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Sreeram Viswanath

Expert

Published on: Jun 24, 2026

Dbs Grant Programme

DBS Foundation, based in Singapore, offers social enterprises a Dbs Grant Programme, thereby enabling them to add critical capabilities to achieve sustainability and scale up their existing business. Through the initiative, the DBS Foundation seeks to encourage innovation by social enterprises in meeting complex social needs, the likes of which include access to health and health education, employment generation for the marginalized, environment protection and waste management solutions, responsible education and literacy, creating rural livelihoods, innovative technologies for social impact, etc. The grant could be availed by social enterprises registered and operating in India, among other countries such as China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and Taiwan. The Foundation also collaborates with social enterprise developers to facilitate knowledge sharing and enhance the capacity of social enterprises to gain social and commercial viability. These partners provide incubation, boot camps, workshops and financial aid to these enterprises. Also Read About -

Social Entrepreneurship

About DBF

DBF Foundation is a DBS Bank endeavour which was founded in February 2014 with the object of championing the cause of social entrepreneurship. The body particularly works with the vision of shaping a better future for Asia by championing social entrepreneurship and encouraging business development. It has till now supported more than 100 social enterprises through small grants and regular stipends.

Quantum of Grant

The foundation offers grants between the range of INR 25 lakhs to INR 1 crore to social enterprises with a product market fit, demonstrated traction in sales and revenue, clear social impact, and scale-up readiness.

Eligibility

Social enterprises with the following facets may avail grants under this program:

  • It is in possession of a business product/solution that has been validated in the market, as evidenced by revenue generation and/or traction in client acquisition, with plans to scale up the business.
  • It is committed to a social mission and is driven towards scaling social impact.

How Can I Use it?

The foundation suggests that the funds could be deployed for the following purposes:

  • Expanding to new locales.
  • Increasing the capacity of production.
  • Establishing/Strengthening a brand.
  • Improving the efficiency of operations.
  • Building or structuring a team.
  • Enhancing social impact measurement/management.
  • Protecting intellectual property.

It may be noted that the foundation wouldn’t be funding:

  • Specific individual fellowships/stipends and personal expenses, charities or NGOs primarily dependent on donations.
  • Religious organizations for religious purposes, election campaigns, general fund-raising drives or event sponsorships.

Timeline of Grant

Application forms received before the 31st of July 2019 will be evaluated during the period of August-September of 2019, and the grants for the same will be disbursed by October/November of 2019. Application forms received on or after the 1st of August 2019 will be evaluated on the next evaluation cycle, i.e. 2020.

Evaluation of Applications

Applications for the programme are evaluated on the basis of the following:

  • Innovation
  • Social Impact
  • Business Viability
  • Scalability of business and social impact
  • Team strength

Application Process

Enterprises wishing to avail this offer may mail their applications in .docx format

dbsfoundation@dbs.com.  The submissions could be made in English, Chinese or Bahasa Indonesia. Each entity must not submit more than one application for an evaluation period, not complying to which will lead to its disqualification. The application form for the same is provided in Word format and could be downloaded from here.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DBS Grant Programme for Social Enterprises in Asia.

The DBS Grant Programme is an initiative by the DBS Foundation that provides grants ranging from INR 25 lakhs to INR 1 crore to social enterprises in various countries, including India, to help them achieve sustainability and scale up their existing business. The programme aims to encourage innovation by social enterprises in addressing complex social needs.
Social enterprises that have a validated business product or solution with demonstrated traction in sales, revenue, and client acquisition, as well as a clear social impact and readiness to scale up their operations, are eligible to apply for the DBS Grant Programme.
The grant funds can be utilized for various purposes, such as expanding to new locations, increasing production capacity, establishing or strengthening a brand, improving operational efficiency, building or structuring a team, enhancing social impact measurement and management, and protecting intellectual property.
Applications for the DBS Grant Programme are evaluated based on factors such as innovation, social impact, business viability, scalability of business and social impact, and the strength of the team.
Social enterprises wishing to apply for the DBS Grant Programme can submit their applications in .docx format to dbsfoundation@dbs.com. The applications can be submitted in English, Chinese, or Bahasa Indonesia.
Yes, there is a deadline for submitting applications. Applications received before July 31, 2019, will be evaluated between August and September 2019, and grants will be disbursed by October/November 2019. Applications received on or after August 1, 2019, will be evaluated in the next evaluation cycle in 2020.
No, each organization must not submit more than one application for an evaluation period. Submitting multiple applications will lead to disqualification.
The DBS Foundation is a DBS Bank endeavor founded in February 2014 with the objective of championing the cause of social entrepreneurship. It works towards shaping a better future for Asia by promoting social entrepreneurship and encouraging business development.
The DBS Grant Programme does not fund specific individual fellowships/stipends and personal expenses, charities or NGOs primarily dependent on donations, religious organizations for religious purposes, election campaigns, general fundraising drives, or event sponsorships.
The application form for the DBS Grant Programme is provided in Word format and can be downloaded from the link provided in the article.