The Singapore-based firm has donated more than S$10 million to various causes since 2019 to contribute to a more sustainable industry and equitable world.
Singapore, 10 January 2023 – Palm oil giant Musim Mas is donating S$5 million to six worthy causes spanning health, youth, family, community, and seniors. This significant pledge brings its philanthropic activities here to more than S$10 million since 2019.
The Singapore-based firm sprang into action after media reports of charities here experiencing a 30 per cent drop in monetary donations. The dip in financial support from the corporate sector and members of public – a key revenue source for all charities – has seen these welfare organizations struggling to keep up with their programs and services for the less privileged. Many have also canceled, postponed, or scaled down their physical fundraising activities.
The rising inflation and increasing cost of living, have added to their challenges, with potential corporate and private donors preferring to use their money somewhere else.
Said Mr Alvin Lim, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director of Musim Mas Holdings: “The rising inflation and soaring cost of living have affected Singaporeans from all walks of life. But the impact is felt even more keenly by those who are facing challenges in life, and the organizations who support them. Economic uncertainties have seen a significant dip in donations from the public and corporate sector alike. Without financial support, non-profit organizations have had to scale back or postpone their support, programs and services for their beneficiaries.
As a responsible business based in Singapore, Musim Mas believes in doing whatever we can, within our means, to keep these meaningful programs and services for the vulnerable going. This country has given our business a stable platform to grow. Hence, this is our way of giving back – through providing the vulnerable here a stable platform to rise against the odds and lead fulfilling lives.”
No stranger to philanthropy, this is Musim Mas’ second mega donation in recent years. In June 2020, at the height of COVID-19, it pledged S$5 million to five charity organizations to help those affected by the pandemic.
This year, the bulk of the S$5 million donation will go to The Majurity Trust (S$1.5 million). Singapore General Hospital and Community Chest will each receive S$1 million while the remainder will be shared by The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund, Metta Welfare Association, and VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer (S$500,000 each).
Quotes from the Beneficiaries
The Majurity Trust’s CEO, Mr Martin Tan said: “Youth mental health and dementia Caregiving remains two of The Majurity Trust’s key focus areas. We are grateful for the continued support from Musim Mas Holdings since 2020. This generous gift will give us the resources needed to support the great work done by our grantee partners in the youth mental health space under the Musim Mas BlueStar Fund, as well as the critical dementia care work done by charities such as Dementia Singapore.”
Community Chest’s Chairman, Mr Chew Sutat said: “Community Chest is deeply appreciative of Musim Mas’ generous donation, which will enable us to support critical social service programs to uplift individuals and families in need of assistance. As Community Chest turns 40 this year and social service needs become more complex, I hope other companies will be encouraged to join us on this giving journey to build sustainable giving and a more inclusive Singapore.”
Singapore General Hospital’s Associate Professor Tan Hiang Khoon said the donation will support its Healthcare Management Excellence Program which trains healthcare leaders to deliver high quality, accessible and affordable healthcare. The funds will also facilitate curriculum development and enable the setting up of the Healthcare Excellence Training Award.
“In the coming decades, our health system will face multifaceted challenges including aging population, rising cost and potential shortfall of healthcare workers. Equipping our future Healthcare leaders to manage and tackle these challenges will enhance the resilience of our health system and ensure that our population can continue to enjoy sustainable world class yet affordable health services,” Assoc Prof Tan added.
Metta Welfare Association’s President, Venerable Chao Khun Fa Zhao BBM, said: “Metta Welfare Association is heartened by Musim Mas’ support. It will help us to further our mission for the youth through our Youth Employment Support programs. These programs will help to equip them with life skills which promote independence and economic integration into society. We thank Musim Mas for its generosity.”
The ST School Pocket Money Fund’s Chairman, Jeanette Lee Su Shyan said: “We are grateful to benefactors like Musim Mas for their continued contribution to STSPMF. This will go a long way to helping children with their school going expenses.”
VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer said Musim Mas’ contribution will go towards an endowment fund, supporting VIVA’s annual charity concert held at the Singapore Botanic Gardens to raise awareness about children with cancer among the general public, as well as VIVA’s various research and education initiatives for healthcare professionals, and survivorship programs and events.
About the Beneficiaries
The Majurity Trust
The Majurity Trust is a philanthropic organization that seeks to work with donors and charities to build a thriving and sustainable community for all in Singapore. The trust’s research informs our advice to philanthropists, and guides funding to underserved areas. This is so that philanthropists can maximize their social impact per funding dollar, while moving us all closer to a Singapore where all can truly thrive. They bring like-minded people, ideas and creativity together to impact individual lives and the community. With platforms such as forums, dialogs and exhibitions, they create opportunities for idea creation and collaboration to achieve greater social impact.
