Arts and culture are integral to life. They make our lives vibrant and they should be accessible for all.

The new WeCare Arts Experiences will enable the less privileged to attend ticketed arts presentations for free.

Come 2021, information about a charity will be better presented on the Charity Portal to assist donors in making informed decisions when giving. This initiative will increase transparency, strengthen public trust in charities, and facilitate safer giving.

To help charities be ready for the digital future, the Commissioner of Charities (COC) will publish a GoDigital Kit in 2020. This will guide charities as they kickstart their digitalisation journey.

COC will also work with its partners to introduce solutions for smaller charities, to enhance productivity and protection against cyber security threats.

Eight more SG Cares Volunteer Centres (VC) will be appointed by the end of this year. Together with six other VCs that were appointed as of 2019, these VCs will serve the needs of their respective towns.

The VCs will also help to strengthen the SG Cares Community Networks by engaging with key partners and facilitating tighter coordination to address the volunteering needs in each town.

RSVP Singapore will support our seniors in giving back to society by matching them to suitable volunteering opportunities. It aims to reach out to 30,000 seniors this year.

MCCY will continue to work with partners such as People’s Association, Agency for Integrated Care and schools, to grow more volunteering opportunities for seniors in their neighbourhoods.

Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) will continue to champion youth volunteerism. Through Programme X, it will equip youth to create impactful community service projects, while Ask YCS will offer advice on ground-up projects.

SG Cares Volunteer Centres (VCs) will also work with YCS to grow youth volunteer networks in neighbourhoods. A pilot will run at SG Cares VC in Woodlands, in partnership with Care Corner Singapore and Republic Polytechnic.

SportCares programmes help vulnerable segments of society have more opportunities and access to sporting programmes.

It will reach out to 4,500 children and youth this year through Communities of Care’s (COC) efforts, where $600,000 in COC grants will be disbursed to 18 projects and 31 SportCares bursary recipients.

Since 2013, SportCares has reached out to more than 36,000 individuals.

The Business and IPC Partnership Scheme (BIPS) also encourages businesses to use their skills and abilities to meet community needs by partnering with Institutions of a Public Character. It is now easier to apply for BIPS and its run is extended to 31 Dec 2021.

To sustain and grow the giving culture, the Community Foundation of Singapore will introduce a national initiative to encourage legacy giving later this year. Legacy giving refers to a planned, future gift that designates a portion of a person’s assets as a donation to charity. The initiative aims to make planned charitable giving a social norm.

The National Heritage Board will partner shop owners in heritage precincts to co-create “mini-museums” that showcase the history of their respective businesses. The initiative will be rolled out in five precincts by 2022, allowing the community to take ownership of their heritage, and develop capabilities in heritage documentation, promotion and conservation.

The National Heritage Board will continue to partner Singaporeans to promote and safeguard our intangible cultural heritage through means such as recognition schemes and funding support.

Singaporeans can also look forward to the results of our bid to inscribe Hawker Culture in Singapore on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2020.

From April 2020, Singaporeans aged 65 and above will have free access to ActiveSG swimming pools and gyms. This is to encourage our seniors to stay active and engaged through sports.

From April 2020, the Team Nila Silver Champions scheme will enable seniors aged 60 and above to stay active through sport volunteerism. Volunteers will promote sport and exercises at ActiveSG Sport Centres.

Team Nila Silver Champions and Team Nila Youths will also be trained as Sport Centres’ ambassadors to engage their community and raise awareness of the Centres’ programmes.

The Punggol Regional Sport Centre will hold its groundbreaking in 2020 and be completed by 2023. There will also be new Sport-in-Precinct facilities at Sengkang South and Pasir Ris East.

The Kallang Football Hub will be ready by 2020, and development of the Kallang Tennis Centre will start later in 2020. SportSG is studying the feasibility of a velodrome in Kallang.

Five ActiveSG facilities will be refreshed by 2022. All suitable indoor sports hall and fenced fields in public primary and secondary schools will be open for public use by 2021.

There are currently eight ActiveSG gyms that are inclusive and senior-friendly. By 2026, all ActiveSG gyms in Singapore will be inclusive and senior-friendly to cater to people of all abilities and ages.

