Focus Area

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Environmental Sustainability

• Raise awareness about climate change and sustainability, including but not limited to environmental education programmes for all ages
• Promote and facilitate the conservation of natural habitats and biodiversity
• Support initiatives aimed at reducing carbon footprints and strengthening community resilience to the effects of climate change
• Any other project ideas that enhance environmental sustainability

Social Empowerment

• Support and help different vulnerable groups of all ages to become self-sustainable and alleviated from poverty
• Improve physical and mental wellness of disadvantaged and minority groups
• Address tangible and developmental needs of the underprivileged in an effective and sustainable manner
• Foster equality across different gender, ethnicity, abilities, socioeconomic status and other minority groups
• Enhance the inclusiveness of mainstream society and services, in perspective of diversity
• Any other project ideas that enhance social empowerment

Financial Literacy

• Promote financial literacy for all ages, in particular for the disadvantaged
• Provide education programmes on financial management such as scam prevention and retirement planning for vulnerable groups·        
• Safeguard individual’s right to access basic financial services and financial literacy education
• Facilitate all ages to familiarise with FinTech and other advanced financial tools
• Any other project ideas that enhance financial literacy

Talent Development

• Foster an inclusive talent culture in education, workplace and the community
• Equip different under-resourced groups with knowledge, skills, competence, values and attitudes needed to develop them as a future talent
• Upskill or reskill individuals in need to engage with the future markets and drive economic growth
• Develop future talents for sustainability related industries to create positive social & environmental impact
• Any other project ideas that enhance talent development

Problem identification, need assessment and social and/or environmental impact (25%)

• Demonstrates good understanding of the root causes of the identified problems, needs of the target beneficiaries and the community/ environment
• Includes a clear need assessment supported by relevant information or data
• Identifies competitor landscape, service gaps and market niche to fill
• Shows the project’s ability to address identified social needs with a clear intervention model and measurable outputs, outcomes and impact 

Business model, financial sustainability and cost effectiveness (25%)

• A strong business model that supports the project’s long-term financial viability, including ability to generate stable revenue streams and secure diversified funding sources
• Demonstrates a robust and well‑substantiated market assessment, including analysis of market demand, competitive landscape and pricing strategy, to support the reasonableness of revenue projections
• Team’s financial management capabilities, such as their ability to maintain sound cost-control and risk management
• Demonstrates cost effectiveness with reasonable explanation of cost for intended outcome

Team capability, leadership and partnership (20%)

• Founder/ senior management/ team demonstrates strong vision, attributes, and commitment
• Overall experience in executing similar projects, or a strong track record and performance in related areas
• All-rounded capabilities on project planning and execution
• Shows the capacity to adapt to changing project requirements, market conditions, or technological advancements
• Has a comprehensive and well‑considered succession plan in place for the founder(s) or key senior management personnel
• Evidence of existing/ planned partnerships, especially from corporate sector, which potentially scale up the project and amplify the impact

Project content and planning (15%)

• Structured, effective operational model and feasible work plan, with best use of resources and time to deliver the intended outputs and outcomes
• Team shows a thoughtful approach to identifying and mitigating potential risks, dependencies, and interdependencies within the project
• Demonstrates the project’s ability to be implemented and scaled in the market, including the establishment of strategic partnerships with market stakeholders and corporates (e.g. as service or product providers), to ensure long‑term sustainability and market impact
• Project shows credible scalability or replicability, which can amplify its impact

Innovativeness (15%)

• Project is distinctive and able to drive social and/or technological innovations
• Shows competitive advantages compared with similar projects/interventions
• Demonstrates maturity/readiness of the proposed innovative idea