INTRODUCTION

Cutting-edge design goes far beyond being simply beautiful or functional, but has the ability to leave an indelible footprint on everyday life, and the way we live our lives. In its most potent incarnation, design improves lives, creates social change and reprograms the DNA of a society.

Accordingly, the intent of the President’s Design Award Grant is to create space for Singapore’s most outstanding designers to pursue a community-driven project which changes the outcomes of design through the potential to seed a new culture, rewrite the social blueprint, improve life, and drive change for the amelioration of society and the environment.

Grant projects can assume a limitless variety of forms: perhaps by identifying a gap in society where an innovative design solution can provide profound and much needed change. Or through elegant design resolutions to persistent universal challenges like natural disasters, accessibility issues for the disabled, and so on. Or the project could focus on redesigning a space or object in the public domain, or the creation of a completely new and original design that also serves the community, possibly through partnership with a social organisation.

As the heart of the design process is further embedded in a symbiotic network of relationships with various partners, the Grant encourages applicants to cross boundaries and push the edges of the imagination through collaboration with a wide and unexpected array of partners: in different design disciplines, with artists, filmmakers, the media, thespians, writers, community organisations, business, computing, engineering, finance, healthcare, psychology, science, technology, etc.

Collaborations can take place through studio projects, mentorships, collectives, etc. In addition, collaborations between Award winners are encouraged, especially between winners of different design backgrounds.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

All Designers of the Year recipients for the President’s Design Award are automatically offered the Grant. Recipients are however not obliged to take up the Grant.

SCOPE OF PROJECTS

Projects should be community-driven in spirit, and should ideally demonstrate cross-disciplinary and multi-sectoral collaborations. Proposed projects must involve the creation and presentation of new and original work, and/or the presentation of new solutions to old problems.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

DesignSingapore Council and Urban Redevelopment Authority will consider the submission based on these criteria:

a.	Concept and Merit of Proposal
	The project should  • Contribute positively to the community and / or the environment; and  • Be innovative and display fresh and original thinking that draws collectively on the expertise of different disciplines and sectors;
b.	Outreach and Public Impact
	The project should demonstrate  • A meaningful and deep impact on the segment(s) of the community that it is meant to benefit;  • Commitment to making the work accessible to a wide range of audiences; and  • Appropriate publicity and participation channels that can stimulate public interest and discourse.
c.	Execution and Management
	The applicant should present  • Realistic and detailed budgeting that demonstrates sound financial management and an effective use of resources; and  • Evidence of co-sponsorship showing recognition of the value of the project and the commitment towards its successful completion.

GRANT QUANTUM

The Grant provides funding of up to S$50,000 per applicant. Grant quanta can be combined if 2 or more Award winners collaborate on a single project.

Large-scale project proposals that demonstrate significant collaboration with several partners across different design disciplines and/or sectors are further entitled to funding of up to S$200,000 per project.

The applicant should seek alternative sources of sponsorships so as to ensure sufficient funding to carry the activity through.

If the application is approved, the grant will be disbursed in stages:

a.	Grant amount is S$50,000 and above:
	• 50% of grant amount will be disbursed upon approval of proposal  • 30% of grant amount will be disbursed upon DesignSingapore’s and URA’s receipt of progress reports in accordance to time schedule approved by DesignSingapore and URA  • 20% of grant amount will be disbursed upon successful completion of activity and submission of audited statement of accounts with relevant documents to be presented on request
b.	Sponsored amount is less than S$50,000:
	• 80% of sponsored amount will be disbursed upon approval of proposal  • 20% of sponsored amount will be disbursed upon successful completion of activity and submission of final statement of accounts with relevant documents to be presented on request

APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND DEADLINE

The closing date for applications for the 2009 President’s Design Award Grant is 30 June 2010.

Grant applicants may be requested to attend an interview during the assessment period. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application within a month of the closing date.

Applications should be submitted in both hard and soft copies, and must contain the following information:

Hard copies of all the above information and any other supporting material must be postmarked no later than the application deadline and delivered to:

Soft copies of all applications should also be included in CD / DVD format.

TIMEFRAME FOR THE START AND END OF ACTIVITIES

The start of the proposed activity must be within 2 months from the date of notification.

The Grant will only consider activities that can reasonably be completed within a 2-year time frame. This deadline commences from the date of notification of the acceptance and approval of the project proposal. DesignSingapore and URA can stipulate shorter deadlines for smaller activities, or to tie in proposed Grant projects with other initiatives/programmes, as part of the conditions of the Grant.

CONDITIONS OF GRANT

The Grant is awarded subject to the following conditions:

CONTACT INFORMATION