DBS Foundation

Name

DBS Foundation

Legal name

DBS Foundation Ltd.

Website

https://dbs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Grants and Awards Disbursed, Personnel, Program Operations, Partnerships and Community Outreach, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: DBS Foundation provides grant funding to social enterprises and SMEs that create positive social and/or environmental impact. Since 2015, approximately SGD 26 million has been provided to over 180 social enterprises and SMEs. The 2025 cohort awarded INR 34.40 crore (SGD 4.9 million) to 22 impact enterprises across Asia.
2. Impact Beyond Award: Flagship award program offering SGD 3 million to visionary businesses leading transformative change for vulnerable communities, building a more inclusive future.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DBS Foundation is the philanthropic arm of DBS Bank, providing catalytic grant funding and capacity-building support to purpose-driven social enterprises and SMEs across Asia. It also runs community programs addressing essential needs (food, healthcare, education), financial and digital inclusion for underserved communities, and initiatives tackling Asia's ageing challenge, complemented by DBS employee volunteering.

Product overview

DBS Foundation is a philanthropic organization that operates as a grant-making foundation focused on uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. The foundation offers structured grant programs including the DBS Foundation Grant (providing funding to social enterprises and SMEs), the Impact Beyond Award (SGD 3 million prize for transformative businesses), and various program areas covering Essential Needs (food, nutrition, healthcare, education), Financial Inclusion (digital and financial literacy), and Ageing Societies. The foundation has committed up to SGD 1 billion and 1.5 million volunteer hours over 10 years to support vulnerable communities across Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DBS Foundation Grant: Flagship grant programme helping purpose-driven businesses create a more inclusive world and bring enduring change to vulnerable communities in Asia.
• Impact Beyond Award

Products and services

• DBS Foundation Grant Competitive grant programme providing catalytic funding and capacity building support to purpose-driven social enterprises and SMEs in Asia creating measurable social or environmental impact. Open to enterprises across DBS's 19 markets.
• Impact Beyond Award SGD 3 million award recognising visionary businesses that create transformative change in the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities, building a more inclusive future for all.
• Essential Needs Programs Initiatives delivering food, nutrition, healthcare, and education support to vulnerable populations while equipping individuals with self-esteem and community connections.
• Financial Inclusion Programs Programmes equipping underserved communities with financial and digital literacy skills, financial planning support, and access to financial services and employment opportunities.
• Ageing Societies Initiative Spotlight initiative addressing Asia's ageing challenge by redefining what it means to grow older and ensuring people can live with dignity, purpose, and joy at every age.
• Generative AI Workshops for Seniors Workshops teaching seniors Generative AI skills (creating poems, spotting deepfakes) at community centres such as Lions Befrienders' Active Ageing Centre in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore, delivered in partnership with IMDA.
• 2025 DBS Foundation Grant Cohort 2025 grant cohort comprising 22 impact enterprises across Asia receiving a combined SGD 4.9 million (INR 34.40 crore) in funding, with individual grants of up to INR 1.75 crore each, projected to impact over 4.3 million people over the next two years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 million+ individuals impacted through programmes and partnerships
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Clifford CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026Infrastructure credit platform managing the Energy Transition Acceleration Finance partnership (ETAF) under Singapore's FAST-P initiative. DBS provided USD 210 million inaugural financing to ETAFCo for clean energy transition projects. DBS is the only commercial bank involved in two pillars of FAST-P.
• IMDA (Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Government partner collaborating with DBS Foundation on national initiatives to build digital capabilities. Partnership focuses on helping seniors acquire Generative AI skills through workshops at community centres.
• Lions BefrienderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Community organization hosting Generative AI workshops for seniors at their Active Ageing Centre in Ang Mo Kio, Singapore. DBS Foundation and IMDA partnered to deliver digital literacy programmes to elderly community members.
• Ikure TechsoftcoreOthers · 8 April 2025Indian healthcare technology social enterprise selected as 2025 DBS Foundation Grant recipient. Ikure Techsoft focuses on improving healthcare access for underserved communities in India, addressing critical healthcare gaps through technology-driven solutions.
• LernerncoreOthers · 8 April 2025Indian education technology social enterprise selected as 2025 DBS Foundation Grant recipient. Lernern addresses youth employability through innovative learning solutions, helping young people develop skills for the modern workforce.
• Kadam Haat BasketrycoreOthers · 8 April 2025Indian handicrafts social enterprise selected as 2025 DBS Foundation Grant recipient. Kadam Haat Basketry supports sustainable livelihoods for rural artisans through fair trade practices and market access.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Standard Chartered Foundation: Global philanthropic arm of Standard Chartered Bank, with strong Asia and emerging-market focus. Targets youth employability, financial inclusion, and community resilience — overlapping closely with DBS Foundation's focus areas and grantee profile.
• Wells Fargo Foundation: Corporate foundation of Wells Fargo, focused on housing affordability, small business growth, and financial inclusion. Operates grant programs with community partners across multiple US markets, mirroring the bank-tied foundation structure and SME support focus.
• JPMorgan Chase Foundation: Philanthropic arm of JPMorgan Chase, one of the world's largest banks. Runs multi-billion-dollar grant programs with focus on workforce development, small business, and community development — a globally comparable bank-tied foundation with similar structure and scale ambitions.
• OCBC Foundation: Philanthropic arm of OCBC Bank, one of Singapore's three major local banks. Operates with a near-identical model — grant-making, community programs, and social enterprise support across Singapore and the region — and competes directly with DBS Foundation for social impact visibility in the Singapore market.
• Bank of America Charitable Foundation: Philanthropic arm of Bank of America. Funds workforce development, housing, and community development programs, with structured grant cycles and employee volunteer engagement — directly comparable to DBS Foundation's grant-making plus volunteer model.
• UOB Foundation: Corporate foundation of United Overseas Bank (UOB), another Singapore-headquartered bank. Runs comparable grant, education, and community programs across Southeast Asia, making it a direct regional peer in both funding approach and beneficiary segments.
• Maybank Foundation: Corporate foundation of Maybank, Malaysia's largest bank. Focuses on education, community development, and social entrepreneurship across ASEAN, making it a strong regional peer with overlapping beneficiary segments and grant-making approach.
• HSBC Foundation: Philanthropic arm of HSBC Holdings, another major Asia-headquartered bank. Runs global grant programs with significant Asia allocation, focusing on education, environment, and financial inclusion — directly comparable in scale and program design to DBS Foundation.
• Citi Foundation: Philanthropic arm of Citigroup, focused on economic inclusion, youth employability, and community finance globally, with significant Asia programs. Comparable in scale, structure, and the integration of financial inclusion and SME support.

Broad incumbents

• Temasek Foundation: Singapore-based philanthropic arm of Temasek Holdings. Operates at a larger scale across diverse program areas (health, education, sustainability, community) with a broader remit than a bank-tied foundation — comparable in geographic focus and Singapore-based ecosystem, but not a banking-aligned peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/DBS/feed
• Instagraminstagram.com/dbsbank
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dbs-bank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments10 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DBS Foundation