Bank DBS Indonesia through DBS Foundation, provided SGD 3 million in grants to 23 grantees in the Asian region, consisting of 15 social enterprises (SE) and eight Small-and-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Grants were awarded to winners from six countries, namely Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, and Indonesia, to accelerate the positive impact they produced.
SukkhaCitta, a social enterprise focusing on the slow fashion industry, represented Indonesia to receive a grant this year. This is the second time SukkhaCitta has received a grant from the DBS Foundation, having previously received grants for training local artisans and certification of villages in 2018.
VP Internal Communication & CSR of Bank DBS Indonesia Riany Agustina Warganegara said, in addition to social entrepreneurs, for the first time, the DBSF Grant program provides grants to SMEs who want to start a sustainable transformation. These winners were selected after a rigorous review of more than 900 applicants, the highest number so far.
“They stand out for their potential and focus on accelerating innovation, scalability, and the positive impact of unique and innovative solutions in addressing social and environmental challenges,” Riany said, on Wednesday. In all, the 23 awardees have the potential to positively impact more than two million people, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 319 tons, cut more than 132,000 tons of food waste, and provide 1,000 million liters of clean water.