Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged - Dedicated Fund for After-school Learning and Support Programmes opens for application
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     Welfare non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and primary and secondary schools are now invited to apply for the Dedicated Fund for After-school Learning and Support Programmes (Dedicated Fund) under the Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged (PFD). The Dedicated Fund, through the provision of matching grants for donations made by business organisations, encourages welfare NGOs and schools to launch more after-school learning and support programmes to facilitate the whole-person development of primary and secondary students from grassroots families.

     A spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (January 23) that under the Dedicated Fund, project proposals geared towards strengthening the whole-person development of target students will be considered. These may include tutorial classes or programmes that help develop students' learning capability and study skills, strengthen their life-planning skills, help relieve parents' stress in parenting, improve their parenting skills, or assist them in staying in employment or in joining the workforce.

     The spokesman said that bona-fide charitable welfare NGOs with tax-exempted status under section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112), and public sector primary and secondary schools including government schools, aided schools, caput schools and schools under Direct Subsidy Scheme, may apply for the Dedicated Fund.  Donations from registered business corporations operating their business in Hong Kong or charitable trusts/foundations which are established and managed by such business corporations will be considered for matching grants under the Dedicated Fund. Each applicant school may submit one consolidated application which may include a series of programmes and activities serving its students and/or students from other schools. As individual welfare NGOs may be serving different districts, they may submit a maximum of three applications provided that each application serves target beneficiaries in a different district.

     The Government set up the PFD in 2005. With the provision of matching grants, the PFD encourages business corporations to make donations and take part in NGO-run social welfare projects which seek to help the disadvantaged and create a caring society. Many business corporations have engaged in these projects and provided voluntary services for disadvantaged persons.

     Since its inception, the PFD has approved matching grants of about $331 million in the previous rounds of applications submitted by 160 welfare NGOs together with over 1 155 business partners. More than one million disadvantaged persons have benefited from a total of 734 welfare projects. A total of $200 million is earmarked, dedicated to launching more after-school learning and support programmes for primary and secondary school students from grassroots families.

     The deadline for submission of application for the Dedicated Fund is March 31. For enquiries, please contact the Secretariat of PFD on 2892 5249/2892 5306, send an email to pmpfd@swd.gov.hk or visit the SWD homepage (www.swd.gov.hk).

Ends/Friday, January 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:30

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