The Malay Heritage Foundation

Support Us

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The main objective of the Malay Heritage Foundation (MHF) is to promote and safeguard our shared heritage for all. Our shared heritage provides a common denominator for our collective identity to foster a common mindshare, a shared heart and build a strong inclusive Singapore.

“In the long term, the key to Singapore’s success lies in our sense of shared identity...we have gradually built a distinctive Singaporean culture and identity... it's in our attitudes, memories, and experiences: it is in our arts and heritage.”
Mdm Halimah Yacob
President, Republic of Singapore

MHF wants to go far and deep in preserving and growing our shared heritage. This work of cultural promotion and preservation cannot be done alone. Especially when the landscape has become more globalised, volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Giving to arts and cultural heritage often shunted aside. We hope you can embrace the gotong-royong spirit and show more solidarity in these challenging times

An African proverb says, “To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.” MHF wants to go far and deep in preserving and growing our shared heritage. This work of cultural promotion and preservation cannot be done alone. Especially when the landscape has become more globalised, volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. Giving to arts and cultural heritage often suffer a setback despite the fact that this work needs to be continued, and in some instances, is becoming more important to provide respite from our highly digital-led world. We hope you can embrace the gotong-royong spirit and show more solidarity in these challenging times.

Whether you attend a free performance at our istana (royal palace) lawn, visit our exhibitions, or attend a workshop about our culinary heritage, culture is present in many aspects of our daily lives – it is our lifestyle. It incorporates our qualities, convictions, traditions, dialects and customs. It is reflected in our history, legacy and the way we express our thoughts and imagination. It is also a key part of wellness and learning, and can play a role in healing and social development.

As our world is becoming increasingly diverse, it is becoming clear that in order to build communities that are successful at improving conditions and resolving problems, we need to understand and appreciate many cultures, establish relationships with people from cultures other than our own, and build strong alliances with different cultural groups. This has become all the more important in Singapore’s multi-ethnic and multi-cultural context.

Through our various programmes and initiatives, we want to showcase how our cultural heritage is fostered, strengthened, recorded and preserved, as well as how it is being expressed and re-interpreted.  We would also like to share how we experience both our tangible and intangible cultural heritage and the role of culture as an economic driver.

However, the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented in how it has affected life here and around the world. Our arts and culture scene has not been spared. Performances, shows, exhibitions and other arts and cultural events which are the beating heart of the arts community and the nation’s cultural life, have been cancelled or deferred. This has dealt a crippling blow to our arts and cultural practitioners, cultural workers, and their families too.

"A single stick (lidi) is brittle and easily broken. But, when many sticks are put together and form a simple broomstick (sapu lidi), it becomes more compact, harder to break apart."
- a Malay proverb (Perumpamaan sapu lidi)

This work of promotion, preservation and protection of our heritage cannot be done alone.  We need you – our Culture Backers – to support our efforts.  Your gift and contribution will enable us to continue our good work of promoting and safeguarding our shared heritage for all, and inspiring the next generation of ambassadors for a more long-term stewardship for our heritage.  Together, we can make a difference.

Our Impact

“After the internship, I realised the importance of the intangible aspects of culture which is more difficult to protect than the concrete tangible ones such as performing arts, food, clothes etc. This is where MHF comes to fill this gap in the community.”
Ms Dayana Azmi
3rd Year NUS undergraduate MHF Intern, Jan - Apr 2022

Since 2005, MHF has kept Singaporeans and foreigners aware and fostered social cohesion by partnering the National Heritage Board (NHB) and other stakeholders to showcase exhibitions, workshops, interactive programmes, docent training and guided tours at the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) and the historic precinct of Kampong Gelam, all year round. MHC, located within the former istana (royal palace) was gazetted as a National Monument in 2015. Between 2012 and 2019 (prior to the outbreak of Covid19 pandemic), our National Monument welcomed and hosted almost 5 million visitors, both locals and overseas visitors to Singapore.

To enhance its documentation efforts, bridge the knowledge gap in our community and facilitate the intergenerational transfer of knowledge, MHF launched a new serial publication on heritage known as “Singapore Malays: Our Heritage and Legacy” in 2012. Seven titles had been published so far and we hope to publish more titles in the years to come. Next, we initiated an online publication portal and in 2020, we launched a new masterclass lecture series and a heritage webinar series. These contents reach out to a wider audience as they are made available and accessible to the public through our website and social media platforms. To date, it has benefited almost 700 participants and reached out to more than 22,000 people online.

