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- Empowering innovative enterprises to enhance access to essential needs and drive inclusive growth across India and Asia
- Grant awardees to receive up to INR 1.6 crore (SGD 250,000) in funding
- Applications open until 30 June 2025
India, 20 June 2025: DBS Foundation (DBSF) is inviting applications for the 2025 edition of its flagship grant programme, which provides funding of up to ₹1.6 crore (SGD 250,000) to innovative social enterprises (SEs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Asia. Anchored in the Foundation’s mission to create impact beyond banking, the DBSF Grant supports purpose-driven businesses that uplift the lives and livelihoods of vulnerable communities. Applications will remain open until Monday, 30 June 2025.
At the heart of DBSF’s efforts are two strategic focus areas: providing essential needs and fostering inclusion. The DBSF Grant identifies and supports enterprises aligned with these priorities – whether by addressing basic needs such as food, education and healthcare (including mental health), or by enabling financial and digital inclusion.
Since its inception, the DBSF Grant has supported over 160 enterprises with more than ₹143 crore (SGD 21.5 million) in funding, enabling them to scale their businesses and amplify their impact. Of these, 23 grantees in India have received a total of ₹15.77 crore (SGD 2.38 million).
The funding will support the enterprises in areas such as market expansion, product innovation, research and development, and infrastructure enhancement. Beyond funding, recipients will also gain access to a comprehensive ecosystem of support – including capacity-building programmes, mentorship, preferential access to banking solutions and DBS’ regional network – to build resilience and scale sustainably.
Claire Wong, Lead (Business for Impact), DBS Foundation, said, “Across Asia – and especially in India – we continue to witness a new wave of impact-driven businesses reimagining solutions to complex social and environmental challenges. Through the DBSF Grant, we are proud to support enterprises that are bridging critical gaps in essential needs such as healthcare and education, while also advancing digital and financial inclusion. Our aim is to accelerate the growth of these innovative changemakers who are committed to creating lasting impact.”
In India, the DBSF Grant has already empowered several enterprises to scale their impact. Organisations such as Phool, Haqdarshak and S4S Technologies have been previous recipients.
In 2024, four Indian businesses were among the 22 recipients of the DBSF Grant. These include Hasiru Dala Innovations, Atypical Advantage, Neurosynaptic Communications and Last Mile Care. Atypical Advantage is using the support to establish skills-training centres and develop inclusive learning materials for persons with disabilities. Meanwhile, Neurosynaptic Communications, which works to enhance healthcare access in rural areas, is leveraging the grant to set up two new medical consultation hubs.
The DBSF Grant is open to businesses registered and operating in any of DBS’ six core markets – Singapore, India, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Indonesia. Eligible applicants must demonstrate at least two years of proven impact, a focused plan for using the grant to scale both business and impact over the next two years, and a strong leadership team dedicated to long-term sustainability.
Applications submitted before 21:29 IST on 30 June 2025 will be considered for the 2025 cohort. For more details and to apply, visit: www.dbs.com/dbsfoundation.
