Our natural and built environments have grown to be more conducive for living, working, playing and learning through the years, thanks to the active participation, donations and other forms of support from the community, corporates and civic agencies for the Garden City Fund's projects and initiatives. Our continued well-being is enhanced through these efforts.
As we look back at the projects that were completed in the past year, I would like to acknowledge the key role that our donors have played in making them happen.
The Mingxin Foundation Rambler's Ridge, OCBC Arboretum and Singapore's first Seed Bank at the Singapore Botanic Gardens would not have been possible without the generous donations from our partners. Their support also took our greenery efforts to new places such as the industrial areas under JTC.
The Plant-A-Tree (PAT) programme continues to be an excellent vehicle for the community to be actively involved in the greening of Singapore. It also supports our education and conservation programmes to connect people with nature.
Since PAT's establishment in 2007, over 37,000 trees have been pledged by more than 660 corporations and some 3,000 individuals.
I am especially encouraged by the support of corporations such as Shimano, Shimizu, Maybank and UPS, who have participated in the programme year after year. In addition, I would like to acknowledge the support of Keppel Corporation, which has committed $3 million to plant 10,000 trees over 10 years as part of the One Million Trees movement.
Support from the public, private and people sector is also a key driver behind the development of Pasir Panjang Park, the first park in Singapore to be designed and built together with the community, for the community. I am encouraged by PSA's lead and contribution to the park's development.
Community support and engagement will become even more critical as we work towards our vision of a City in Nature, and the Garden City Fund will continue to be an important platform for driving this engagement.
Whether you are a public or private sector organisation or an individual, I invite you to join us in this effort and forge closer bonds with one another through active stewardship of the environment.
Prof Leo Tan
Garden City Fund Chairman
Charity Registration Number/
Unique Entity Number:
T02CC1634C
Charity Registration Date:
19 November 2002
IPC Number:
IPC000104
Auditor:
Ernst & Young LLP
The Garden City Fund (GCF) is a registered charity and an Institution of Public Character (IPC), with its registered address at National Parks Board, Singapore Botanic Gardens, 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259569.
It seeks to enhance the enjoyment of our City in Nature by working with corporations and individuals to support the development of amenities and special features in Singapore's green spaces; community activities and programmes that promote awareness, research and education in nature and conservation; and citizen involvement to encourage greater ownership of our City in Nature.
The Board of NParks serves as the trustee of the GCF and has appointed the GCF Management Committee to plan, develop, promote and manage the GCF in accordance with its Trust Deed.
The GCF Management Committee comprises mainly non-executive members except for the GCF Secretary Dr Leong Chee Chiew, who is also the Executive Director, National Parks, Gardens & Nature Reserves Cluster; and the Commissioner of Parks & Recreation.
Between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, the total amount of cash donation income through the GCF was about $6.8 million.
The members of the 9th GCF Management Committee were appointed from 1 November 2018 to 31 October 2020.
The 9th GCF Management Committee for the Year in Review
Appointment | Name | Attendance at Management Committee Meeting |
Chairman | Professor Leo Tan* | 4/4 |
Treasurer | Mr Goh Kong Aik | 2/4 |
Secretary | Dr Leong Chee Chiew* | 4/4 |
Members | Mr Tan Khin Nguan* | 3/4 |
Mrs Kirtida Mekani* | 3/4 | |
Mr Daren Shiau | 3/4 | |
Mr Cheng Hsing Yao | 1/4 |
*These members have continued to serve for more than 10 consecutive years. Their wealth of knowledge, services and expertise have guided the charity to reach out to corporates and individuals for funding support, and ensured sound governance of the charity. As professionals in their own right, they have also contributed to a balanced composition in the committee, with diverse mix of backgrounds and experience to meet the growing needs of the charity.
As part of the GCF Accountability and Governance Framework, any member of the Board, Committee or Sub-committee has to give prior written disclosure of any actual or potential conflict of interest for any transaction or project in connection with the GCF, and will not be able to participate or cast a vote in the transaction/project.
