President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2026 introduces youth category to encourage lifelong giving

[SINGAPORE] When a friend of Shoken Tsurumaru asked for donations instead of gifts for his birthday, Tsurumaru became inspired to start a platform so that anyone could start a fundraiser for personal occasions. 

The 17-year-old said: “Birthdays, anniversaries and festive gatherings are moments when people already spend money to express love, surrounded by natural giving circles of families and friends. As people look for more meaningful ways to celebrate, these occasions can become simple, low-barrier opportunities to give back, without extra expense.”

He launched Giveinstead.sg, a free platform to help people turn personal celebrations into opportunities for charitable giving. It connects donors to charities and creates customised fundraisers for them.

“We work only with vetted Institution of a Public Character charities, and donations go directly to them through secure platforms like Giving.sg... We don’t handle the funds, so giving is simple and trustworthy,” he added.

Since 2023, Giveinstead.sg has raised S$325,000 from more than 2,100 donors through 99 campaigns and worked with 36 charity partners. The campaigns support causes such as seniors, persons with disabilities and animal welfare.

“Giving can start with our times, our ideas, our energy, or simply noticing a need and deciding to do something about it,” said Tsurumaru. “We do not have to wait until we are older to make a meaningful contribution.”

Tsurumaru is one of the inaugural winners of the youth category at the President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards (PVPA) 2026. 

The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), organiser of PVPA, introduced the category this year to encourage lifelong giving among those aged 17 to 25. 

Tony Soh, CEO of NVPC, said: “This additional category reflects the diversity and growing impact of youth contributions, while providing dedicated recognition pathways for such contributions across different life stages.

SEE ALSO

Tsao Pao Chee partners StanChart Foundation to advance youth employment in S-E Asia’s ocean economy

NVPC recognises 13 winners at President’s Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards 2024

“Greater visibility of youth-giving through a national pinnacle award like PVPA can help to inspire more young people to see that they too can contribute impactfully, and encourage them to step forward and give in ways that are meaningful to them.”

Recognising companies’ giving efforts

The 14th edition of PVPA – which took place on Wednesday (Oct 7) at Raffles Hotel – recognised 17 winners across 13 categories. Besides youth, the other categories awarded individuals, companies and charities in their giving efforts. 

PVPA 2026 also received the highest number of submissions at 455.

“For businesses, we are seeing more examples of collaboration, with partners tapping their unique strengths and networks,” Soh said. 

One example is Temasek Polytechnic (TP), which won Organisations of Good (Public Institution). 

Patrice Choong, principal and CEO of TP, said: “Community engagement is woven into the TP experience in several ways – through service-learning in our curriculum, student-led initiatives, staff volunteering through our signature TP Cares movement, and partnerships with community organisations.”

More than 4,000 of its students take part in service-learning each year, with each academic school – such as design or IT – contributing through its respective area of expertise.

TP staff volunteered for house-refreshing projects, food and toy donation drives, senior befriending events, and beach clean-ups. In FY2025, it worked with seven community partners and engaged more than 2,600 beneficiaries.

Retailer Abry was awarded Organisations of Good (Small, Medium & Social Enterprise). It operates across six channels in Singapore and provides employment opportunities to marginalised communities. 

Abry founder Adriana Lim Escano said: “We directly employ and economically integrate three groups that Singapore’s conventional retail sector consistently overlooks: single mothers, persons with disabilities and the elderly. The retail floor is their classroom, their income and their community.”

The social enterprise runs a Mentorship Accelerator with two tracks: sales and craft skills. Over six months, trainees build skills and earn by producing goods. So far, it has trained and employed 40 individuals. 

Meanwhile, Shine Children and Youth Services, recipient of Communities of Good (Large Charity), provides early intervention and coordinated support to children and youths through various programmes such as mentoring, social work and family therapy.

Lee Meng Seng, its executive director, said: “Our work supports children and youth to strengthen their mental health and resilience; build confidence and skills in learning, language and literacy; access opportunities that support social mobility; and develop the skills and relationships to make positive choices.”

The charity works with families, schools and partners to ensure that support is sustained.