The Sustain the Arts (stART) Fund is an initiative by the National Arts Council (NAC), supported by the private sector to boost the long-term sustainability of small arts organisations, and to nurture a culture of giving to the arts.
Arts organisations which meet the following criteria are eligible to receive short-term support from the stART Fund:
- Registered with the Commissioner of Charities (COC), Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) or the Registry of Societies (ROS); and
- Total Operating Expenditure (TOE) of less than SGD1 million.
Eligible arts organisations will be shortlisted by NAC and invited to receive funding from the stART Fund to scale their organisations to a Charity and/or IPC.
Beyond monetary funding, the stART Fund aims to support beneficiaries in capability development to equip them with relevant skills that to help improve on their long-term sustainability, such as data management and analytics, impact reporting, fundraising
and donor stewardship. The stART Fund also provides resources to small arts groups to strive for charity and IPC status, such as:
- Impact Study Clinic Sessions
- An Impact Assessment Framework will be developed as a tool for beneficiaries to communicate the progress and impact of their work to their donors.
- Consultative clinics will be held to educate and guide the beneficiaries on how to use the report templates to aid their impact reporting and donor stewardship.
- Training Roadmap
- LASALLE College of the Arts – “Fundraising for Impact: What’s The Plan” Fundraising Workshop
- National Volunteer & Philanthropic Centre (NVPC) – Level Up Series
Click here to view the Open Call Guidelines. Interested parties are encouraged to read the brief thoroughly.
Download application form and annexes
Please note that the Sustain the Arts Fund Open Call 2024 is now closed. Stay tuned for details on the next open call in 2025.
You may email stART@nac.gov.sg for further enquiries.
1. Can you share more on the selection criteria of stART?
The funding for stART’s programmes is largely driven by donors’ expectations, and it is governed by the stART Committee consisting of volunteers from both the private and public sectors, as well as representatives of NAC. All shortlisted programmes
and arts group beneficiaries, together with their funding allocation, will be approved by the stART Committee.
2. What is the grant quanta available for each grant under the stART Fund?
The quantum for each grant under the stART fund is estimated to be between $20,000 to $50,000 for each programme and/or organisation.
3. Can I apply for more than one grant for each programme?
The same programme that is currently funded by NAC can be eligible for the stART Fund as long as the total funding received for the programme does not exceed the cost of the programme.
Potential beneficiaries are expected to declare the
total cost of the programme as well as the expected funding quantum from the stART Fund. If required, NAC may also enquire about other sources of funding for the relevant programme(s).
4. As a stART beneficiary, what am I expected to do?
The stART Fund aims to provide short-term support. As a stART beneficiary, you are expected to participate in capability development initiatives that will aid levelling-up your fundraising capabilities. These initiatives could be offered
by NAC, the Charities Council or other agencies.
5. If I receive organisation funding to scale my organisation to achieve Charity and/or IPC status, when will I get the grant?
Groups will receive funding in two
tranches based on milestones met.
6. What are some of the shared services partners that my organisation may reach out to for guidance on areas such as electronic regulatory submissions and governance-related matters?
With the aim to professionalise the charity sector, the Commissioner of Charities has partnered with various organisations to set up shared services to strengthen charities’ regulatory compliance and efficiency of their back-end operations.
You may click here to refer to the list of partners and their services (at low or no cost). Your charity may contact these partners directly to find out more.