$18.6 million from SG Eco Fund disbursed to over 350 sustainability projects since 2020

Straits Times

21-06-2025

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu (front row, fourth from left) and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment Goh Hanyan (front row, third from right) with recipients of the SG Eco Fund at Vidacity on June 21, 2025. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
$18.6 million from SG Eco Fund disbursed to over 350 sustainability projects since 2020
SINGAPORE - Over 350 individuals, groups and organisations received funding worth $18.6 million for their ground-up initiatives to promote sustainability in Singapore over the last five years.
Giving an update on the SG Eco Fund, a $50 million grant launched in November 2020, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Ms Grace Fu said the fund has since engaged over 700,000 people on sustainability-related efforts.
The initiatives span areas like waste reduction, community growing of food, conservation of nature and sustainability education.
Speaking at an event held at Vidacity to mark SG Eco Fund's fifth anniversary, Ms Fu said that climate action does not solely depend on government policies, but also the everyday choices Singaporeans make.
'This was why we launched the SG Eco Fund five years ago, recognising that policies itself is insufficient. We really need ground action... we need acceptance on the ground,' she said.
Grant recipient Altimate Nutrition used the fund to promote awareness of insect-based protein before their products were even approved for sale by the Singapore Food Agency.
Co-founder Mr Gavriel Tan, 23, said the start-up received funding in late 2023 and used it to run educational workshops in schools, introducing students to the concept of edible insects as an alternative and sustainable protein source.
Altimate Nutrition's Gavriel Tan, 23, at the SG Eco Fund fifth anniversary event at Vidacity on June 21, 2025.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
'Insect protein is still very new, and most people don't even know it's edible or understand the benefits.'
'So we focused on education first, especially among students, who are more open-minded and represent the next generation of consumers,' he said.
With the grant, the company conducted 20 workshops, and over time, expanded to more than 80 sessions reaching about 800 students across primary to tertiary levels.
Mr Tan told The Straits Times that around 75 per cent of participants were willing to try insect-based products after learning about their sustainability benefits and sampling them during the sessions.
The company now plans to apply for a larger grant to explore farming crickets locally.
Ms Fu said that a recent report on the impact of SG Eco Fund showed that 90 per cent of those surveyed were satisfied with the activities, and a majority of them were more ready to adopt sustainable practices.
She said that she was encouraged to see more projects taking root in communities and growing beyond their initial scope.
For example, grant recipient Repair Kopitiam, trained residents to become handymen and help their neighbours during the pandemic.
Today, Repair Clinics and Repair Kampungs run at more than 10 locations, with 300 coaches and 6,000 volunteers to combat throwaway culture.
Project Black Gold, a community food scrap composting initiative, used the funding to conduct community composting events to teach residents how to reduce and recycle food waste. It has now expanded to over 30 composting clubs across Singapore.
Ms Fu also announced an enhancement to the fund's Sprout category, which supports smaller-scale projects. The maximum grant amount for projects submitted in 2025 has been raised from $8,000 to $30,000.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment Goh Hanyan (centre) and Vintage Wknd models taking part in a runway show as part of the fifth anniversary event of the SG Eco Fund on June 21.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Over 90 applications were received between January and April this year, the highest number to date within a four-month period since the category's launch in 2021.
'We did this in response to your desire to organise bigger projects and to reach out to more members of the community.
'And in part to celebrate the SG60 spirit, where each one of us can play our part in building Singapore,' she said.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment said that the focus of SG Eco Fund is to outreach to as many people as possible.
The fund utilisation will depend on the project take up rate and there is currently no expiration date.
Elisha Tushara is a correspondent at The Straits Times, specialising in Singapore's education landscape.
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