NTUC launches new fund in Singapore to support children and seniors in need

Amid the rapidly ageing population in Singapore and evolving community, NTUC will ramp up support for young children and seniors from lower-income families who need more help.

On 9 April 2026, NTUC launched a new fund to bridge gaps in early childhood development and eldercare.

The new NTUC Community Fund unites two existing NTUC charities — the Bright Horizons Fund (BHF) and the Health for Life Fund (HFL) — to support the growing needs of workers and their families as Singapore evolves.

The BHF supports early childhood development while HFL focuses on senior care.

The Fund will continue to focus on supporting young children and seniors, with plans to expand current programmes to meet the ever-growing needs of the Singapore community.

NTUC Community Fund aims to grow funds to benefit more vulnerable Singaporeans

The new NTUC charity plans to grow its $200 million base into a $500 million endowment fund over the next five years, so it can serve more workers and their families.

The growth target will be driven primarily by businesses from NTUC Enterprise, the holding entity for NTUC’s impact businesses, charities and financial investments.

NTUC Enterprise supports NTUC’s social mission of enabling Singaporeans to live better.

Launching the NTUC Community Fund at the NTUC Health Senior Day Care Centre at Serangoon Central, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng noted that many lower-income families prioritise a strong start for their children and quality care for their elderly parents.

“These concerns sit at the heart of NTUC’s social mission, and the NTUC Community Fund is how we act on our mission in a much bigger way.

“With a target of $500 million over the next five years, we will continue standing with workers and their families at each stage of life, to show care and to support them as they navigate different challenges. Because Every Worker Matters, and that means their families matter too,” he shared.

The Fund’s formation is timely, as the need for stronger senior care support systems is set to grow with Singapore’s ageing population.

According to the Population in Brief 2025 report, 20.7 per cent of Singapore citizens were aged 65 and above as of June 2025, up from 13.1 per cent a decade earlier. The statistics also indicate that Singapore is set to become a super-aged society in 2026, with around one in four citizens aged 65 and above by 2030.

What are the NTUC Community Fund’s plans for 2026 and the next five years?

The new NTUC Community Fund will commit around $12 million in 2026 towards programmes supporting child development and eldercare in Singapore.

Over the next three years, the Fund aims to expand support to 10,000 children in Singapore annually, up from the current 7,000. The NTUC Community Fund also plans to enhance its assistance for 3,000 seniors in Singapore, up from 2,000 currently.

The NTUC Community Fund will go beyond disbursing financial aid by taking on a bigger role in uplifting the wider Singapore community. It will support innovation and help scale proven care models to strengthen support for those in need.

To do this, the Fund will work closely with NTUC First Campus and NTUC Health, the former administrators of BHF and HLF respectively, to expand effective care models through partnerships with community organisations, including social service offices and agencies, as well as corporates.

It will also collaborate with other partners to pilot innovative care solutions and raise the overall quality of care in Singapore.

How the NTUC Community Fund will assist seniors to age well

The new NTUC charity targets to provide affordable, accessible, quality care to enable seniors to stay active and connected.

Seniors from lower-income families will receive financial assistance for nursing home care, day care and home care services. They will also be supported in reducing social isolation and staying connected and active within the community.

For instance, the Walking Football enhances seniors’ physical fitness and promotes social connections with peers of different mobility levels. Meanwhile, at the Community Cafe, seniors take on barista and service crew roles to promote social interaction and create a sense of belonging within the community.

How the NTUC Community Fund will help young children to reach their potential

The NTUC Community Fund aims to provide young children with access to early education and holistic development, particularly those from lower-income families or with additional needs.

The flagship Development Support Specialist Programme, for instance, delivers early intervention and therapy support to preschoolers with developmental needs.

With specialists providing in-classroom guidance and practical support to teachers and children, the initiative has proven to improve preschoolers’ social interaction, emotional regulation, and active participation in classroom activities.

The You’ve Got Talent programme is another recognised initiative to help young children flourish. Children will gain opportunities to explore arts, sports and music, allowing them to discover their unique talents, learn new skills, and build confidence through enrichment.

In January this year, the Fund collaborated with the People’s Association and Community Development & Welfare Fund (CDWF) in Singapore to bring the You’ve Got Talent programme to Sembawang. Over 40 children and seniors learned together through art enrichment, sparking meaningful intergenerational connections.

Single mother beneficiary shares how the Fund supported her young daughter

When her husband suddenly died from a heart attack in March 2025, Zuliyana Hamid felt as if her world had ended.

Heartbroken, she quit her administrative assistant job, plunging her family into financial hardship.

Then life dealt another cruel blow.

Zuliyana, 45, was told by My First Skool that her daughter, Sera Fina Mohd Fikri, needed developmental support in language, literacy and numeracy.

With support from the NTUC Community Fund, Sera Fina underwent a formal assessment at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, where Zuliyana also received guidance on how to support her at home. The six-year-old preschooler was also enrolled at the AWWA Early Intervention Centre.

“With the support, [my daughter] is improving and coping quite well at school. The teachers think she’s ready for Primary One,” Zuliyana sighed with relief.

The help didn’t just stop there. Zuliyana also received financial assistance, successfully claiming a total of $11,000 from the Income Family Micro-Insurance Scheme and NTUC Gift Group Term Life Insurance.

The NTUC Community Fund also helped her secure a rental flat for her family, find a new job as a service worker at McDonald’s, and access emotional counselling and grief support.

“The [support] has helped to ease a lot of my financial pressures with my two young children. At the same time, it motivates me to focus on building a stable future for them.

“I’m thankful for the support because it helps families like mine move forward with hope,” Zuliyana said.

Find out more about the NTUC Community Fund today.