Moving forward, we hope to continue growing this community on relevant digital platforms.  In 2021, we introduced new awards to celebrate the contributions of our arts and cultural practitioners. At the same time, we also provided a sharing platform where practitioners, enthusiasts and activists can share their experiences and best practices, find out more about the latest initiatives that can help them remain viable and network to inspire more multi-disciplinary collaborations.

To engage and empower our youths, we provided an internship programme and awarded their academic excellence. Then, we started a youth-led discursive platform and launched a new recognition scheme to motivate and inspire them to stay on the path of becoming our future changemakers. Finally, we extended these conversations to youths from diverse backgrounds as they are our future stalwarts and agents for social change and progress. To date, more than 1,200 youths from diverse backgrounds have benefited from these programmes and initiatives.  We are committed to reaching out to more youths in the upcoming years.

Visit www.mhf.org.sg/programmes to find out more.

Our Programmes and Initiatives

Since 2005, MHF has kept Singaporeans and foreigners aware and fostered social cohesion by partnering the National Heritage Board (NHB) and other stakeholders to showcase exhibitions, workshops, interactive programmes, docent training and guided tours at the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) and the historic precinct of Kampong Gelam, all year round.

To enhance its documentation efforts and bridge the knowledge gap on our community, MHF launched a new serial publication on heritage known as “Singapore Malays: Our Heritage and Legacy”. 6 titles had been published so far and we hope to publish more titles in the years to come. Next, we initiated an online publication portal and started a masterclass lecture series and a webinar series. Then, we introduced new awards to value and celebrate the contributions of our arts and cultural practitioners. Moving forward, we want to expand our outreach to more Singaporeans by leveraging on relevant digital platforms.

To engage and empower our youths, we provided an internship programme and awarded their academic excellence. Then, we started a youth-led discursive platform and launched a new recognition scheme to motivate and inspire them to stay on the path of becoming our future changemakers. Finally, we want to extend these conversations to youths from diverse backgrounds as they are our future stalwarts and the agents for social change and progress.

Visit www.mhf.org.sg/programmes to find out more.

Benefits

MHF is a not-for-profit organisation that has been established since 28 July 1999 and accorded the Institution of Public Character (IPC) since 2006. Every dollar gifted to MHF will be matched dollar-to-dollar by the Cultural Matching Fund.  Other benefits include credit mention and acknowledgement at our Kerabat Budiman Donor Wall, both online and on-site, and acknowledgements at our corporate events and collaterals such as Annual Report, event backdrop, newsletters, as well as special invitations to our signature programmes and events. In addition, a cash gift of $10,000 and more will be eligible for nomination for the Patron of Heritage Award (terms and conditions, apply).

Over and above that, you enjoy tax deductions of 2.5 times the qualifying donation amount. To be eligible for this exemption within the calendar year, you will need to make your gift by 31 December each calendar year. For the purpose of issuing tax-exempt receipts and auto-submission of your donations to IRAS, your tax particulars – name, NRIC/UEN/FIN, address and contact details are required.

Make Your Gift Today!

Your support is very important and special to us.  Your gift enhances every aspect of our work.  It enables us to deepen our curatorial research and present community and educational programmes that inspires a wide spectrum of audiences. It also helps us to grow, preserve and share our shared heritage to the world.  Most importantly, it powers up of efforts to nurture, engage and empower our future thought leaders and change makers for the arts and cultural heritage sector.

You can make your gift to support these aspects of our growth and development: –

  • General Fund
    Unrestricted contributions may be made for general operating support to maintain current activities including exhibitions, community and educational programmes and special projects. 
  • Research
    These funds will empower us to deepen our research and documentation efforts to enhance thought leadership in Malay arts and cultural heritage. 
  • Exhibitions
    Exhibitions are the heart and lifeblood of our museum.  These funds allow us to maintain our permanent exhibition and co-curate exciting special exhibitions with various community partners and stakeholders – locally, regionally and internationally. 
  • Programmes
    Funds in this area will go towards underwriting the costs of our educational and community programming and logistics. 
  • Innovation
    These funds will help to power up our digitalisation efforts and enable us to embark on special projects that require the use of new and emerging technologies to create a more immersive, engaging and meaningful museum experience. 

