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Annual Reports

About Lien Foundation
Who We Are
What We Do
How We Work
Our Founder
Our Affilates
Our Evaluation Policy
Talk to Us
Who We Are
George is the online embodiment of the Lien Foundation, a Singapore-based philanthropic organisation that seeks to inspire social change and improve the lives of seniors, children with special needs and those who are born into low-income homes. Overseas, we also strive to improve access to clean water and sanitation, a basic human need.
We are defined by our values — courage of conviction, creativity and a conscience that strives to do what we believe is right, even if it is not always in sync with majoritarian views. We learn from failure and believe that equity, opportunity and choice are a birthright not just for the privileged and the powerful, but even those born into the humblest of homes.
What We Do
As part of our unique brand of “radical philanthropy” we pioneer and propagate solutions that attempt to tackle the root of problems in eldercare and early childhood development in Singapore and improve access to clean water and sanitation among rural communities in southeast Asia. We also seek to ensure comfort, dignity and care for the dying in Singapore as well as in south and southeast Asia.
How We Work
Our commitment to our causes extends beyond the cheque book. We forge partnerships with driven sector champions both individuals and organisations — who can lead by example, challenge status quo and inspire social change. We lead and learn by doing and hope the solutions we pioneer can be mainstreamed by the Government, non-profits and companies alike.
Last but not least, we use research and advocacy to inform Singaporeans about the key developments, emerging gaps and abiding challenges in our areas of work and ways to overcome them. Our publications and multimedia advocacy projects are designed to seed public discourse in the hope that they can change hearts and minds with regard to policies and practices in the areas we work in.
Our ultimate goal — to work towards building a society that cares about human well-being, knowledge and growth just as much as prosperity and economic progress.
Our Founder
The Lien Foundation was set up by Dr George Lien Ying Chow (1906-2004), an eminent Asian business leader, banker and hotelier. His influence extended beyond the private sector and Singapore, as a community leader, diplomat and philanthropist. His passion for education and commitment to the community continues to guide our work. Orphaned at 10, he never had the opportunity to receive formal education. He developed a lifelong empathy for those who were similarly deprived and consistently gave a portion of his income to education-related causes.
In 1980, Dr Lien donated almost half his wealth to set up the Foundation. He had aspirations for our younger generation to strive for a better future for our nation.
 
Board
Laurence Lien, Chairman
Anita Fam
Yeoh Oon Jin
Dr Christopher Lien
Gail Lien
Margaret Lien, Governor Emeritus
Our Affiliates
Lien Centre for
Palliative Care Lien Collaborative
for Palliative Care Lien Aid Lien Environmental
Fellowship Lien Ying Chow
Legacy Fellowship Lien Centre for
Social Innovation
Our Evaluation Policy
The Foundation is committed to evaluating its programmes and projects to continuously learn and improve the effectiveness of what we do. Proper evaluation, we believe, can help shape our strategy and programme design, provide insights into the evolving needs of those we serve and keep track of outcomes and impact. We collect basic performance metrics and progress indicators for our projects and work every step of the way with our partners to learn from the past and, where possible, preempt the challenges and needs of the future.
Talk To Us
With all of eight full time staff, we are a tiny team that likes to think we punch above our weight. We would love to hear from you:
Lee Poh Wah, CEO
Gabriel Lim
Huiwen Yang
Ivan Loh
Jean Loo
Ng Tze Yong
Luo Ren
Michelle Chua
Message to Prospective Partners
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Message To
Prospective Partners

We encourage those who are keen to work with us to study the projects section of this website and learn more about our areas of interest. Unsolicited proposals are seldom funded as we prefer to design and develop high impact projects ourselves, bringing together the most appropriate individuals or organisations to drive these initiatives. However, if you have a burning desire to share an idea with us, we are ready to listen with an open mind.

As there is significant competition for our philanthropic resources, we regret that many worthy causes cannot be funded.

We will not consider requests for:

  • Projects not aligned with the Foundation’s specified focus areas.
  • Direct grants, loans, or scholarships for the benefit of specific individuals. Support for scholarships is generally provided through grants to universities and other organisations, which are responsible for the selection of recipients.
  • General fundraising appeals, gala dinners, charity golf events or corporate sponsorships.
  • Construction or maintenance of buildings.
  • Contributions that serve religious or political purposes.