Income Generated by Grassroots Organisations from Community Trade Fairs

23 Mr Png Eng Huat asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth for FY2015/16 what is (i) the amount of income earned by grassroots organisations (GROs) from community trade fairs, (ii) the percentage of the earned income used by GROs for welfare assistance, scholarships and bursaries and (iii) the amount of sponsorships in kind and cash collected by the GROs for staging community events.

Mr Chan Chun Sing (for the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth): Grassroots organisations (GROs) help the People's Association achieve its mission of building cohesive communities. Amongst its many community building activities, GROs help organise various community service programmes, such as those that help seniors remain active in the community and support needy families.

To help fund some of these activities, GROs raised about $27 million in sponsorships and donations and $7 million from community trade fairs in financial year (FY) 2015/2016.

In FY2015/2016, GROs also gave out $10 million in direct financial help such as welfare assistance, scholarships and bursaries. This complements Government assistance programmes for residents who need a bit more help.