At Budget 2009, the Government announced a special once-off $15 million to support voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) this year.
2 The Ministry of Health (MOH) would receive $5 million of this funding to help VWOs involved in the provision of healthcare services to tide over the current economic downturn. This will enable VWOs that are facing financial difficulties as a result of reduced donations. This will in turn benefit their patients.
3 After evaluating the first call for applications, an MOH committee has awarded $2.2m to 17 VWOs. Annex A lists the beneficiaries and the amount of additional funds they received. They cover a wide range of service providers, including nursing homes, psychiatric rehabilitation homes and dementia day care centre.
4 The amount of funding varied, depending on the financial needs of each organization, the nature of its services and their track record. Annex B lists the criteria used by the committee.
5 Health charities that face financial difficulties during this downturn are invited to apply for the remaining portion of the VWO contingency fund. Another call for applications will be conducted to reach out to needy charitable organisations. Details of the VWO contingency fund and the application form are available at www.moh.gov.sg