New Delhi, March 21: DBS Foundation (DBSF) has selected 22 Businesses for Impact (BFIs) from its key markets, including four enterprises from India, to receive funding through its Annual Grant Award program. Out of more than 1,500 applicants, these grantees will collectively receive SGD 4.5 million to scale their businesses and positively impact communities in need. The ventures are expected to reach over 800,000 beneficiaries in the next two years.
The selected BFIs focus on DBSF’s core areas, which include providing essential services like basic education, healthcare, and nutrition, as well as fostering inclusion through upskilling and increasing employability. Addressing the challenges of ageing societies, which is a growing concern across Asia, is also a priority for the DBSF. A quarter of this year’s grantees are focused on tackling these issues.
The grant program forms part of DBSF’s broader efforts to support longevity businesses aimed at meeting the needs of ageing populations. This includes the Impact Beyond Award, launched in 2024, which seeks to support businesses developing solutions to help people age with dignity and purpose.
In addition to financial support, the grantees will receive mentorship, capacity-building, networking opportunities, and other resources to scale their solutions sustainably. Since 2015, DBS Foundation has granted more than SGD 21.5 million to over 160 BFIs, with alumni having raised 10 times this amount in further funding.
Azmat Habibulla, Managing Director and Head of Group Strategic Marketing and Communications at DBS Bank India, emphasized the bank’s commitment to empowering local communities. He expressed pride in this year’s four Indian grantees, highlighting their work in improving the lives of vulnerable populations. By providing financial support and expertise, DBS Foundation aims to build a more equitable future for all.
The four Indian Grant Awardees are:
- Hasiru Dala Innovations: A social enterprise focused on creating a waste-free world by empowering waste pickers to become green-collar professionals. The grant will help expand their plastic waste processing capacity in Bengaluru and enter new markets.
- Atypical Advantage: India’s largest livelihood platform for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). The funding will be used to run skills-training centers and develop inclusive training materials.
- Neurosynaptic Communications: A company providing affordable telemedicine services in rural areas, aiming to deliver healthcare to 100 million Indians by 2027. The grant will help set up two new medical consultation centers.
- Last Mile Care: A healthcare provider offering affordable services to workers and their families, including periodic health checkups and teleconsultations. The grant will support the expansion of a “phygital” healthcare unit in Odisha to serve the industrial workforce.
Beyond supporting BFIs, DBS Foundation also collaborates with various partners to launch programs that assist vulnerable communities. In 2023, DBS announced its commitment to invest up to SGD 1 billion and provide 1.5 million employee volunteering hours over the next decade to improve lives and livelihoods.
For more information on DBSF’s work and the grant program, visit DBS Foundation Grants.
