Celebrating Singapore’s growing arts philanthropy

Ms Goh Swee Chen, Chair of the National Arts Council,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. I am delighted to join you at this year’s Patron of the Arts Awards.

2. Tonight we celebrate all of you, our patrons, for your dedication and generosity in helping the arts to flourish in Singapore.

3. It is especially meaningful for me to join you at this year’s award ceremony, which takes place as we celebrate SG60 – Singapore’s Diamond Jubilee.

4. The theme of SG60 is “Building Our Singapore Together”. And over the past sixty years, our artists and arts groups have made many significant contributions in our nation-building journey.

   1. The arts help to distil our sense of who we are, where we came from, what our aspirations are, and what we stand for as one people.

   2. They strengthen our shared identity as Singaporeans.

   3. Many of you would have seen the National Day Parade earlier this month, where artists of all stripes – young and old, from traditional and contemporary disciplines, dancers, musicians, singers, actors, visual artists and more – came together in a heartfelt show that truly showcased our unity in diversity.

   4. And they represent our much larger community of artists who work tirelessly to tell stories of Singapore and Singaporeans both at home and abroad, flying our flag high.

5. The arts scene in Singapore has grown more vibrant over the years.

   1. In 2011, there were around 7,700 performing arts activities. This has almost doubled to nearly 13,000 activities in 2024.¹

6. More Singaporeans have also come to appreciate the value of the arts.

   1. In the 2023 Population Survey on the Arts, more than 3 in 4 Singaporeans agreed that our arts and culture is something that Singaporeans can be proud of, and give us a sense of belonging.

7. Beyond the arts sector, the arts also play a positive role in a wide range of sectors, including education, healthcare, and active ageing.

   1. For instance, one of the supported organisations this year is Jojomama, a social enterprise with a team of differently abled artisans. They run programmes to promote mental well-being and community resilience.

   2. These programmes show us how the arts can be used to build a more connected and inclusive Singapore.

8. The arts shape our Singapore Spirit, and our local arts groups are steadily growing and gaining traction and support. On our part, the Government remains firmly committed to investing in the arts. We have stepped up our support for the arts in a number of ways.

   1. A key part of this is to grow our local audience.

   2. In a couple of weeks, from 1 September, Singapore Citizens aged 18 and above will be able to use your SG Culture Pass credits to buy tickets for local arts and heritage programmes. We hope that this will spark interest in the arts and culture amongst more Singaporeans, and generate more support for our local practitioners.

   3. We are also focusing on funding and talent development for the arts. This year, we topped up the Cultural Matching Fund by S$100 million, and also expanded the number of arts scholarships.

9. Since joining MCCY, I have been meeting various stakeholders to hear their concerns and understand their needs. For the arts community, space and arts housing continue to be a challenge. In addition to our industry-led arts housing efforts at Kampong Java, we have also started to engage the wider arts community to study the sector’s space needs more comprehensively, to see how we can help create more room for their collective dreams and aspirations.

10. And we need to continue these as a whole-of-society effort.

    1. I greatly appreciate the critical role that you, our donors and patrons, play – through financial donations as well as in-kind contributions such as spaces for artistic creation and showcase.

11. Arts patronage has grown significantly.

    1. This year marks a record high for the number of awardees since the Patron of the Arts Awards first started in 1983.

    2. Collectively, 515 corporations and individuals, including 175 new patrons, have contributed more than S$45 million in cash and kind this year.

    3. Of these, 412 are individual awardees – that’s double the number from four years ago.

    4. I am especially encouraged to see our young patrons among those giving, such as Ms Cherie Lee. Cherie contributed to Nam Hwa Opera because she felt that their mission to preserve, develop and promote traditional Teochew Opera in Singapore resonated strongly.

12. This growth in individual donors is complemented by strong corporate support for the arts.

    1. I am very heartened to see businesses of different sizes leaning forward to support our arts groups in various ways – not only through cash donations but also by contributing spaces, food, corporate support and publicity.

    2. These have allowed our artists and arts groups to enhance their offerings and draw in a much wider audience.

    3. For example, Suntec Singapore, one of our Patrons, provided 20 in-kind sponsorships of media spaces in their Mall and Convention Centre to increase the visibility of exhibitions by artists like Cheong Soo Pieng, Teo Eng Seng, and Kim Lim.

    4. Mapletree Investments also provided venue sponsorships at Vivocity and Mapletree Business City to widen access to the arts, both among office workers in the area as well as the general public.

    5. Every contribution helps our artists and arts groups innovate, develop new capabilities, and contribute to our unique cultural heritage.

13. We are also very encouraged that you have made contributions to support the long-term growth of Singapore’s arts ecosystem. This came through in three areas:

    1. First, supporting our next generation of artists. This year, we saw contributions to scholarships and bursaries such as the NAFA Education Fund and the Yong Siew Toh Master of Music Scholarship Fund. This support will help aspiring artists gain the skills and training that they need to take the sector forward, in the future.

    2. Second, nurturing the growth of up-and-coming arts companies. Donors gave more than S$1 million to NAC’s Sustain the Arts Fund beneficiaries, including Nine Years Theatre, Orchestra of the Music Makers, and Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts. This will help smaller arts companies develop and get onto a more sustainable footing.

    3. Third, supporting initiatives that preserve our cultural heritage. For instance, patrons supported Chinese opera group Tang Renaissance in their efforts to promote Traditional Arts. Such support ensures that our cultural traditions can continue to be appreciated by future generations.

14. We have come a long way in the past 60 years. And as we celebrate the record number of awardees tonight, I believe the future is bright for the arts scene in Singapore.

15. With your continued partnership and support, the best years for Singapore’s arts ecosystem lie ahead of us. I look forward to working with you to nurture a unique and vibrant arts scene that every Singaporean can be proud of.

16. Thank you once again for your generous support and contributions to the arts. I wish you a very enjoyable evening ahead.

¹ Taken from Singapore Cultural Statistics 2025.