We are also open to explore other collaborative efforts so that your gift will leave a lasting legacy for generations of Singaporeans.  You can reach out to us through secretariat@mhf.org.sg.

Benefits

MHF is a not-for-profit organisation that has been established since 28 July 1999 and accorded the Institution of Public Character (IPC) since 2006. Every dollar gifted to MHF will be matched dollar-to-dollar by the Cultural Matching Fund.  Other benefits include credit mentions and acknowledgements at our corporate events and collaterals, as well as special invitations to our signature programmes and events.  In addition, a cash gift of $10,000 and more will be eligible for nomination for the Patron of Heritage Award (terms and conditions, apply).

In addition, there is a tax benefit where every $50 gifted, $ 125 will be deducted from your taxable income. To be eligible for this exemption within the calendar year, you will need to make your gift by 31 December each calendar year. For the purpose of issuing tax exempt receipt and auto-submission of your donations to IRAS, your tax particulars – name, NRIC/UEN/FIN, address and contact details are required.

Our various programmes and initiatives include but not limited to, the following

  • Organise and showcase exhibitions, cultural performances, seminars, workshops, talks, interactive activities, schools learning journeys, docent training and guided tours all year round, at the Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) in collaboration with the National Heritage Board (NHB).
  • Talent development through the provision of internship programmes for post-secondary and tertiary students to engage and connect them with their heritage, mentoring and empowering youth-led organisations, awarding a book prize (the MHF Award) to reward excellence for the top Honours student at the Malay Studies Department, National University of Singapore.
  • Build thought leadership through research and publications, seminar series featuring thought leaders of diverse backgrounds from the community, consultancy for placemaking for Kampong Gelam historic precinct and other areas of interests for the Malay community in Singapore.

With a gift to MHF, you will be joining an illustrious community of individuals and organisations who believe passionately in the power of culture and heritage to connect and bond us as a community.

Your gift to MHF is also eligible for the government’s Cultural Matching Fund which matches your gift on a one-to-one basis.  In addition, as MHF is a non-profit organisation and a registered Charity that has been accorded the Institution of Public Character (IPC) status since May 2006, you will also be entitled to tax exemption of up to 2.5% for your generous donation.

To be eligible for this exemption within the calendar year, you will need to make your gift by 31 December each calendar year. For the purpose of issuing tax exempt receipt and auto-submission of your donations to IRAS, your tax particulars – name, NRIC/UEN/FIN, address and contact details are required.

Ways to donate

Scan this QR code

OR

THE MALAY HERITAGE FOUNDATION LTD
UEN No: 199904358R
DBS: 033-020835-9

Please indicate “MHF-GF” or the cause you would like to support at the Reference/Comments Section. If you require tax-deductible receipt, please email your full name and NRIC to secretariat@mhf.org.sg. We will issue tax-deductible receipts for cash donations of $50 and above.

By providing the information set out in this form, I/ we agree and consent to the Malay Heritage Foundation Ltd (MHF) for collecting, using and disclosing my/ our personal data provided above for the purpose of processing my donation to MHF and sending me/ us a donation receipt. For more details, please refer to our privacy policy at https://mhf.org.sg/privacy-policy/

Thank you for embracing the gotong royong spirit and supporting our purpose in these challenging times.

  1. Issue a cheque payable to “The Malay Heritage Foundation Ltd” and fill up your details. You can download the form here. The crossed cheque and duly completed form can be mailed to;
    The Malay Heritage Foundation Ltd
    85 Sultan Gate,
    Singapore 198501.
  2. MHF welcomes regular donation. You can conveniently donate online through Giving.SG at the link https://www.giving.sg/the-malay-heritage-foundation-ltd. You may choose to make a once-off or monthly donation.
  3. You can also do the Standing Instruction online through POSB/DBS Internet Banking. For the Standing Instruction to deduct your bank account for monthly donation, do email us at secretariat@mhf.org.sg for details of MHF bank account. Thereafter, update us once the application is successful.
Thank you for your kind consideration and support.

OUR CAMPAIGNS

Young people matter.  They represent our future and are the main social agents for change and progress. What they do when they become adults will depend on what they think and act today.  They have a strong sense of social justice and want to make a difference. So, they have a right to be included and kept #ITL.  Regrettably, in an adult-run world, youths are often kept #OOTL and not asked for their views and ideas to address society’s challenges.

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