Charity Awards
About the Charity Awards
The Charity Awards recognise charities that exemplify the highest standards of transparency and governance. Run by the Charity Council and Office of the Commissioner of Charities, the Awards celebrate outstanding achievements of these charities, strengthen the charity sector and inspire the wider charity sector to adopt similar best practices. There are 3 award categories:
• Champions of Governance and Transparency
• PILLAR of Trust Award
• Beacons of Governance Award
Why charities should participate in the Charity Awards
Build Public Trust
• Donor Confidence: Award recipients receive external validation of their commitment to sound governance, transparency, and accountability. This gives the public, donors, and grantmakers greater confidence that the charity is being responsibly and effectively stewarded.
• Credibility: Strong transparency and governance build public trust and legitimacy, enabling charities to earn stakeholder support, mobilise resources more effectively, and sustain their impact for those they serve.
Identify Strengths and Areas for Improvement
• Self-Reflection: The participation process serves as a practical self-diagnostic tool, prompting boards and management to take stock of their governance strengths and identify areas for improvement.
• Feedback: Participating charities will receive a feedback report to help guide improvements in their transparency and governance practices.
Capability Building and Resources
• Unified Roadmap: The PILLAR Framework consolidates key governance expectations into a single practical guide, giving charities a clear picture of what good governance looks like and where to direct their improvement efforts.
• Access to Expertise: Participating charities may be connected to relevant learning opportunities, sector resources, and capability-building programmes such as "GovernWell: Excellence in Charity Leadership" to support their governance journey.
Inspire Sector Learning
• Setting the Standard: Charities with strong governance practices serve as practical benchmarks for others in the sector to learn from and aspire to.
• Community Learning: Winners may be invited to share their experiences at sector events, fostering peer learning and a culture of continuous improvement across the charity sector.
Recognition
• Winners will receive a certificate and the Charity Awards logo, which can be displayed on their websites, social media platforms, and other publicity materials — a visible mark of their commitment to governance and transparency.
Award Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Charity Awards, charities must meet the following criteria:
- Be a registered/exempt charity and /or an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) which has been in operation in Singapore
Have submitted their Annual reports (AR), Financial Statements (FS) and Governance Evaluation Checklist (GEC) on time for the last financial year. (i.e.: FY2025)
Have gross annual receipts of not less than $50,000 in the last financial year (i.e.: FY2025)
Category
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Definition (in accordance with the Code of Governance for Charities and IPCs 2023)
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Tier 1
| • Small and Medium Non- IPC Charities: With gross annual receipts or total expenditure (whichever is higher) from $50,000 to less than $10 million.
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Tier 2
| • All IPCs
• Large Non- IPC Charities: With gross annual receipts or total expenditure (whichever is higher) of $10 million or more.
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How to participate in the Charity Awards
Eligible charities that are interested in participating should complete a self-assessment of the
PILLAR Framework and submit their assessment via this link -
Champions of Governance and Transparency Award between 1 July 2026 to 31 October 2026.
Resources
Charities can refer to the below additional resources to learn more about the PILLAR Framework and how to participate in the Charity Awards:
Consultation Clinics
To help charities complete the PILLAR Framework self-assessment, complimentary consultation clinics facilitated by students from Singapore Management University and SUSS are available for registration.
For more information on the consultation clinics and to register for a session, please click
here. Alternatively, you can reach out to the Charity Council Secretariat at
Charity_Council_Sec@mccy.gov.sg.
Judging Process
Champions of Governance and Transparency
The Charity Council has partnered with Singapore Management University and SUSS as independent assessors for the first round of PILLAR Framework assessments, followed by a validation review by professionals from the Institute of Internal Auditors Singapore to ensure robustness, consistency, and fairness.
Charities that meet the assessment threshold under the PILLAR Framework will receive the
Champions of Governance and Transparency award.
PILLAR of Trust Award and Beacons of Governance Award
(By Invitation Only): Charities that perform strongly under the PILLAR Framework will be shortlisted to participate in
PILLAR of Trust Award & Beacons of Governance Award.
Participating entrants for the
PILLAR of Trust Award are required to complete an Assessment Questionnaire, with each response scored accordingly. Shortlisted finalists will then be invited for an interview with an independent judging panel, facilitated by Ernst & Young (EY).
The appointed judging panel will interview shortlisted charities to assess how they demonstrate strong governance practices against the award criteria before determining the recipient(s) of the
PILLAR of Trust Award.
Charities that have demonstrated commendable practices in the following areas will be awarded the
Beacons of Governance Award under the respective principles:
1. Purpose Driven Mission
2. Integrity and Ethics
3. Leadership and Governance
4. Long Term Planning
5. Accountability
6. Reputation and Communications
To maintain the integrity, consistency and efficiency of the awards process, the judges' decision will be final. Appeals or correspondence regarding the results will not be considered.
Timeline
Champions of Governance and Transparency Award
| • Charities are required to complete a self-assessment of the PILLAR Framework and submit their participation form via the online awards platform.
Application Period: 1 July 2026 to 31 October 2026
• Submissions will be reviewed by student assessors from Singapore Management University and the Singapore University of Social Sciences, with scores validated by professionals from the Institute of Internal Auditors Singapore.
Timeline: November 2026 to April 2027 |
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(By Invitation Only)
PILLAR of Trust Award & Beacons of Governance Award
| • Charities that perform strongly under the PILLAR Framework will be shortlisted to participate in the PILLAR of Trust Award and the Beacons of Governance Award.
• Shortlisted charities are required to complete an Assessment Questionnaire, and finalists will be invited for an interview with an independent judging panel facilitated by EY.
Timeline: May 2027 to August 2027 |
Results
| • All winners will be notified by October 2027 and recognised at the awards ceremony in November 2027.
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Strengthening Governance, Transparency, And Trust
A Charity Guide To The Pillar Framework
The PILLAR Framework (‘framew
ork’) is a harmonised framework that consolidates requirements from the Code of Governance for Charities and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs), the Governance Evaluation Checklist (GEC), Charity Transparency Framework (CTF), the Charity Governance Awards Assessment Guide (CGA), and key legislative and regulatory obligations into a single, integrated framework.
This framework was initiated by the Charity Council in collaboration with the Singapore University of Social Sciences to refresh and improve the evaluation framework for the Charity Awards. Charities are encouraged to adopt the framework to achieve the following benefits:
a) Strengthen Internal Governance
b) Enhance Capability and Resilience
c) Benchmark Against Sector Expectations
d) Participate in the Charity Awards
For a more comprehensive understanding of the framework, charities are encouraged to refer to the ‘
A Charity Guide to the PILLAR Framework’, which covers its background, significance, and the skills and resources needed to drive transparency and governance.
