BAF (International Chapters)

The successful fundraising campaigns and training programmes of The Business Times Budding Artists Fund (BT BAF)* in Singapore have gained regional recognition in recent years and this has prompted foreign social entrepreneurs in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia to sign Memorandums of Understanding with BT BAF (Singapore) for the Budding Artists Fund (BAF) to be set up in their respective countries.

Sharing the same vision, mission and mandate as its Singapore counterpart, BAF (Tokyo, Japan), BAF (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and BAF (Batam, Indonesia)** will then create additional platforms and opportunities for the beneficiaries from all four cities to gain wider perspectives of life as well as greater appreciation of one another’s culture and heritage through a borderless arts and creativity exchange programme.

*Initiated by The Arts House and managed by The Old Parliament House Limited, BT BAF (Singapore) was adopted by The Business Times and officially launched on 11 May 2005.
**BAF (Tokyo, Japan), BAF (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) and BAF (Batam, Indonesia) are also strongly encouraged to adhere to the corporate governance guidelines set by BT BAF (Singapore).

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Memorandums of Understanding were signed between BT BAF (Singapore) and the following:

1. Craftarts Co. (Japan) was signed on 6 December 2006, at Tokyo City View, Tokyo, JAPAN.
2. Smile Team (Malaysia) was signed on 27 January 2007, at Sheraton Subang Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA.
3. Yayasan Century Bahru (Indonesia) was signed on 28 July 2007, Batam View Beach Resort, Nongsa – Batam Island, INDONESIA.

Testimonials

“When I first heard of the BT BAF that The Arts House has initiated, I thought to myself, how good it is if underprivileged children in Japan can also gain from such a well-meaning fund that seeks to improve their social and economical situations through the arts! While the basic needs of underprivileged children are being taken care of by other charities in Japan, the Budding Artists Fund is an additional benefit that will not just provide them with vocational skills but also build up their self-esteem so as to raise them on par, if not higher, than others in society.”
>> Mr Akira Ishigaki, Representative Director of Craftarts Co., Nov 2006

“The Budding Artists Fund is an excellent platform for talented children, who will otherwise not have the opportunities to develop their skills because they are distanced by socio-economic means, to gain experience and exposure through the arts not just in Malaysia but also in the region! Our objective is to do our very best to help these children in Malaysia to develop their skills sufficiently so that they can realise their maximum potential and succeed as an artist in their chosen field, and eventually come back to help us in the development of further programmes for the Fund.”
>> Mr Ralph Lim, Vice President of The Kiwanis Club of Petaling Jaya, Nov 2006
 
“In his speech, Mr Tay said the extension of BAF to Japan and Malaysia was encouraging and extended an invitation to BAF Japan and Malaysia to participate in a major charity concert in Singapore…”
>> Mr Alvin Tay, Chairman of BT BAF Board of Trustees, quoted in The Business Times, Jan 2007

“We are also now creating a platform for professional artists to share and impart their skills and experience to the next generation of talents.”
>> Tan Sri Razali Ismail, Chairman of BAF (Malaysia), quoted in Starmetro, Jan 2007