Funding challenges of voluntary welfare organizations in Singapore's disability sector

Abstract

The Singapore government has spent considerable amount of resources in recent years to build new social service capabilities. This exploratory study examines the funding challenges faced by Voluntary Welfare Organizations (VWOs) operating in the disability sector. An analysis of the financial statements of 39 VWOs shows that large VWOs receive the highest proportion of government support as compared to medium and small VWOs. The latter being more dependent on donations. Interviews were conducted with five VWOs and two government funders to gather their views on developing a sustainable funding model. While the government funders provide a high level of financial support, they employ a standardized funding model to compute grant amounts that may not, however, differentiate the varying disability types. As a consequence, some VWOs may face financial challenges in sustaining their programmes and capacity building.