DBS Foundation calls for social enterprise grant submissions for 2020 cycle

India, 31 Mar 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 & Communications said, “The 2020 DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant program 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 15 May 2020, 2359hrs (Singapore time, GMT +8) 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.  

The 2019 cycle of the DBS Foundation Social Enterprise Grant Programme attracted over 600 applications from social enterprises across Asia. Last year’s awardees included S4S Technologies from India, a food tech company serving the global dehydrated food market with its patented UN-award winning solar dehydration technology.

Commenting on the grant programme, Vaibhav Tidke  of S4S Technologies said, "The DBS Foundation grant is playing an important role in growing S4S in two new geographies to create livelihood opportunities for 50 new women agri-entrepreneurs. The grant also helped us to try two new nutrition-rich crops that can be preserved with solar technology. In the next 2 years, S4S plans to set up 50,000 tons capacity supporting over 2,000 farmers." 

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. Watch it here: go.dbs.com/sparksindia

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 program focuses on providing holistic support to social innovators for the growth of their enterprises through business mentoring and seed capital.

 

About DBS 

Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS Group is a leading financial services group in Asia with presence in 18 countries. DBS Group’s “AA-” and “Aa1” credit ratings are among the highest in the world. DBS Bank has been present in India for 25 years, having opened its first office in Mumbai in 1994. 

DBS Bank India Limited is first among the large foreign banks in India to start operating as a wholly owned, locally incorporated subsidiary of a leading global bank. DBS provides the entire range of banking services for large, medium and small enterprises and to individual consumers in India. In 2016, DBS had launched India’s first, mobile-only bank – digibank, which now has over 2.6 million customers. Currently present across 24 cities, the Bank has been expanding its presence across India since converting to a wholly owned subsidiary. The Bank intends to further expand its presence within the existing cities as well as new locations with over 100 customer touchpoints.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney, “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker and “Best Bank in the World” by Global Finance. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia” award by Global Finance for eleven consecutive years from 2009 to 2019.

DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it connects customers and markets across Asia. DBS Group’s Foundation works closely with social enterprises across all its key markets in Asia.

About DBS Foundation
Championing Social Entrepreneurship
As a corporate foundation in Asia solely dedicated to championing social entrepreneurship, DBS Foundation contributes towards building a more inclusive society so that those at society’s margins can enjoy productive and rewarding lives. DBS Foundation works with Social Enterprises and Social Entrepreneurs in Singapore, India, Indonesia, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong with programmes ranging from venture challenges, learning forums, intensive incubation, grant support, financing and skilled volunteer mentoring. The Foundation is an endeavor from DBS Bank to make an even greater impact in addressing Asia’s evolving social needs. Please visit www.dbs.com/dbsfoundation or reach us at dbsfoundation@dbs.com.