SMEs dominate at NVPC’s Company of Good Ceremony in 2025

On 17th July, the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s Company of Good Conference and Conferment ceremony took place at Fairmont Singapore, with the year’s theme being “Building the Good Economy Together”. A record number of companies were conferred the Companies of Good award in 2025, with 393 purpose-driven organisations recognised for their achievements across 10 different industries. 

Founded as part of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre’s programmes, the Company of Good (COG) community is composed of businesses and organisations who wish to make a positive change in society with the unique resources each individual has. Ranging from large enterprises to social or small and medium enterprises, the Company of Good community aims to empower communities and encourage other companies to become a force for good in society.

Launched in 2023, the redesigned COG conferment system thus aims to recognise the contributions of businesses for their impact in five areas of society — People, Society, Environment, Governance and Economic. 

The COG conferment system is split across four stages. Participating companies can be conferred recognitions from Company of Good — 1 Heart to 3 Hearts, with the highest possible level achieved being Champions of Good. While the first three stages focus on companies that have clear plans for commitment, large-scale impact and tangible action, the Champion of Good award is only given to exemplary organisations who have demonstrated influence on multiple stakeholders, actively encouraging others to contribute for the social good of Singapore. 

More SMEs becoming Champions of Good

As the Guest of Honour, Mr Ong Ye Kung, the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister of Health, conferred the Champion of Good recognition on 62 organisations who showed exemplary commitment to influencing stakeholders around them, actively pushing for societal change and mobilising resources to empower the communities they interacted with. 

One such champion is Appetite for Good, a woman-owned and led social enterprise that runs the food brand smol. A previous recipient of the Company of Good — 2 Hearts conferment in 2024, Appetite for Good actively participated in NVPC’s Grow with Purpose programme, achieving their Champion status this year through their fair employment practices. By working alongside other organisations like SG Enable, MINDS and SADeaf, Appetite for Good hires members of marginalised communities that often have trouble finding employment, like ex-offenders, seniors and persons with disabilities. In addition, smol supports the local arts community by displaying Singaporean artists’ works on their walls, and utilises energy-efficient and waste-reduction equipment in order to lessen their impact on the environment. 

Another Champion of Good is Seah Kim Cheok Construction, a Singaporean construction company that received its first recognition this year. Inspired by their migrant workers, Seah Kim Cheok developed an app tailored to migrant workers in Singapore that offered English and digital literacy programmes, upskilling them and empowering them to better navigate life in a foreign country. Through their long-term partnership with Grow Studio, an organisation that supports the education of foreign workers, they also sponsor and subsidise other programmes to the benefit of migrant workers in Singapore. 

This year, a majority of the Champions of Good were small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), proving that businesses and organisations are capable of making large waves of impact and inspiring others regardless of their sizes. In their Collective Impact Report for 2024 and 2025, NVPC also noted that this may point to an increase in SMEs acknowledging the necessity for sustainable development to remain competitive, especially through re-investing profits in communities around them. And indeed, the numbers seem to back it up — almost $6.35 million in donations was raised by SMEs in 2025, a more than eightfold increase in comparison to $690,000 in 2024. 

This comes amidst the increasing trend of larger companies investing in sustainable development initiatives, ranging from eco-friendly initiatives to social projects and enterprises, in order to reap long-term benefits, improve cost efficiency and retain their competitive advantage in a volatile market. At least $1.05 billion was invested in research and development pertaining to carbon footprint reduction by the 2025 COG cohort, reflecting a growing awareness of sustainability and environmental policies. 

In total, it was reported that companies contributed an annualised $357 million in donations, with almost $73 million in-kind support to benefit communities in Singapore across two years, proving the impact that companies can make when they give back to the communities around them. 

Companies of Good for SG60: Celebrate and Give!

The COG community is also banding together for SG60, with organisations pledging to donate, volunteer or spearhead initiatives that continue to uplift Singaporeans around them. This includes organisations such as HP Singapore, which has launched multiple kindness initiatives, community engagements, and a Trees for Tomorrow programme to address climate change. Other organisations, like 8M Real Estate, are hosting community events and concerts that are open to the public, celebrating Singapore’s diverse cultural heritage and history in the lead up to SG60.

Mr Tony Soh, the CEO of NVPC, said, “As we celebrate SG60, it is especially meaningful to see the Company of Good movement gaining momentum, especially among SMEs, which provide jobs for nearly 70% of the workforce and play a critical role in society. [...] From large enterprises to SMEs, companies across Singapore are redefining business success holistically and impactfully, so that we can build a stronger Singapore together.”