Link Together Initiatives, Link’s charity and community engagement programme that supports charitable organisations to advance community sustainability, will begin accepting funding applications beginning tomorrow (1 April). Charitable organisations may apply before 5 pm on 3 May. Applications will also open on the same day for the Link University Scholarship, which seeks to help local youths realise their dreams and ambitions through education. The application round closes at 12 noon on 31 May for first-year university studies and at 12 noon on 13 June for second-, third- and fourth-year studies.

Eligible charitable organisations may download the relevant forms at Link’s website and submit the funding applications for their social projects online. Applicants for the Link University Scholarship for first-year university studies must be eligible Form 6 students nominated by their secondary school principals in Hong Kong who will begin their university studies in September 2019. The nominees must be among the first of three generations of their families to study at one of the local tertiary institutions funded by the University Grants Committee. Link has through the Hong Kong Council of Social Service invited nominations from all Hong Kong secondary schools, as well as associations of principals of secondary schools and school liaison committees in all districts. Scholarship applicants for second-, third- and fourth-year studies may submit their applications online.

Link each year contributes an amount of up to 0.25% of its net property income from the previous financial year to Link Together Initiatives, which helps charitable organisations advance community sustainability by providing monetary and other support to selected projects in three service areas, namely youth empowerment, active ageing and resource management. Since Link Together Initiatives commenced in 2013, Link has thus far earmarked over $61 million for more than 130 charitable projects, with an expected 4.5 million direct and indirect beneficiaries after the completion of the projects this year. For the 2018/2019 funding cycle, eight community projects were selected after a thorough screening process.

One of our signature youth empowerment programmes, the Link University Scholarship has since its launch in 2015 awarded $11.2 million in scholarship aid to 560 local youths who are in their families’ first generation to attend university. One aim of the programme is to promote upward social mobility among Hong Kong youths. An alumni group for Link scholars has also been formed to help broaden the horizons of scholarship recipients through volunteering and networking opportunities. For the 2018/2019 funding cycle, the Link University Scholarship offered scholarships to 190 promising young people embarking on university study. 

For application details, please refer to the following website pages:

Link Together Initiatives
https://www.linkreit.com/en/community/togetherInitiatives/

Link University Scholarship
https://www.linkreit.com/en/community/universityStudentScholarship/