The 2013 President’s Challenge Social Enterprise Award (PCSEA) unveiled its top winners at the Istana this evening. Bliss Restaurant & Catering Pte Ltd, and SATA CommHealth were awarded the “Social Enterprise of the Year” while Bettr Barista Pte Ltd was named the “Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year” for their outstanding contributions made to the community.
The three winners are the recipients of the only award conferred by the President’s Office for the social enterprise sector in Singapore. The other six shortlisted social enterprises received Commendations in recognition of their praiseworthy efforts in creating social impact within the society while striving to achieve a sustainable business (refer to Annex A for the list of winners and Annex B for the descriptions of all nine social enterprises). Presenting them with their awards was Guest-of-Honour President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
This year, PCSEA received a total of 38 submissions from a diverse range of social enterprises. The Award also drew in the participation of several capacity builders and enablers for other social impact organisations, as well as co-operatives which provide thrift and loans to their members. In 2012, social enterprises operating on the employment-focused model made up the majority of the nominations. Another encouraging trend observed was the increase in the number of youth category nominations and younger entrepreneurs in the start-up category, thus reflecting the rising interest in social entrepreneurship among youth.
Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development, said, “I am very heartened to see more entrepreneurs taking the lead in creating sustainable impact in the community through innovative ideas. These ideas have given new meaning to how we can make a positive difference for a better Singapore. The winning social enterprises have demonstrated excellence in using their entrepreneurial skills as a tool for social good. I hope that more of us can come forward in a similar fashion – to do business not purely for profits, but to do business with a social purpose. I also urge all of us to support these businesses with a heart, and to join hands with them to create an even bigger social impact in our society.”
The social enterprises’ win will see them being rewarded with cash prizes of up to $15,000, as well as corporate advisory support from leading organisations. These organisations include Bain and Company, DBS Bank, Keppel Group, Philosophy Brand Consultants and The Law Society of Singapore’s Pro Bono Services Office, as well as Credit Suisse which recently came on-board. They will provide pro-bono services to the winners and commendations, and work with them to develop their professional capabilities in areas such as business, law, marketing, and financing.
Organised by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, the 2013 PCSEA was open for nominations from May to July 2013. This year, the Award had broadened its scope to include social enterprises which operate and create social impact by addressing social needs in Singapore, so as to recognise a wider community of social entrepreneurs and encourage more to make an impact in the society through various means. The Award was established last year, and seeks to recognise outstanding social enterprises for their contributions made to the local community.
Annex A – 2013 PCSEA Award Winners and Commendations
Social Enterprise of the Year
Bliss Restaurant & Catering Pte Ltd
SATA CommHealth
Social Enterprise of the Year (Commendation)
NTUC FoodFare Co-operative Ltd
Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year
Bettr Barista Pte Ltd
Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year (Commendation)
Empact Pte Ltd
The HUB Singapore Pte Ltd
Youth Social Enterprise of the Year (Commendation)
Circus In Motion LLP
Conjunct Consulting (Singapore) Ltd
The Chain Reaction Project Limited
Annex B – Descriptions of the Award Winners and Commendation
Social Enterprise of the Year
Bliss Restaurant & Catering Pte Ltd
Bliss Restaurant & Catering provides lifestyle dining for families. In addition to its four restaurant outlets, it provides wedding, catering and culinary workshop services. Bliss offers training, employment and support for marginalised individuals (such as persons with intellectual disability).
SATA CommHealth
SATA provides statutory health screening and a comprehensive range of primary healthcare services through its four medical centres. Besides providing free/subsidised healthcare for the needy and elderly, SATA organises regular community activities such as Community Health Days, Community Preventive Health screening events etc.
Social Enterprise of the Year (Commendation)
NTUC Foodfare Co-operative Ltd
NTUC Foodfare was set up in 1995 as a social enterprise to moderate foodprices in the face of rising costs and inflation. It provides value, quality cooked food in Singapore by setting a pricing benchmark for the industry to follow. It also caters to the needs of the low income through its community Rice Garden project. NTUC Foodfare provides employment to some needy disadvantaged, such as through its food courts and catering services.
Social Enterprise Start-up of the Year
Bettr Barista Pte Ltd
Bettr Barista is an education-focused coffee academy in Singapore that trains, hires and places youth-at-risk and marginalised women out on open employment. It does so through an exclusive, holistic training approach that not only provides professional, certified barista courses, but also prepares trainees with required emotional and physical resilience to thrive at their jobs despite the challenges that they face. They provide subsidies to the needy to participate in their training programme.
Social Enterprise Start-Up of the Year (Commendation)
Empact Pte Ltd
Founded in 2011, Empact is a social enterprise that provides shared services such as accounting and programme review to charities, non-profit organisations and other social enterprises at affordable rates. It taps on individual and corporate volunteers who render their professional skills to its clients.
The HUB Singapore Pte Ltd
Started in 2012, The HUB Singapore provides a co-working space to build a community of social entrepreneurs who are purpose-driven. The HUB Singapore conducts networking events and workshops to better engage and inspire individuals to make their passion their career.
Youth Social Enterprise of the Year (Commendation)
Circus In Motion LLP
Circus In Motion was started in 2012 to focus on imparting life skills to youth-at-risk through the process of learning circus arts. The programme seeks to improve psychomotor skills of intellectually disabled students in special needs schools. In mainstream secondary schools, their instructors work with non-academically inclined students to develop vocational skills and their sense of self-confidence. They currently employ 4 youths-at-risk on a full-time basis.
Conjunct Consulting (Singapore) Ltd
Conjunct Consulting is an organisation that provides pro-bono consultancy services to non-profit organisations, through developing and deploying teams of student and professional volunteers, and placing them with social sector organisations.
The Chain Reaction Project Limited
The Chain Reaction Project was founded in 2011 to address critical social issues in the world, such as human trafficking and malnutrition. They actively engage volunteers, inspire and educate individuals from Singapore (and around the world) through sports and adventure, and channel their passions and skills to impact and transform disadvantaged communities.
