Press Releases
SHWF urges community to help the disadvantaged
The Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, urged the business
community and welfare sector to join with the Government to help the
disadvantaged.
He was officiating at the kick-off ceremony for the Partnership Fund for the
Disadvantaged today (March 7).
To promote the development of a tripartite partnership among the Government, the
business community and the welfare sector to help the disadvantaged, the Chief
Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, highlighted in his 2005 Policy Address the setting
up of a $200 million Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged. This is one of the
Government's key initiatives to help the needy.
Dr Chow explained that the Fund aimed to give incentives to the welfare sector
to expand their network in seeking and securing corporate participation; and to
encourage the business sector to take up more social responsibility in helping
to create a cohesive, harmonious and caring society.
"We have already seen such partnerships in action but we hope that we can
encourage more of these partnerships with the establishment of this fund so as
to promote the concept of shared responsibilities among different sectors in the
community," Dr Chow added.
The Fund will allocate about $190 million for non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) in the welfare sector to apply to launch projects to help the
disadvantaged. Grants to NGOs will be calculated in accordance with the
contributions from business corporations, in cash or in kind, on a
dollar-for-dollar matching basis.
The rest of about $10 million will be used to carry out various support measures
to facilitate the formation and sustainability of tripartite partnership. These
measures include commissioning research, evaluative studies or projects,
establishing and maintaining a web-based platform, and conducting promotional
activities.
Bona-fide NGOs having tax-exempted status under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue
Ordinance may apply for the Fund from today onwards.
"We hope the Fund could encourage more NGOs and business companies to establish
and maintain partnership in helping the needy," Dr Chow said.
As the Commission on Poverty has agreed the general direction to adopt a
community-based approach in helping the poor, he also encouraged the business
corporations and NGOs to consider putting forward more proposals for the Fund in
districts with greater needs so that more community resources can be targeted at
those districts.
The present plan is that funding will be open for application in two rounds. To
encourage participation of NGOs and in order that the Fund will benefit the
largest number of NGOs possible, each applicant NGO will be allowed to submit
only one application in the first round and allocation for each successful
application will be capped at a maximum of $500,000. There is no limit on the
amount of contribution from the business corporations.
It is expected that vetting of the first-round applications could start in the
second quarter of this year and disbursement of grants for successful
applications could be made afterwards.
Project proposals meeting the following conditions are eligible for application:
* The proposal should be an initiative in support of the Government's welfare
policy but currently not receiving funding support from the Government in any
form or from any established charitable Trusts/Foundations etc.
* The initiative should be delivered in Hong Kong, and would benefit directly
the welfare of the underprivileged groups such as people with disability,
elderly people with inadequate social support, children from deprived families
and victims of family violence/abuse, etc.
* Contributions should be made by business corporations registered and operating
their business in Hong Kong.
* The proposal submitted by applicant NGO should have business corporation's
contribution in cash, in kind or a combination of the two.
The Advisory Committee of the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged, was set up
in early February this year to examine funding applications and all matters
relating to the operation of the Fund. Guidelines had been drawn up to monitor
the use of allocation by the successful applicants.
The Advisory Committee, chaired by the Director of Social Welfare, comprises 10
non-official members from the welfare, business and academic sectors. They are:
Ms Ellen Chan Kit-wing, The Rev Dorothy Lau, Mrs Julie Lee Lau Chu-lai, Mr Ma
Siu-leung, Prof Mok Bong-ho, Ms Theresa Tao Chee Ying, Dr Jimmy Wong Chi-ho, Mr
Charles Yang Chuen-liang, Mr Yeung Po-kwan and Dr Yue Kwok-to.
Meanwhile, eight prominent personalities from the chambers of commerce, the Hong
Kong Trade Development Council, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the
Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau have agreed to be the Honorary Advisors
for the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged. They are Mr Anthony Nightingale,
Mr Ian Fok Chun Wan, Mr Kenneth Ting, Dr Jose Yu, Mr Chan Kwok-wai, Mr Bernard
Chan, Mr Fred Lam and Mr Philip Yung Wai-hung.
Application forms and application guides can be downloaded from the Social
Welfare Department's (SWD) website at http://www.info.gov.hk/swd/html_tc/index.html.
Completed application forms (one soft and two hard copies) with all supporting
documents are to be submitted to the Subventions Section of the Social Welfare
Department at Room 2353, 23/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
on or before May 31, 2005. For enquiries, please call the section at 2116 4294.
The Permanent Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Mrs Carrie Yau, and the
Director of Social Welfare, Mr Paul Tang Kwok-wai, also officiated at the
ceremony today. Some 500 guests from different business organisations and NGOs
were present to show their support to the Fund.
Ends/Monday, March 7, 2005
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