History and Milestones

Since its inception, the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism has held true to its mission of enabling a steady pipeline of locally contextualised and age-appropriate resources and programmes to foster bilingualism in children. The focus has been on pre-schoolers, or even younger children because the foundation for learning both English and Mother Tongue Languages (MTLs) is best laid when children are young. Besides focusing on pre-schoolers, we have also broadened our focus to promote bilingualism as a lifelong endeavour.

We work closely with like-minded stakeholders and community partners, individuals and entities to support worthy initiatives and programmes in making MTL learning fun and relevant to everyday life. Some of our fund-supported programmes and events as well as its impact includes:

Early Years — Building Foundations in Early Childhood

The Fund began with a simple but powerful belief: that a love for language is best nurtured early, and that it takes a whole community to do so. With Mr Heng Swee Keat as its first Chairman, the Fund set out to bring schools, parents, and community partners together around a shared goal — giving young children the richest possible start in their bilingual journey.

In its early years, the Fund focused on building a strong ecosystem for the preschool sector. Its Call for Proposals drew more than 100 submissions, from picture books and songs to game sets and learning resources spanning English and the three official Mother Tongue Languages. Partnerships with the Singapore Centre for Chinese Languages and the National Book Development Council of Singapore helped raise the quality of resources available to educators and families. Periodicals like Thumbs Up Little Junior 《小小拇指》, Cilik Cerdik, and Balar Murasu gave young children joyful, culturally meaningful ways to engage with their Mother Tongue Languages.

Recognising that language learning happens well beyond the classroom, the Fund worked with the National Library Board and media organisations to weave bilingualism into the fabric of everyday life. Signature programmes such as the Love Our Languages! Community Series continue to equip parents and educators with practical strategies to support language learning at home and in school, while the Mother Tongue Languages Symposium brings educators and practitioners together to exchange ideas and best practices. In 2018, Junction Tree, Singapore's first locally-produced bilingual pre-school programme, won Best Preschool Programme at the Asian Academy Creative Awards, a proud milestone for the bilingual ecosystem the Fund had helped to shape.

Expanding Reach — New Approaches and Digital Platforms

As the Fund's work deepened, so did its ambition to reach more families in more ways. Print books were converted into e-books and translated into Mother Tongue Languages, and theThumbs Up Little Junior app brought playful language learning to families on the go. An early pilot campaign with 8world MediaCorp invited the public to create videos around National Day music — an early sign of the Fund's growing interest in community-driven content.

In 2019, the Fund supported the New World. New Life exhibition by the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clans Associations, a bilingual multi-sensory experience commemorating the Singapore Bicentennial and the largest exhibition in SFCCA's 33-year history. The following year brought an unexpected test. When COVID-19 disrupted daily life in 2020, the Fund launched the #IAmBilingualSG Special Call, which drew close to 150 submissions. The response was heartening — a reminder that bilingualism is most resilient when it is rooted in communities, not just institutions.

A Strategic Shift — Towards a More Integrated Approach

With strong roots in early childhood, the Fund began looking ahead and outward. It broadened its focus to include post-secondary youth and young adults and adopted a more integrated view of bilingualism: one that sees English and Mother Tongue Languages not as separate pursuits, but as complementary strengths that enrich each other. The Fund's funding priorities have shifted accordingly, with greater emphasis on proposals that actively promote both languages together.

Engaging young people means meeting them on their own terms.

The Fund forges partnerships with polytechnics, the Institute of Technical Education, universities, and community partners to bring fresh energy to bilingualism. A collaboration with Temasek Polytechnic produced ten short videos capturing bilingualism as something vibrant and alive among youth. Community platforms like the Tamil Language Festival and Bulan Bahasa continue to celebrate Mother Tongue Languages in public life, anchoring them in the rhythms of the wider community.

Bilingualism in Everyday Life

Today, the Fund's work extends well beyond classrooms and formal programmes. It lives in the digital spaces where people connect, create, and express themselves. Partnerships with TheSmartLocal and The Daily Ketchup produced social media content creation workshops that were enthusiastically received. Building on this momentum, the Fund scaled up its collaboration with TheSmartLocal, opening the door for aspiring content creators aged 17 to 35 to pitch and produce content that brings bilingualism to life in fresh, authentic ways.

On the productions front, the Fund supported The Finish Line, a six-episode reality game series by Titan Digital Media and Qrious Culture by OKJ Works, a podcast series exploring language, identity, and lived experience through the lens of local storytelling. Together, these projects reflect a fundamental shift in how bilingualism is understood; it is no longer confined to formal learning, but lived, shared, and celebrated across the platforms and spaces that define contemporary life.

Looking Ahead — Fifteen Years and Beyond

As the Fund marks fifteen years of championing bilingualism, this milestone is as much a moment to look ahead as it is to reflect. Over the years, the Fund has helped shape a society where bilingualism is not just a skill, but a source of identity, connection, and confidence and that work is far from done.

Looking ahead, the Fund remains committed to creating a vibrant environment where young children can discover the joy of language through ground-up initiatives and innovative approaches. Beyond the early years, it will continue to expand its reach to youth and young adults, forging new partnerships, co-developing digital initiatives, and finding fresh ways to make bilingualism a living, breathing part of everyday life for all Singaporeans.