“We wanted this process to be authentic, driven by our people,” says Livia Chng, Director of Strategy and Impact for Temasek Foundation. “So we brought everyone together – from the impact teams to corporate functions – every voice that makes up Temasek Foundation.”   

The inclusive approach set the tone for the eight-month effort that began in 2023 to craft a purpose statement that would unify the Foundation’s diverse efforts. It marked a pivotal moment, ​building upon the synergies created by the integration of ​​seven Temasek philanthropic entities into one Temasek Foundation. 

While Temasek drives growth through financial investments, Temasek Foundation drives programmes that seek to create positive outcomes in Singapore and Asia through health, climate, and social and community resilience. It has​ supported over 1,600 programmes and benefitted 3.7 million lives since 2007. 

“Our work is purposeful, and the community impact is clear, but we felt it was time to formally articulate what we stood for,” says Livia. 

The process began with a simple question. “We asked ourselves what defines our work,” she says. Words like “lives”, “impact”, “long-term”, and “empowering” dominated, reflecting the priorities of the Foundation’s staff: to create, sustain and scale positive impact, equipping beneficiaries to help themselves, and in turn others, not just for today, but for future generations. 

That laid the groundwork for the Temasek Foundation’s purpose statement: “Inspiring Lives for Every Generation.” 

Crafting the language of change

Livia’s journey in the Temasek ecosystem began in 2018, when she joined Temasek’s Community Stewardship team, driven by a strong desire to make a meaningful impact. Founding Re/Fresh Flowers, a social impact organisation that repurposes used flowers for hospice patients in 2016 prompted her to re-evaluate what truly mattered to her, and was pivotal in her transition from the financial sector to philanthropy, she says.

She was tasked with engaging and growing the Temasek non-profit ecosystem, which included Temasek Foundation, as well as Temasek Trust, Temasek Shophouse, and Mandai Nature. She also participated in focus groups as Temasek defined its own purpose statement: So Every Generation Prospers.

When COVID-19 struck, she experienced first-hand its power in unifying diverse teams and partners in getting local, regional and international initiatives off the ground. “The pandemic reinforced the importance of having a common purpose that drives everyone towards the same goal,” she says. 

This experience cemented her belief in the need for such a purpose when she left Temasek to join Temasek Foundation’s Strategy and Impact team in 2023. She believed that clearly defined, shared goals would not only inspire, but drive sustained long-term impact across the diverse impact areas championed by Temasek Foundation, including health, climate action, and social and community resilience. “Unless you can explain why you exist in a simple, compelling way, it’s hard to capture what you stand for,” she says. 

The initiative gained momentum when it became the focus of a strategy session in ​​January 2024, involving all staff of Temasek Foundation. “We wanted to take a ground-up approach,” she explains. “Even when the management shared their perspectives, these were discussed collectively in groups, with every opinion valued and respected.” By capturing feedback verbatim and facilitating open discussions, Temasek Foundation ensured that its purpose statement was something everyone could stand behind.   

A commitment to changing lives

What truly differentiates Temasek Foundation from other Corporate Social Responsibility efforts is its unwavering commitment to enabling and multiplying long-term community impact, says Livia. “It struck me profoundly because, for the first time, I was closer to the ground, not just in an office, seeing the tangible impact of our work on the lives of people in the communities around us.”  

This commitment is not only embedded in multi-year projects, but in ensuring pilots go beyond proving concepts. “Our focus isn’t just to test ideas, but to engage with partners who can scale innovative solutions, particularly in underserved areas,” she says.

One standout programme is the community milk bank piloted in 2016 with KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), which provides pasteurised breast milk to vulnerable and premature infants to optimise healthy development. To date, some 6,000 babies in neonatal intensive care units across three hospitals – KKH, National University Hospital, and Singapore General Hospital - have benefitted from the milk bank. There are plans for a nationwide rollout by 2025, and ongoing discussions to scale the initiative regionally, Livia says. 

“We saw a gap, and wanted to find an innovative way to not only support mothers and infants, but get the community involved. We partnered with KKH, and when this pilot proved its value, KKH was equipped to scale it, launching one of the world’s first donor human milk freezer locker systems to facilitate 24/7 collection and dispensing of milk,” she explains.

Inspiring Lives for Every Generation is a collective expression of what Temasek Foundation does and serves as a cornerstone for its approach to philanthropy, she says.  

“Knowing that you’re helping to give a ‘hand-up’, even if the benefits take time to unfold, is what keeps me going,” says Livia. “It’s about stewarding resources in a way that contributes meaningfully, today – and for generations to come.”