How Singapore charities can fund digitalisation in 2026

Almost every conversation we have with a charity about software ends the same way: "We'd love to, but we can't afford it."

In 2026, that's often no longer true — at least not in the way people assume. The National Council of Social Service runs substantial funding support for digitalisation in the social sector, and most of the agencies we speak to either don't know it exists or assume the paperwork is beyond them. Neither should stop you. Here's how it actually works.

Tech-and-GO! grew up

If you last looked at this a couple of years ago, you'll remember Tech-and-GO! — NCSS's digitalisation funding for social service agencies. That support now runs through the Transformation Sustainability Scheme (TSS), which NCSS describes as previously funded through Tech-and-GO!¹

The headline: co-funding of up to 80% for eligible agencies, across three components. That means a digitalisation project you scoped at S$50,000 might cost your agency S$10,000 — if NCSS approves the application.

The three parts, in plain English

Notice what's on that Part C list: CRM systems — the single most transformative tool most charities will ever adopt, and the one most often dismissed as unaffordable. And notice what's in Part B: AI chatbots and custom portals. The scheme isn't funding yesterday's technology.

Who's eligible

• The scheme is open to NCSS members and MSF-funded agencies.¹
• Agencies need a valid Organisational Health Framework for Social Services (OHFSS) assessment, and non pre-scoped projects require organisational health diagnostics first.¹
• Applications go through the OurSG Grants (OSG) portal.¹

If you're not sure whether your agency qualifies, that's a question for NCSS directly — eligibility and approval are entirely their call. The official page is the place to start.¹

What strong applications have in common

We sit on the vendor side of these projects, and the pattern is consistent. Applications move faster when:

1. The problem is specific. "Caseworkers spend four hours a week re-keying data between three spreadsheets" beats "we want to digitalise".
2. The outcome is measurable. Time saved, reports produced, beneficiaries tracked — agencies fund outcomes, not software.
3. The quotation matches the scope. A vendor quote that names deliverables, milestones, and support terms gives the assessor something concrete to approve.
4. Someone owns it internally. A named project owner — even part-time — signals the project will actually land.

None of this requires a grants consultant. It requires a clear head, an honest vendor, and a few weeks of lead time.

A practical path

1. Read the official NCSS Tech-and-GO!/TSS page¹ and confirm your membership/funding status.
2. Check your OHFSS assessment is current.
3. Write one page: the problem, who it affects, what better looks like.
4. Get quotations from vendors who will scope deliverables and outcomes explicitly — if a vendor won't put outcomes in writing, keep looking.
5. Apply via the OurSG Grants portal, with the documentation for your component.

Where we fit

We build Socianote, a CRM for nonprofits and social service agencies — case management, beneficiaries, donors, volunteers, and impact reporting in one place. CRM systems are a category NCSS names under pre-scoped solutions; whether any specific application is funded is always NCSS's decision, not ours, and we don't guarantee outcomes.

What we do promise: if you talk to us about a project, we'll scope it the way an application needs — named deliverables, measurable outcomes, paperwork-ready quotations. And if we think a scheme doesn't fit your situation, we'll say so plainly.

For the full funding landscape — including what's available to SMEs and companies — see our grants & funding guide. For help choosing a CRM in the first place, start with our practitioner's guide.