DBS Foundation has announced SGD 4.9 million in grant funding for its 2025 cohort of 22 social enterprises and small-and-medium enterprises across Asia, marking the 11th edition of its grant programme. Since its launch in 2015, the programme has supported purpose-driven businesses tackling pressing societal challenges through innovative and scalable solutions. Beyond funding of up to SGD 250,000 per grantee, participants gain access to mentorship, capacity-building, preferential banking solutions, and opportunities to collaborate within DBS’ ecosystem to accelerate growth and social impact.
The 2025 cohort focuses on addressing critical community needs, including healthcare access, inclusive employment, caregiving support, and preventive health. Many grantees are using innovative approaches such as AI, digital tools, gamification, circular economy models, and community-driven solutions to reach underserved populations more effectively. Several initiatives also respond to structural shifts in Asia, including ageing populations, rising mental health demands, and caregiving pressures, taking proactive approaches to wellbeing and community support.
Projects within the cohort target key areas such as eldercare, caregiving, economic empowerment, essential services, and preventive health. Eldercare initiatives include affordable specialist eye care, cognitive decline prevention through digital tools, and integrated long-term care services. Programs supporting caregivers include AI-based solutions for care operations, workforce training, and structured after-school care for neurodivergent children. In economic empowerment, grantees provide apprenticeships, inclusive employment for persons with disabilities, and livelihood opportunities for farmers, artisans, and fishing communities. Access to essential services is expanded through healthcare solutions, digital tools, and clean water provision, while preventive health and wellbeing initiatives support youth mental health and social-emotional resilience.
Selected from nearly 2,200 applications through a rigorous evaluation process involving 415 DBS employee volunteers, these grantees are projected to collectively impact over 4.3 million people in the next two years. Karen Ngui, Head of DBS Foundation, highlighted the importance of supporting purpose-driven businesses alongside community and public sector partners to strengthen resilience and improve livelihoods for vulnerable populations.
Since 2015, DBS Foundation has catalysed the growth of more than 180 businesses for impact and, through its Impact Beyond Award, has provided transformative support to initiatives addressing ageing societies. In 2024, DBS pledged up to SGD 1 billion and 1.5 million employee volunteering hours over ten years, and as of the end of 2025, over SGD 160 million has been committed to 48 businesses and 29 new impact programmes. These efforts are projected to benefit over 8 million lives by 2029, reinforcing DBS Foundation’s mission to drive sustainable, scalable, and meaningful change across Asia.
