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President's Challenge

Civic Action Fellowship

Encourage social service sector professionals and active volunteers to deepen their expertise and develop new approaches to achieving social good.

Last updated 30 March 2026

Applications for the Civic Action Fellowship are now closed.

A purple banner showing a male senior social worker and his quote.
I challenged myself to spearhead new ways to care.
— Sivasubramaniam S/O Selvalatchmanan, Senior Social Worker

Overview

The Civic Action Fellowship offers full-time and part-time sabbaticals for social service professionals and active volunteers in the social field to develop innovative approaches that benefit the community. 

Hosted jointly with the Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS), the Fellowship provides access to academic resources, mentorship, and networks to strengthen your leadership and impact. 

They will also have time to ground their ideas in real-world contexts and build capabilities for implementation and scaling, as well as develop and pilot meaningful civic initiatives.

Fellows may: 

  1. Explore new approaches to achieving social impact, based on existing evidence or fresh research they undertake (including in collaboration with researchers).

  2. Pursue experimental projects aimed at advancing the civic good — either within their existing organisations or in new settings.

  3. Gain knowledge or experience in new areas, including in adjacent fields to social sector work, that could support them in leading future initiatives.

Civic Action Fellowship tracks

Choose from two dedicated tracks to empower your next step:

Details of the respective tracks

Track 

Full-time sabbatical

Part-time sabbatical

Duration

12 months

Up to 24 months 

Commitment

Full-time focus on Fellowship project/ venture

50% part-time commitment on Fellowship project/ venture over a longer duration.

Support

Financial support available for awarded Fellows.

Eligibility criteria 

To apply, you must be: 

  • A Singapore citizen. 

  • With at least 5 years of work or active volunteering experience in the social or civic sector.

Assessment criteria

Candidates will be assessed on the following aspects:

  • Experience, skills, and growth potential to drive positive change

  • Demonstrate strong values alignment, compassion for others, and a genuine desire to contribute to social good

Our partners

This Fellowship is made possible with the support of:

  • Quantedge Foundation 

  • SMU

  • SUSS

For more information 

For enquiries, email us at pc_enquiry@ncss.gov.sg

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