The DBS Foundation, part of DBS Bank, is dedicated to uplifting lives and livelihoods by fostering financial resilience and inclusion across Asia, specifically targeting Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China. Central to its mission is supporting social enterprises that address critical societal needs through sustainable business practices, including the DBS Foundation Grant.

Since 2015, DBS Foundation has provided about SGD 26 million in grant funding to over 180 social enterprises and SMEs to scale their business models and deepen their impact. The grant has nurtured a strong network of Businesses for Impact across Asia and, since 2024, has focused on scaling innovative social enterprises (SEs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that help create a more inclusive world and bring enduring change to vulnerable communities in Asia.

The Learning Lab on DBS Foundation Grant 2026

INTRA Institute’s Learning Lab collaborated with DBS Foundation for an info session, featuring DBS Foundation’s Riany Agustina, SVP Communications and Impact Beyond Banking, as well as Elisa Yoshigoe Wijaya, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of DoctorTool, as one of DBS Foundation’s past grant awardees, to share insights and experience regarding the grant. Moderated by Dara Mawar, Angin Dampak Jaya’s Advisory Associate, the session also granted participants the opportunity to practice their pitch, with direct feedback from the session’s speakers.

Discussing the DBS Foundation Grant 

The first session focused on dissecting the DBS Foundation Grant itself, with Riany Agustina, SVP Communications and Impact Beyond Banking, taking the stage as speaker. As SVP Communications and Impact Beyond Banking, it is part of her duty to ensure the accurate implementation and utilization of the grant.

During the session, Riany unraveled the motivations behind the implementation of the DBS Foundation Grant, thus becoming an important element in the grant’s selection process and criteria. She highlighted several aspects of the grant during her session, including the organizational type, business maturity level, and specific socially impactful sectors targeted by the foundation, among which is the health sector. 

To qualify for funding, the DBS Foundation requires applicants to demonstrate robust operational planning and a sustainable business model. Submissions must include clear financial projections and evidence of a legal entity status to prove the enterprise can effectively utilize grant funds to scale its operations.

Another aspect of the selection process she shared during the session was the pitching session. Riany explained the important elements DBS Foundation looks for in a pitch, and clarify on what DBS Foundation is looking for might be different from other grant-based programs. She emphasized the importance of explaining your business model, scale-up program, and future milestones clearly in your pitch, so that DBS Foundation can explicitly see the impact their grant could bring through your social enterprises.

Riany closed her session by reminding participants of the registration & selection timeline, as the registration for the 2026 batch is only open until July 13.

Grant Awardee Sharing Session by DoctorTool

Following Riany Agustina’s segment of explaining the ins-and-outs of the DBS Foundation Grant, the Learning Lab session granted participants more contextual understanding of the grant through a sharing session with one of DBS Foundation’s grant awardees, DoctorTool. Elisa Yoshigoe Wijaya, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of DoctorTool, shared her experience as a grantee, starting with how she and her team successfully unlocked the grant in 2024.

Elisa shared how, for the selection process, participants need to be able to highlight their social impact with the right narrative and angle. While social enterprises can bring many potential impacts, the task of convincing the selection board is a different task altogether.  Potential grant recipients must clearly articulate their current stage of development, specifically addressing whether the business is currently breaking even and what strategies they will implement to reach profitability.

In addition, Elisa discussed the importance of a comprehensive five-year plan, emphasizing that businesses must translate their ideas into concrete projects. She noted that effective social enterprises should understand their specific market, including the needs of underserved communities and their beneficiaries, and align their activities with capital efficiency to achieve financial sustainability. These aspects are very important to the Foundation to ensure the sustainability & purpose of their grants.

Mock Pitching Session for DBS Foundation Grant

To close the Learning Lab session, participants were given the opportunity to practice their pitches in front of the speaker panel. Participants also directly received feedback on their pitches; valuable information to improve their session and increase the probability of being selected as DBS Foundation’s grant awardee of 2026.

The two selected enterprises to share their pitch were Puffer and Quality Farm. Puffer is a Jakarta-based water treatment system company, focused on recycling wastewater for sanitation or utility needs, prolonging the use of water and ensuring a better water cycle. Quality Farm is a Cianjur-based agricultural company, specializing in fresh organic produce with local community empowerment programs and grassroots-level capacity building for a better value chain. 

Both enterprises show great promise in their pitches. Riani Agustina’s feedback focused on the essence of the pitch, reminding participants of the balance between explaining their business and impact during their turns. Elisa, however, focused on the structure and duration of the performances, emphasizing featuring the numbers & key performances at the beginning of the session to give the “wow factor” context for their businesses. 

Wrapping Up the Session

As the Learning Lab x DBS Foundation session came to an end, both speakers and participants eagerly awaited the results of this year’s DBS Foundation Grant award. 

For more information, contact the DBS Foundation team or send an email to Angin Dampak Jaya.