Since its establishment in 2013, the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) has been playing the roles of “promoter” and “facilitator” of social innovation and serving as a platform to foster cross-sectoral collaboration. Apart from funding innovative projects, the Fund endeavours to nurture social entrepreneurs who are committed to serving the community and enhance their capabilities to explore more innovative ways of poverty alleviation. According to a research by The University of Hong Kong, every dollar granted by the SIE Fund to support innovative projects can generate over five dollars’ worth of social benefits. This demonstrates how the SIE Fund maximises the value of public resources and creates greater impact from social investments.
The current-term Government upholds poverty alleviation in a targeted manner and allocates resources to those most in need, including households living in subdivided units, single-parent households and elderly households (such as elderly singletons and doubletons). The SIE Fund has been assisting in addressing the needs of these groups. For instance, the Fund has collaborated with landlords, non-profit organisations, social enterprises and professional bodies to take forward the “Community Housing Movement” to provide affordable and decent transitional social housing for households living in subdivided units. The Fund has also supported innovative projects designing modular furniture specifically for such households. In addition, the Fund has funded many projects that offer training and job opportunities to low-income single mothers, helping them reintegrate into the workforce; and introduced the “Gerontechnology Platform” to foster the development and application of gerontechnology in Hong Kong, enhancing the living quality of the elderly and rendering support to their families, caregivers and healthcare staff as well as institutions.
The 10th anniversary marks an important milestone for the SIE Fund. I hope that the Fund will continue to join hands with different sectors in advancing social innovation in response to people’s needs. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Fund, a series of promotional activities such as roving exhibitions and a Social Innovation Carnival will be held. I look forward to your active participation so as to understand more about the Fund and the various social innovation projects it supports, and pay tribute to the dedicated social entrepreneurs who have been working tirelessly to make a difference in society.
Last revision date: 1/11/2023