Think City has unveiled the 16 successful Think City Grants (TCG) awardees who heeded the call to make a difference in Kuala Lumpur and Butterworth.
Launched in December 2014, the Think City Grants programme was patterned after the success of Think City’s maiden project George Town Grants Programme (GTGP) and received over 70 applications from individuals, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and companies.
Notably, Think City will disburse approximately RM815,500 for the 16 projects, with each grantee working closely with Think City over the next 12 months to ensure their successful completion.
The programme in Kuala Lumpur covered a one kilometer radius from Masjid Jamek while that in Butterworth focused on three linked roads – Jalan Jeti Lama, Jalan Telaga Air and Jalan Bagan Luar — as the core area. There were also some notable exceptions with two projects outside the KL core area.
Think City executive director Hamdan Abdul Majeed noted marked differences between the kind of projects applied under the George Town Grants Programme (GTGP) and those in Kuala Lumpur.
“It is interesting to note that in Penang there were greater opportunities to get involved with physical conservation projects. In Kuala Lumpur a majority of the applications focused on community building and the development of sustainable practices. We are very encouraged to see how different cities have different needs.”
Speaking at a briefing for Think City grantees, Low Shao-Lyn revealed that her The Perennial Kitchen project aims to promote the establishment of food gardens at selected outlets in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
“The project promotes sustainable growing practices in restaurants and cafes,” said Low, who manages non-profit organisation Eats, Shoots and Roots.
“We will start by mapping out food outlet locations, followed by a one-to-one consultation on designing a garden system specifically for that outlet, and then keeping track of the results so it can be published.”
Meanwhile, Hamdan invites Malaysians to participate in the opening of Think City’s second cycle of grants applications in July.
“We invite citizens to apply for our upcoming Think City grants in July 2015 to make a difference. We continue to believe in the power of small, that big changes can come from each initiative,” said Hamdan.
Farah Wahida, Editor of PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact her about this or other stories email farahwahida@propertyguru.com.my
