ST School Pocket Money Fund, Quantedge Foundation tie-up gives children credits for enrichment

The latest partnership was announced during STSPMF’s annual appreciation lunch on Oct 2 at the SPH Media auditorium in Toa Payoh.

Published Oct 02, 2026, 02:10 PM

Updated Oct 02, 2026, 02:10 PM

The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund and Quantedge Foundation have partnered to give 50 lower-income children $3,000 yearly credits for enrichment activities starting in 2027.

The fund allows children to choose from tuition, sports, arts, and learning products, aiming to close opportunity gaps caused by income differences.

The partnership plans to expand support to more families and age groups, with ongoing platform improvements based on user feedback and responsible usage rules.

SINGAPORE – Children from lower-income families will receive $3,000 a year to pick up a new sport or instrument, or take part in enrichment programmes through a new partnership between The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund (STSPMF) and Quantedge Foundation.

The credits will be provided to 50 STSPMF beneficiaries aged seven to nine through Quantedge’s Social Mobility Fund in early 2027 . The children can then spend the credits on a curated range of opportunities and products available on the fund’s platform.

Speaking at the event, STSPMF chairman Jaime Ho said the platform addresses unequal access to opportunities and gives lower-income families both the resources and the choice to decide what will help their children thrive.

“Recess money remains important, but our children also want the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom, explore their interests, try new things and enjoy the same meaningful experiences as their peers,” said Ho, who is also editor of The Straits Times .

He added that the STSPMF supported about 11,000 students in 2026, an increase from 7,000 from 2024 . The increase was a result of widening the fund’s qualification criteria to match the Ministry of Education’s Financial Assistance Scheme.

STSPMF chairman Jaime Ho said the platform addresses unequal access to opportunities. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

STSPMF chairman Jaime Ho said the platform addresses unequal access to opportunities.

Quantedge Foundation chief executive Xie Yao Quan said that as societies become more successful, opportunity gaps grow between those who have more resources and those who have less.

Said Xie, who is also MP for Jurong Central : “That difference in opportunities available to a child can matter as that gap compounds over the child’s life course. We want to provide more opportunities… for children who are born to backgrounds with less resources.”

Hyder Albar, who oversees the Social Mobility Fund at Quantedge Foundation, said higher-income households are more likely to be able to afford services and products than lower-income households, whose lack of access can compound to a disadvantage over time.

For example, a report published by the Institute of Policy Studies on Sept 25 found that mean monthly tuition expenditure increased from $318 in 2016 to $677 in 2026 . A lower-income family may not be able to afford spending that money on tuition, said Albar.

In the initial phase, the new fund will support 50 Singaporean children from families with a per capita income of $1,000 or below. The platform will be improved based on how families use the digital wallet and make choices.

The $3,000 will be disbursed in three tranches of $1,000.

The platform’s offerings include tuition, dance lessons, drawing and painting lessons, robotics classes, coding classes, football training and swimming lessons.

It will also offer products that support learning or participation, such as books or activity equipment like tennis rackets.

The Social Mobility Fund aims to benefit more families and children from a broader age group in the future, and bring in more philanthropic partners.

While the fund allows families to choose freely from the courses available, a child who repeatedly misses classes after enrolment may not be able to access further bookings.

Selected products will have purchase limits – higher-value products, such as guitars, may be limited to one per child.

MES Group founder and chief executive Mohamed Abdul Jaleel (left) presented a $500,000 cheque to STSPMF chairman Jaime Ho. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

MES Group founder and chief executive Mohamed Abdul Jaleel (left) presented a $500,000 cheque to STSPMF chairman Jaime Ho.

During the appreciation lunch, founder and chief executive of MES Group Mohamed Abdul Jaleel also presented a cheque for $500,000 to the STSPMF.

STSPMF beneficiary Krystal Lim said she hopes to take part in art classes or acting lessons if she gets access to the Social Mobility Fund.

The 11-year-old West Spring Primary School pupil’s dream is to be an action movie star, taking after her idols Zendaya and Tom Cruise.

West Spring Primary School pupil Krystal Lim said she hopes to take up acting lessons if she gets access to the Social Mobility Fund. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO

West Spring Primary School pupil Krystal Lim said she hopes to take up acting lessons if she gets access to the Social Mobility Fund.

Started by ST in 2000 , STSPMF provides pocket money to children from low-income families to help them through school.

It has since helped more than 230,000 children and youth in need and disbursed more than $110 million.

Primary school pupils get $65 a month, secondary school students receive $100 a month , while students from the Institute of Technical Education, junior colleges and polytechnics get $125 a month .

Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund

最新的合作关系是在 10 月 2 日于大巴窑 SPH 媒体礼堂举行的 STSPMF 年度答谢午宴上宣布的。

发布于 2026 年 10 月 2 日下午 2:10

更新于2026年10月2日下午2:10

《海峡时报》学校零花钱基金和 Quantedge 基金会合作，从 2027 年开始，每年向 50 名低收入家庭的孩子提供 3000 美元的课外活动津贴。

该基金允许儿童在学费、体育、艺术和学习产品中进行选择，旨在缩小因收入差异造成的机遇差距。

该合作计划扩大对更多家庭和年龄段的支持，并根据用户反馈和负责任的使用规则不断改进平台。

新加坡——通过《海峡时报》学校零花钱基金（STSPMF）和 Quantedge 基金会之间的新合作，来自低收入家庭的儿童每年将获得 3000 新元，用于学习一项新的运动或乐器，或参加课外活动。

这些积分将于 2027 年初通过 Quantedge 的社会流动基金发放给 50 名 7 至 9 岁的 STSPMF 受益人。孩子们随后可以用这些积分在基金平台上选择一系列精选的机会和产品。

在活动上，STSPMF 主席 Jaime Ho 表示，该平台旨在解决机会不均等的问题，让低收入家庭能够获得资源和选择权，从而帮助他们的孩子茁壮成长。

“课间休息经费仍然很重要，但我们的孩子也希望有机会在课堂之外学习，探索自己的兴趣，尝试新事物，并享受与同龄人一样有意义的体验，”何先生说道，他同时也是《海峡时报》的编辑。

他还补充说，STSPMF在2026年资助了约11000名学生，比2024年的7000名有所增加。这一增长是由于该基金扩大了资格标准，以与教育部财政援助计划相匹配。

STSPMF主席何杰米表示，该平台旨在解决机会不均等问题。（海峡时报图片：Gavin Foo）

STSPMF主席Jaime Ho表示，该平台旨在解决机会不均等的问题。

Quantedge基金会首席执行官谢耀泉表示，随着社会的发展，拥有更多资源的人和拥有更少资源的人之间的机会差距越来越大。

谢先生同时也是裕廊中心区国会议员，他表示：“孩子所获得的机会差异会随着孩子一生的成长而不断扩大，影响深远。我们希望为那些出生在资源匮乏家庭的孩子提供更多机会。”

Quantedge 基金会社会流动基金负责人海德·阿尔巴表示，高收入家庭比低收入家庭更有可能负担得起服务和产品，而低收入家庭由于缺乏这些资源，随着时间的推移，可能会陷入不利境地。

例如，政策研究所9月25日发布的一份报告显示，平均每月学费支出从2016年的318美元增加到2026年的677美元。阿尔巴尔表示，低收入家庭可能负担不起这笔学费支出。

初期阶段，这项新基金将资助50名来自新加坡家庭人均收入低于1000新元的儿童。平台将根据家庭使用电子钱包的情况和选择进行改进。

这3000美元将分三期发放，每期1000美元。

该平台提供的课程包括：辅导、舞蹈课、绘画课、机器人课、编程课、足球训练和游泳课。

它还将提供支持学习或参与的产品，例如书籍或网球拍等活动器材。

社会流动基金旨在让更多家庭和更广泛年龄段的儿童在未来受益，并引入更多慈善合作伙伴。

虽然该基金允许家庭自由选择课程，但入学后屡次缺课的孩子可能无法继续报名。

部分商品将设有购买限制——高价值商品（例如吉他）可能限制每个儿童限购一件。

MES集团创始人兼首席执行官穆罕默德·阿卜杜勒·贾利勒（左）向STSPMF主席何杰米递交了一张50万美元的支票。（海峡时报摄影：傅嘉文）

MES集团创始人兼首席执行官穆罕默德·阿卜杜勒·贾利勒（左）向STSPMF主席何海梅递交了一张50万美元的支票。

在答谢午宴上，MES集团创始人兼首席执行官穆罕默德·阿卜杜勒·贾利勒还向STSPMF捐赠了50万美元的支票。

STSPMF受益人Krystal Lim表示，如果能获得社会流动基金，她希望参加艺术课程或表演课程。

这位来自西泉小学的11岁学生梦想成为一名动作电影明星，效仿她的偶像赞达亚和汤姆·克鲁斯。

西泉小学学生林克丽丝表示，如果能获得社会流动基金，她希望学习表演。海峡时报摄影：傅嘉文

西泉小学学生 Krystal Lim 表示，如果能获得社会流动基金，她希望学习表演。

STSPMF 由 ST 于 2000 年创立，旨在为低收入家庭的儿童提供零用钱，帮助他们完成学业。

迄今为止，该组织已帮助超过 23 万名贫困儿童和青少年，并拨付了超过 1.1 亿美元。

小学生每月可获得 65 美元，中学生每月可获得 100 美元，而工艺教育学院、初级学院和理工学院的学生每月可获得 125 美元。

海峡时报学校零花钱基金