SINGAPORE, 10 March 2026 – Income Insurance Limited (Income Insurance), in partnership with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), today announced 10 social service agencies (SSAs) as awardees of the first grant call of the $10M Income OrangeAid Caregiver Support Accelerator Grant. 

The grant is a multi-year initiative to address critical needs in caregiver support and strengthen sustainable support for families in Singapore. It aims to equip SSAs with dedicated resources to develop, improve or upscale programmes to increase caregiver resilience and/or reduce caregiving burden.  

A rigorous multi-stage selection process assessed projects based on three key criteria: 

1. strength of the project design, with a clearly articulated theory of change and clarity of gap identification;
2. Level of innovation, collaboration with other partners, and empowerment of caregivers;
3. track record of effective outcomes, and sustainability of the project.  

18 finalists were shortlisted for Pitch Day, which was held at the Income Centre on 30 January 2026, after completing a series of accelerator workshops that were designed to help SSAs refine and sharpen their impact frameworks and optimise programme outcomes to better address caregiver needs.

First Cohort of Grant Recipients

The following social service agencies which form the Grant’s first cohort of grantees are:

1. CaringSG
2. Home Nursing Foundation
3. Lions Befrienders
4. Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore)
5. New Life Stories Limited
6. The Life Review Ltd
7. The Salvation Army
8. TOUCH Community Services Limited
9. Tzu-Chi Foundation (Singapore)
10. Young Women's Christian Association of Singapore (YWCA)

These initiatives will receive structured, multi-year support to help with implementation and scaling. Each programme will be allocated up to $200,000 per year for the first two years, with a third year of funding up to $100,000 subject to performance and financial sustainability. All grantees will measure and track tangible improvements in reducing caregiver burden through NCSS’ Sector Evaluation Framework.

The supported initiatives will address key needs in caregiver support and deepen coordination across education, health and social services, with the potential to scale at the national level. For example, the Parent Peer Support (PPS) Programme by CaringSG collaborates with schools to empower caregivers and reduce caregiver isolation, while the Muscular Dystrophy Association (Singapore) provides specialised home-based overnight care where standard respite services have been insufficient for complex conditions. 

Strengthening Singapore’s Social Compact

The Income OrangeAid Caregiver Support Accelerator Grant, which comprises two grant calls over five years (2026-2030) is a strategic public-private partnership that responds to the national call for stronger collaboration to strengthen Singapore’s social compact. It aims to support up to 20 caregiver programmes run by SSAs in Singapore, with each grant call funding up to 10 programmes.  This initiative forms part of Income Insurance's commitment to invest $100 million in Singapore communities by 2030 via its community development platform, Income OrangeAid. 

Andrew Yeo, Chief Executive Officer, Income Insurance, reiterates that the grant is a vital catalyst for systemic change. “Caregivers play a vital role in the well-being of families and communities. With the curated design of the Grant, we are moving beyond traditional funding to act as an ecosystem enabler, giving social service agencies the runway to build, refine and scale sustainable caregiver support over time” 

“We are encouraged by the quality of the caregiver programmes and its intended impact, from driving community advocacy to developing proof-of-concept for data over time that can help inform future national policies to meaningfully address the resilience needs identified through our study with SMU ROSA by improving resilience and well-being, especially mental health and financial adequacy. Supporting the initiatives by the 10 SSA award grantees creates a multiplier effect where caregivers are better placed to care for their loved ones, representing a significant step in our commitment towards addressing critical caregiver support needs and uplifting local communities, ensuring that caregivers receive the dedicated, long-term resources they need to thrive alongside those they care for.” he added.

Lim Shung Yar, Chief Executive Officer, NCSS, emphasised how strategic partnerships foster better outcomes. “As the sector developer, NCSS drives partnerships, transformation and sustainability of services to improve the quality of life for service users. The OrangeAid Caregiver Support Accelerator Grant exemplifies how partnerships build capabilities and foster innovation in social service agencies. By uniting the people, private and public sectors to deliver critical resources and support, we build a caring and inclusive society.”

The judging panel was curated to provide multidisciplinary oversight, comprising members with complementary expertise across caregiving, social services, and related fields - Audrey Moo, Deputy Director for Caregiving and Community Mental Health at the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC); Shannen Fong, Chief Strategic Communications Officer and Head of Sustainability at Income Insurance; Jerica Goh, Director of Service Delivery at NCSS; and Prema Govindan, Senior Director for Disability Support and Services at SG Enable.

The next grant call for the Income OrangeAid Caregiver Support Accelerator Grant is tentatively scheduled for 2027.