The creation of a City in Nature is a collaborative effort bolstered by support from private and public sector organisations and individuals through the Garden City Fund (GCF). The importance of these partnerships was showcased in an exhibition on "Singapore's Greening Journey: 200 Years and Beyond", which was sponsored by City Developments Limited (CDL), a long-time partner of GCF. The exhibition ran from June to November 2019 at the CDL Green Gallery, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Corporate support played an important role in our research and conservation efforts to intensify nature. In October 2019, the OCBC Arboretum was opened at Singapore Botanic Gardens' Gallop Extension. The first-of-its-kind high-tech arboretum in Southeast Asia will house more than 2,000 specimens of over 200 species of Dipterocarps. OCBC Bank generously donated $4 million to this undertaking, which will also include the transformation of one of Singapore's first black and white bungalows into a knowledge centre for conservation.
Another project is the Mingxin Foundation Rambler's Ridge at the Gallop Extension, which gives visitors a hiking trail inspired by unique forest habitats on the tropical hills of Southeast Asia.
Private sector organisations also played a significant role in the setting up of Singapore's first Seed Bank, which was opened at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in July 2019. Goh Foundation, HSBC, Goldbell Foundation, Yokogawa Engineering Asia Pte Ltd, Alfa Tech, Kirtida & Bharat Mekani, Britesparx Design Pte Ltd and Benel Singapore were amongst some of the key contributors to this project. Fundraising efforts will continue with the aim of raising another $5 million to support the Seed Bank's work over the next 10 years.
In another conservation project, Panasonic Asia Pacific contributed to the NParks Firefly Species Recovery Programme, aimed at understanding the optimal living conditions for the mangrove firefly population and improving the firefly habitat in the Pasir Ris Park mangrove zone. Meanwhile, an anonymous contribution of $250,000 helped support various initiatives at the newly-opened Thomson Nature Park including educational and conservation programmes and forest restoration projects.
Working with like-minded partners has enabled the charity to reach out to more corporations. In partnership with JTC, more than 40 companies in the aerospace industry in Seletar have raised over $125,000 to support the Greening our Workplace @ Seletar Aerospace Park (GROW@ SAP) programme, which covers greening efforts in Seletar Aerospace Park and Hampstead Wetlands Park, a new park developed by JTC and NParks.
In 2019, the GCF's Plant-A-Tree (PAT) programme made significant inroads into industrial areas. Close to 70 percent of companies on Jurong Island pledged their support to plant more than 30,000 trees there and over half a million dollars were raised for this cause from more than 60 companies.
PAT gained further momentum with new organisations coming on board the One Million Trees movement. They included Keppel Corporation (Labrador Nature Reserve), Deloitte (Windsor Nature Park), Rhodium Resources (Punggol Park Connector) and Chanel (Changi Beach Park). Other notable PAT contributions included the planting of 140 trees at Dairy Farm Nature Park by OCBC Bank on 1 June 2019.
Public and private sector organisations have also come together to support community initiatives like the upcoming Pasir Panjang Park. The project saw the onboarding of PSA as both a contributor through its funding of $3.5 million and an active partner involved in co-creating the park.
The Community Garden Festival 2019, held at Jurong Lake Gardens, is another community initiative made possible in part through the generous support of Singapore Pools and Ikea.
GCF rallies donor support in efforts to build up capacity and skills in the landscape industry. A generous donation of $10 million over 10 years will be used to fund the newlyestablished NParks-Peter Lim Horticulture and Animal Science Scholarship for deserving, less-privileged youth to pursue their interest in horticulture, landscape design, environmental sciences, ecology and animal science. This donation is the largest single contribution from an individual in the history of GCF.
Looking forward, GCF pledges to continue working alongside our stakeholders in furthering NParks' conservation, research and outreach initiatives so as to cultivate in the community the love and ownership in preserving Singapore's legacy as a City in Nature.
Visit www.gardencityfund.gov.sg for more information.
We acknowledge and thank the following donors who have generously supported our City in Nature efforts, including those who wish to remain anonymous.
Donations listed above are of a minimum amount of $1,000.
We thank all other individuals and organisations who have given to the charity, including in-kind donations.