About the Financial Award
Established in 2017, the Tan Soon Kwee Endowed Grant aims to provide financial assistance to financially-challenged full-time Singaporean undergraduates from the School of Social sciences at the Singapore Management University.
Eligibility Criteria
- Full-time undergraduates from the School of Social Sciences
- Singapore Citizens
- Staying in HDB flat
- No private property ownership
- Gross monthly household per capita income not exceeding $950 and with evidence of financial neediness.
Tenure and Benefits
- $3,000 (cash allowance)
- Tenable for one year of study
- May be in concurrent receipt of a bursary for cash allowance, subject to fulfilment of its eligibility criteria.
Application
Shortlisting of candidates for consideration will be from the list of applicants applying for SMU-administered bursaries in the year of award.
Enquiries
Centre for Student Financial Assistance
Office of Admissions and Financial Assistance
Email: finasst@smu.edu.sg
About the Donor
The Tow Tiang Seng and Tan Soon Kwee Endowed Grants were established by an anonymous donor in memory of them.
Mr Tow Tiang Seng was born in Wenchang, Hainan and migrated to Singapore with his cousins in 1945.
He worked as a seaman to support his family and was away from home for extended periods of time – up to 2 years for each assignment. He kept in contact with his family through letters he received at various ports of call around the world. Through hard work, and self-taught English, he rose through the ranks to become Chief Steward on oil ship tankers operated by Royal Dutch Shell and the UK Royal Navy.
Madam Tan Soon Kwee was born in Wenchang, Hainan and migrated with her siblings to Singapore in 1942.
Her father operated a remittance house “Sam Seng” in Purvis Street, a stone’s throw from SMU. Unfortunately, she was in poor health for most of her life but she worked tirelessly to bring up two sons and two daughters. She emphasized academic excellence and instilled a strong work ethic in her children. Through her upbringing, her children were taught to be independent and resilient.
Mr Tow and Madam Tan’s many sacrifices allowed their four children to achieve success in their personal endeavours. These grants are named in their loving memory with the hope that recipients will similarly give back to the less fortunate through the social services profession.
