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Sustainable Philanthropy Framework
The Framework empowers businesses to align their philanthropic activities with their strategic business goals, highlighting the clear connection between social progress and business success.
Last updated 3 January 2025
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Overview
The Framework fosters a culture where giving, volunteering, and socially responsible practices become strategic assets, aligning with a business’s core purpose, vision, and mission. It highlights that businesses can simultaneously achieve social impact and business success.
The Metrics are designed to help businesses measure, monitor and benchmark their social impact in supporting transparent reporting on the 'Social' aspect of ESG.
Read more about the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework.
Explore more about the framework
WHY
Understand the value of adopting sustainable philantrophy practices and why your organisation should consider it.
WHAT
Learn about the specific areas where businesses can make the most impactful efforts when taking a long-term approach.
HOW
Explore the different ways your organisation can get involved in causes and how to measure impact.
Evaluate the stage of your giving journey and next steps
Having understood the ‘WHY’, ‘WHAT’ and ‘HOW’ of the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, here is how you can evaluate the stage of your philanthropic journey where you are currently at.
Find out the stage you are currently at
Better understand your business’s current state in philanthropic efforts and resource availability.
Identify your action plan based on the 8 ‘building blocks’
The eight building blocks are designed to offer structured guidance within the framework, assisting businesses at different stages of their journey. They outline the critical aspects that businesses could adopt and enhance to create shared value for stakeholders and their businesses over time.
8 building blocks
The eight building blocks are highlighted below. For each building block, there will be guidance provided across three different levels of readiness, as well as illustrative examples.
WHAT: Design a high-level roadmap to achieve desired social outcome
HOW: Empower leaders and employees through knowledge-sharing opportunities and active involvement
HOW: Incorporate sustainable philanthropy into governance structures
HOW: Schedule regular reviews, document learnings and implement changes
HOW: Engage stakeholders and collaborate through sustainable partnerships
The framework, developed in collaboration with NVPC, raiSE, MSF, and the SG Cares Office, guides businesses and philanthropies in articulating, measuring, and enhancing their contributions to social goals. A dedicated workgroup drives strategies to engage stakeholders and foster meaningful impact.
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Contact us
To learn more about the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, connect with us through our hotline at 6210 2500 or reach out to us at ncss_comchest@ncss.gov.sg.
FAQs
How can our business benefit from the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework?
The Sustainable Philanthropy Framework encourages businesses to embrace long-term philanthropy by aligning it with their corporate purpose and strategy. Explore the Framework's "WHY" component for deeper insights.
How does the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework address the varying levels of philanthropic experience among businesses?
The "Building Blocks" section of the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework offers actionable steps tailored to your business's readiness—categorized as Basic, Intermediate, or Advanced.
Unsure of your category? Use the website's Questionnaire tool to assess your business's philanthropic journey and identify the best-suited category.
How is the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework aligned with international and regional standards such as the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs)?
The Framework is aligned to international standards while complementing and reinforcing existing local frameworks.
The Metrics were built through the screening of ESG disclosure standards and impact databases including the UN SDGs.
Locally, the Framework and Metrics complement:
National-level ESG disclosures from SGX
“Society” impact area within the NVPC Corporate Purpose Framework
NCSS’ Sector Evaluation Framework (SEF)
raiSE’s Social Value Toolkit (SVT)
What are the reporting timelines and requirements for adopting the Sustainable Philanthropy Framework, including the necessity of disclosing compliance in sustainability reports?
There are no reporting timelines nor requirements for the Framework as adoption is voluntary.
The Framework helps deepen your philanthropic commitment and offers metrics to measure, monitor, and benchmark your social impact effectively.
Can this framework be adapted for different sectors?
The Sustainable Philanthropy Framework is adaptable across sectors like arts, sports, and education, with tailored guidance in the ‘WHAT’ and ‘HOW’ sections.
Glossary
This glossary provides definitions for the terms used in the Framework.
Term | Definition |
Beneficiaries | Individuals, groups, or organisations that benefit directly or indirectly from interventions. (Source: OECD) |
Diverse and Inclusive Suppliers | Diverse suppliers: Businesses that are at least 51% owned and operated by individuals who are part of traditionally marginalized or underrepresented groups. This includes, but is not limited to: 1. Women-owned businesses 2. Minority-owned businesses 3. Disability-owned businesses 4. Businesses owned by the elderly Inclusive Suppliers: Businesses that demonstrate a commitment to fostering an inclusive society as outlines under the Singapore government’s SG Enable initiative. These businesses employ and provide reasonable accommodation for individuals from diverse backgrounds, primarily focusing on persons with disabilities and the elderly. They also promote diversity in leadership and decision-making roles, create an inclusive workplace culture, and provide goods or services that cater to diverse communities. |
Event-based Volunteering | Event-based volunteering has been beneficial to social service agencies as a way for the service users to interact with others and for ad-hoc manpower needs. (Source: NCSS) |
In-kind Donations | Giving through goods, services and assets. |
Social Compact | An implicit agreement between the Government and the people on the roles and responsibilities each plays, so that together we can shape the growth of society in both the present and the future. (Source: Ministry of Social and Family Development) |
Socially Responsible Business Practices | May include initiatives or interventions that contribute positively to society e.g. Inclusive hiring of persons with disabilities, social procurement and diversity (e.g. initiatives around social inclusion, such as encouraging multicultural/multiculturalism), equity, inclusivity (DEI) practices. This could also include value chain stakeholders (e.g. customers, suppliers). |
Sustainable Philanthropy | Sustainable Philanthropy is a long-term journey that businesses embark on to drive impact and strengthen Singapore’s social compact. |
Value Creation | The process of generating tangible and intangible outcomes and impacts for stakeholders over the long term. Categories of value can include financial, human, consumer and societal values. (Source: EPIC report) |
Value Protection | The physical and financial protection of tangible and intangible value by businesses themselves, or by a third party in the long term. It can be helpful to also interpret from a risk lens on protecting the business from material risks that are critical for the longevity of the business model and for improving the quality of earnings. (Source: EPIC report) |