednesday at Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, Mr Edwin Tong, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, said that the S$4 million raised so far will help to establish long-term sustainability among arts groups and “promote our sense of community and identity for generations to come”.

The Government had previously said that it wants to raise S$10 million by 2022 to support close to 100 groups.

A RELIEF FOR ARTS GROUPS

Several arts groups told TODAY that the stART Fund will be a “lifeline” for them to stay afloat a little longer following a year where most of their live performances had to be cancelled amid Covid-19 restrictions.

Ms Shaza Ishak, the managing director of Malay-language theatre group Teater Ekamatra, said that the company had to let go of two staff last year due to a drop in revenue.

“I ended up running the company on my own, and it got really overwhelming,” said the 32-year-old.

But funds received from the stART Fund, whose amount Ms Shaza declined to specify, have allowed the company to hire a part-timer to help with administrative work for the next six months, leaving her to focus on her managing director duties.

The funds have also been crucial for Maya Dance Theatre to resume live performances. It has been able to use part of its S$30,000 in funds to put on a performance that had initially been cancelled at the start of last year.

The show “Mighty Mouse Deer of the Forest” eventually went ahead in an online format in October last year with help from stART.

With revenue dropping by at least half last year, the funds will also support studio rental and the salaries of trainers for its Diverse Abilities Dance Collective, which is for artistes with disabilities, said its programme leader, 26-year-old Subastian Tan.

UNCERTAINTY REMAINS FOR ARTS SECTOR

But the road ahead remains uncertain for the arts industry despite the easing of restrictions under Phase Three of the reopening of Singapore’s economy, arts groups told TODAY.

Mr Mervin Beng, chairman of chamber orchestra Resound Collective, said that he is not sure if the chamber orchestra can go ahead with its planned concerts for this year, given the changing Covid-19 situation.

Already, a guest performer scheduled to arrive in Singapore from the United Kingdom for a show in April has cancelled after Singapore barred travellers from the UK last month, said Mr Beng, who declined to give his age.

With public donations falling by about 70 per cent last year compared to 2019, Mr Tan of Maya Dance Theatre feels that fundraising will remain a challenge for the group this year.

Thus, the group will have to continue staging performances to encourage the public to keep donating, said Mr Tan.

DON’T FORGET THE ARTS, SAYS DONOR

With Singaporeans stepping forward to donate to vulnerable groups such as the elderly, founding donor of the stART Fund, Mr Danny Yong, urged Singaporeans not to leave behind the arts community either.

The founding partner and chief investment officer of investment firm Dymon Asia Capital has pledged S$1 million to the fund.

The 49-year-old said that he had stepped forward to support the sector given its important, intangible contributions to the country’s culture.

Another founding donor is the Tote Board, which pledged S$2 million to the stART Fund.