MARTIN TAN

Tan launched the Singapore Strong Fund to encourage people to start their own initiatives. Individuals, groups or charities can propose ideas to help others, and approved applicants will receive up to 80 per cent of their project cost with a cap of S$5,000. “We realised early on that our ability to overcome Covid-19 isn’t the job of the government or the charity sector alone, but that of every segment of society,” Tan says. Among the 50 projects already approved are the creation of a site called ilostmygig. sg for freelancers, initiated by Nicholas Chee, founder of Sinema Media; and various grassroots efforts to pack and distribute care packages to healthcare workers, cleaners and other heroes.