Charity Transparency and Governance Awards
An initiative of the Charity Council, the Charity Transparency Award (CTA) and Charity Governance Awards (CGA) aim to promote good transparency and governance in the charity sector by acknowledging the excellent work of charities, while inspiring others to emulate their best practices.
The CTA recognises charities with good disclosure practices that the Charity Transparency Framework (CTF) recommends. The CTF is closely aligned to the Code of Governance for Charities and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) 2017, with 9 key dimensions highlighted as key areas for disclosure.
Launched in 2012, the CGA recognises charities that have adopted the highest standards of governance. Given that transparency and good disclosure practices are important aspects of good governance, since 2016, only CTA winners will qualify as entrants for CGA. CGA winners will receive cash prizes sponsored by our partners.
Download CTA and CGA Entry Kit
Why charities should join CTA and CGA
Recognition
Winning CTA/CGA is a way of showing the members of the public that donating to your cause is putting their money in safe hands. Your willingness to participate in the awards can lend credibility to the charity which will generate more trust and confidence in your charity and boost the morale of your staff and volunteers.
Credibility
Winning the CTA/CGA increases the charity’s credibility with potential supporters. The awards help build credibility, persuade donors, funders and create positive impact to your charitable work.
Exposure
CTA/CGA winners will receive a certificate during the Awards ceremony and receive the CTA/CGA logos to showcase their wins on their websites, social media and other publicity collaterals. Winners might also be invited to share their best practices with other charities at learning events.
Insights
Participating in the CTA form can be a valuable experience. You can learn about your charity's strengths and areas for improvement when going through the CTF self-assessment form or when filling up the CGA responses questionnaire. It will also test how effectively your charity is able to evidence your charity’s impact.
Eligibility
To qualify for the
Charity Transparency Awards (CTA) 2024, charities must meet the following criteria:
- Be a registered charity and/or an Institution of a Public Character (IPC) which has been in operation in Singapore for at least three years (i.e., registered before 31 Dec 2019);
- Have submitted their Annual reports (AR), Financial Statements (FS) and Governance Evaluation Checklist (GEC) on time for the two immediate preceding financial years (i.e., FY2021 and FY2022); and
- Have gross annual receipts of not less than $50,000 in the immediate preceding financial year (i.e., in FY2022).
To qualify as a valid entrant for the
Charity Governance Awards (CGA) 2024, charities must meet the following additional criteria:
Charities which have performed well under the CTA will be invited to participate in the CGA.
Entry Submission
Charity Transparency Awards (CTA)
Identify the Tier your charity is in (i.e., Basic, Intermediate, Enhanced + Advanced).
- Click on the link for the applicable CTA Participation Form.
-
Fill up the form based on the charities’ disclosures in its FY2022 Annual Report, Financial Statements, Governance Evaluation Checklist that were submitted on the Charity Portal from 1 Jan 2022 to 31 Dec 2022, as well as information on the charities’ official website, Facebook page or other social media platforms (if applicable). Responses to each question will be scored accordingly.
|
Tier |
Charities
|
Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs)
|
CTA Participation Form
|
Basic
|
Gross annual receipts or total expenditure from $50,000 to less than $500,000 |
Not applicable |
https://go.gov.sg/cta2024-basic |
Intermediate
|
Gross annual receipts or total expenditure from $500,000 to less than $10 million |
IPCs with gross annual receipts or total expenditure of less than $500,000 |
https://go.gov.sg/cta2024-intermediate |
Enhanced + Advanced
|
Gross annual receipts or total expenditure from $10 million or more |
IPCs with gross annual receipts or total expenditure from $500,000 to $10 million or more |
https://go.gov.sg/cta2024-enhancedadvanced |
Consultation Clinics
Should charities experience difficulties filling up the CTA Participation Form, charities may also register for a complimentary consultation clinic session offered by the students from the Singapore Management University. For more information regarding the clinic, and to register a slot, please click
here. Alternatively, you may reply to this email with the name, email address and contact number; and we will seek the students’ assistance to follow up with you on the participation for awards. Click
here for more information. Alternatively, you may reach out to the Charity Council Secretariat at
Charity_Council_Sec@mccy.gov.sg.
Judging
The Charity Council partnered the Singapore Management University as the independent assessors for the CTA assessment. This is followed by another round of validations by professionals from the Institute of Internal Auditors Singapore to ensure robustness and fairness of the assessment. Charities achieve top scores will be awarded with CTA.
Charity Governance Awards (CGA)
By Invitation Only: Charities which have performed well under the CTA will be invited to participate in the CGA.
Complete the Assessment Questionnaire which has eight questions pertaining to governance.
- Response to each question of the Assessment Questionnaire will be scored.
- Shortlisted finalists will be interviewed by a panel of independent judges, determined by the Charity Council.
The appointed judging panel will meet shortlisted charities to assess the quality of their charities' governance efforts and determine the final scoring and select one Main Category winner from each category. Special Commendation Awards will also be conferred on Charities that had shown excellence in specific areas of governance.
All Guides
Charity Tranparency Framework
Accompanying Guide to the Charity Transparency Framework
Charity Transparency Framework - Disclaimer
Charity Transparency Framework Self-Assessment
Charity Governance Awards - Assessment Guide
CGA Assessment Questionnaire Response Template (Basic)
CGA Assessment Questionnaire Response Template (Intermediate & Enhanced+Advanced)
FAQs
Do charities need to apply to be assessed for the CTA?
Since CTA 2022, the format has changed to encourage charities to take greater ownership of their learning. Charities are required to ‘opt-in’ by submitting a participation form indicating their areas of disclosures before they are being assessed.
What is the rationale for giving cash prizes to CGA winners?
As the winners of CGA have good governance procedures in place, the Charity Council believes that they should be given the autonomy to decide what they wish to do with the prize money. The winners could use the cash prizes to advance their charitable objectives. Alternatively, they could consider using the cash prize to raise their level of governance such as sending their staff and board members for training. For parity and to provide an opportunity to other charities in the same category to win the title of CGA, CGA winners are not eligible to for CGA for the next three years.
What is the expected commitment of the CGA winners?
In the spirit of giving, the Charity Council hopes that the CGA winners will give back to the sector by sharing their success stories at Charity Council’s outreach initiatives and events such as the annual Charity Governance Conference. The winners are encouraged to also serve as goodwill ambassadors and role models for other charities. Their journey to governance excellence will be featured as case studies.
How can a charity use the Charity Transparency Award, Special Commendation Award, Charity Governance Award logos?
Winning charity can display the logo on the charity’s website, annual report and collaterals.
FormSG Guide
- Please prepare your responses and evidence using the Charity Transparency Framework Self-Assessment first.
- The form does not allow user to save draft.
- Please complete the form and submit
once.