MM Bluestar
The Musim Mas BlueStar* Fund is a $1M Fund by The Majurity Trust towards mental health in youth. Suicide is the Number 1 cause of death among those aged 10-29. To that end, Bluestar supports non-profit organizations delivering effective and innovative mental health initiatives for children and youth suffering from depression and anxiety.
Through the fund, Bluestar aims to seed new ideas and approaches that include preventive mental health intervention, research and public education initiatives reaching out to youth, and their parents and peers. Part of the fund will be set aside to catalyze youth-led mental wellness and awareness projects. Over $1.05 million has been raised, supporting over 4,936 beneficiaries.
Singapore General Hospital
Singapore General Hospital is the Singapore public sector’s flagship hospital. Established in 1821, SGH is Singapore’s largest acute tertiary hospital with over 1,700 beds and a national referral center offering a comprehensive range of more than 40 clinical specialties on its campus. Every year, about 1 million Singaporeans benefit from medical care delivered by its 800 specialists. As an academic healthcare institution and the bedrock of medical education, SGH Health Development Fund plays a key role in nurturing doctors, nurses and allied health professionals, and is committed to innovative translational and clinical research in her continual strive to provide the best care and outcomes to her patients.
Community Chest
As the hallmark of care and share, Community Chest has been uniting the community to mobilize resources and raise funds to serve those in need since 1983. Community Chest supports more than 100 social service agencies to meet underserved and critical social needs. As the fundraising and operating costs are covered mainly by the Tote Board, 100% of contributions goes towards empowering the lives of children with special needs and youth-at-risk, adults with disabilities, persons with mental health conditions and families and seniors in need of assistance.
Metta Welfare Association
Registered in 1994 as a society, Metta Welfare Association (Metta) remains steadfast and true to our mission to serve, give comfort and shine the light of hope to those in need. We care for over 1,400 clients across our welfare centers island-wide. From the young to the elderly, the infirm to the terminally ill, our clients come from widely diverse backgrounds, age groups and needs.
Dedicated to providing clients the best care and enhancing their quality of life, Metta’s philosophy of care transcends race, religion or social circumstance. Though challenging at times, our support for our clients is driven and made meaningful by our satisfaction in seeing them receive proper care and lead fulfilling lives. Serving with compassion and sincerity, we take pride in our ability to offer a comprehensive range of services that go beyond the mere fulfillment of every client’s care needs.
The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund
The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund was started in 2000 as a community project to provide pocket money to children from low-income families to help them through school. The children can use this money for school-related expenses, such as buying a meal during recess, paying for transport or using it to meet other schooling needs.
The financial help also eases the burden of the many parents who are already struggling to feed their families on their meagre incomes. The Fund supports about 10,000 children and youth a year. Since the project started in 2000, STSPMF has disbursed close to $90m and helped over 200,000 cases of children and youths in providing them with monthly school pocket money.
VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer
Established in 2006, VIVA Foundation for Children with Cancer is a registered Singapore-based charity which focuses on life-saving leading-edge research, medical care and education. We are racing against time to develop better treatments, faster cures and to make newer discoveries. We believe these would all translate into better survival rates with less late-effects for affected children. VIVA works very closely with the world-renowned St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (Tennessee, USA) and local institutions, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital and National University Hospital with the ambitious aim of translating the high cure rates achieved by St Jude into Singapore and the wider Asia region.
About Musim Mas
Musim Mas Group is an integrated palm oil company, operating in 13 countries. From plantations, to mills, refineries, kernel-crushing plants, oleochemicals, and specialty fats plants, Musim Mas manufactures palm oil products and value-added derivatives. Musim Mas is one of the largest domestic producers and exporters in Indonesia. Inter-Continental Oils and Fats (ICOF), a member of Musim Mas Group, undertakes global marketing activities.
The Group is committed to sustainability and was the first company with significant operations in Indonesia to join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004. Committed early to emissions reductions, Musim Mas is a signatory to the Agriculture Sector Roadmap to 1.5 Degrees convened by the Tropical Forest Alliance. The roadmap aims to halt commodity-linked deforestation in line with the 1.5-degree pathway while enhancing the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and supporting the sector’s transformation toward forest-positive land-use management. In January 2024, Musim Mas announced that it will strive to achieve net zero by 2050, aligning with climate science as per the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). Musim Mas also manages the most extensive independent smallholder programs in Indonesia.
Musim Mas Contact Details
Email: communications@musimmas.com
Phone: (65) 6576 6500
Media Enquiries: (65) 9012 1582 (WhatsApp Calls only)
