UniSIM, LKYSPP set up endowment funds to nurture leaders

SINGAPORE: SIM University (UniSIM) has set up its first endowment fund of S$1 million.

The university will use the fund to develop leaders in the ’helping’ community, which are in areas such as counselling, social work, gerontology and community leadership and social development.

Called the Social Resilience Enhancement Fund (SREF), the fund consists of a S$500,000 grant from the Harvard Singapore Foundation.

UniSIM will match the sum, bringing the total amount in the fund to S$1 million.

It will be used to support study sponsorships, visiting faculty programmes and engaging eminent speakers.

The Harvard Singapore Foundation will also be funding a S$1 million leadership programme in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP).

The foundation will grant the school S$500,000, a sum the school will match, resulting in a S$1 million fund.

The fund will be for scholarships, management programmes and engagement of visiting speakers to nurture outstanding leaders in the growing not—for—profit sector.

Acting Minister for Social and Family Development, Chan Chun Sing, said: "The social needs of our society will continue to grow over the years as we have more elderly people and other social challenges.

"It’s important for us to continue to build up the capacity in this area.

"The other thing significant about this is that they are also trying to build knowledge in this area that’s applied to the local context. And I think that’s important because we cannot just take the theories and practices from elsewhere without contextualising them for our own needs."

— CNA/lp