SportSG will also continue to work closely with the public, and private sectors to increase access and participation in sports by persons with disabilities.

To complement students’ learning in schools, the National Heritage Board will expand Museum-based Learning. All Primary 6 and Secondary 2 students will visit the Asian Civilisations Museum and National Museum of Singapore respectively to better experience our heritage and history.

The National Arts Council and National Library Board will collaborate on a national online repository of Singapore arts. They will partner the arts community to digitise content, including works by local arts icons and groups. The repository will build capabilities in research and documentation in the arts community, and capture knowledge for future generations of Singaporeans.

A digital Cultural Concierge will aggregate events and provide users with personalised recommendations. It will also integrate services such as a chatbot. It will be rolled out in phases from 2021 - 2022, with the first phase live by March 2021. It follows a study by the National Arts Council and Esplanade to better understand consumers’ needs and behaviours.

Together with the private sector, the National Arts Council (NAC) will offer funding support to encourage smaller arts organisations to develop robust governance structures, demonstrate effective stewardship of funds, and put on meaningful programmes. The stART Fund aims to support about 100 arts groups.

The Esplanade will collaborate with other cultural institutions to expand the content in Offstage, a multimedia web platform for performing arts content. It will also explore ways to reach out to new audiences by cross-sharing content and live-streaming performances.

Together with the community, MCCY and the National Arts Council (NAC) will enhance the Busking Scheme. Busking@*SCAPE is a new platform for young performers to showcase their talents without having to audition. NAC will also introduce busking zones and a digital scheduling tool for busking to meet the needs of buskers, audiences, venue owners and place-makers.

The Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM) will re-open in 2021 as a dedicated children’s museum. Through immersive, multisensory displays and role-play activities, young visitors will learn about a wide range of topics, including the heritage and culture of Singapore and the region. It will feature SPM’s collection of philatelic materials and items from the National Collection.

MCCY will invest up to $175 million from 2020 - 2025 to encourage active citizenry and develop ground-up partnerships. This includes a $20 million top-up to Our Singapore Fund, which will also be enhanced to make it easier for Singaporeans to find and apply for support and contribute ideas. The remaining amount will be set aside for MCCY and other government agencies to grow partners’ organisational capabilities, so they can deliver impactful initiatives that address societal needs.

SportSG will continue to work with the Ministry of Education, schools and partners to increase sports participation for children and youth.

From 2020, more pre-schoolers will benefit from a programme to develop their fundamental movement skills.

Primary and secondary school students will also have the opportunity to be exposed to different sports. They can also pursue Athletics and Ethnic Dance even if they are not offered in their schools as CCAs.

The National Youth Sports Institute satellite facility will shift to a bigger space at the former Police Coast Guard Headquarters at 5 Stadium Lane. The facility will be equipped with a multi-disciplinary integrated sport science support, and an all-weather training base for more carded youth athletes.

The new "Temasek Foundation Inspire Fund for Athletes" will provide campaign funding for athletes who represent Singapore in international competitions, and who do not already receive support from the High Performance Sports System.

The Fund will make available $100,000 annually, and will be jointly administered by SportSG and the National Youth Sports Institute. There will be a grant call twice a year for athletes to apply.

ITE, polytechnic and university students will have more opportunities to visit ASEAN, China and India under the new Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP). Each AEP trip can range from four days to four weeks, and youth can learn about different industries and cultures and interact with their counterparts overseas. There will be funding for accommodation, meals and airfare. The National Youth Council will work with the educational institutes on designing the programme.

MCCY and National Youth Council have been working with youth since 2019 to co-create spaces along the Somerset Belt to turn it into a vibrant youth precinct. Incorporating youth feedback, the Somerset Belt masterplan will feature an active area for exciting activities and programming, and a quiet area for people to hang out and chill.

MCCY and National Youth Council have been working with youth since 2019 to co-create spaces along the Somerset Belt to turn it into a vibrant youth precinct. Incorporating youth feedback, the Somerset Belt masterplan will feature an active area for exciting activities and programming, and a quiet area for people to hang out and chill.