Sustainable Enhancement for Eldercare and Disability services Fund (S.E.E.D. Fund)
Background
The S$1.7 million Sustainable Enhancement for Eldercare and Disability services (S.E.E.D. Fund) , is a vehicle designed to identify and address disability and eldercare issues. The S.E.E.D Fund supports new initiatives which benefit and improve the lives of persons needing care (PNCs) and their caregivers. Through this fund, CEL promotes closer industry collaboration and the sharing of best practices and findings, thus enhancing the capabilities of service providers and strengthening the national support network.
The programme’s first call for proposals in 2009 provided a chance for award applicants to test-bed their initiative with the persons needing care and their caregivers. These range from a wireless device to detect location, fall and motion to caregiver training programme and a rent-a-care helper programme. Please see Annex A for list of organisations awarded the grant in 2010.
Second Call
Building upon the success of the first call, a second call for proposals will be conducted in mid-2010. The focus of the second call will be on "Enabling Caregivers & Persons Needing Care in the 21st Century" which encourages free flow of ideas/projects in (but not limited to)the follow areas:
a. Integrated Care Solutions;
b. Assisted/Cared Living Solutions;
c. Projects relating to Caregiving Support or Social Integration of PNCs; and
d. Use of simple assistive device / technology to improve delivery of care/self-care in the home and the community
Projects may include innovation in the use of technology and assistive devices to improve home and community-based care as well as new initiatives and enhancements that value-add to the existing eldercare and disability services. The projects could include but not limited to: innovation & technology developments for assisted/cared living solutions in the community and home; e-learning through creative use of e-platforms to promote autonomy of persons needing care and capability-build community-based care sector; pilot education programmes that promote better understanding and social integration of caregivers & persons needing care; development of best practices that enable caregivers to better cope through a more efficient delivery of care & support services; health and knowledge building of caregivers through partnerships that leverage expertise amongst others.
Funding
Funding will be based on the following:
The S.E.E.D Fund seeks to support local initiatives that are original in nature. Applicants are required to indicate if their proposals are research-based; product innovations-driven (e.g. prototypes) or process innovations-driven (e.g. workflow and automation initiatives etc).
b. Fundraising initiatives are not supported.
The allocation of funding will be capped at up to 80% of the requested seed fund.
Evalution Criteria
All Singapore-registered organisations; individuals in collaboration with Singapore-registered organisations and individuals with ideas which meet the evaluation criteria below are eligible to apply for the S.E.E.D. Fund. Endorsement of projects will be based on the following criteria:
a. Potential positive impact on the lives of persons needing care
b. Degree of innovation within the eldercare or disability landscape
c. Ability of the project to self-fund
An Evaluation Form is detailed below as a guide to the S.E.E.D Fund assessment framework.
Evaluation Process
Evaluation of all S.E.E.D Fund applications will be as follows:
Step 1:
To qualify for the programme, each application will undergo preliminary assessment by CEL’s S.E.E.D Fund Secretariat before further review by an evaluation panel. The success of application will depend on each proposal’s efficacy in achieving the objectives and desired outcomes of the S.E.E.D Fund.
Step 2:
The evaluation panel will then determine the percentage of funding to be allocated to each proposal. This will be based on application details provided in an evaluation form and in some instances, a presentation to the panel will be required.
Upon completion of steps 1 and 2, successful applicants will be required to sign an agreement prior to the disbursement of any seed funding and subsequently required to submit quarterly progress updates on their initiatives. Finally, the applicant will have to submit a concluding report of the initiative once the funding has been fully disbursed.
Evaluation Panel
The evaluation panel is chaired by Prof Chong Tow Chong, Provost of the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and will comprise representatives from the following agencies:
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS)
- National Council for Social Service (NCSS)
Submissions
The second call for proposals commences on 2 August 2010 and the closing date is 30 September 2010. Interested applicants (includes the public and private sectors) may download an application form from CEL’s website (www.cel.sg). All completed forms and proposals must be submitted to The S.E.E.D Fund Programme Secretariat via e-mail addressed to evon_guo@cel.sg or as hardcopies via post to:
The S.E.E.D Fund Programme Secretariat
Attn: Ms Evon Guo
Centre for Enabled Living Ltd
Research and Planning Division
No. 7 Maxwell Road #05-08
Annexe B MND Complex
Singapore 069111
..