JAKARTA - Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower opened applications on July 1 for Singapore-registered organisations to operate temporary pop-up recreation spaces for migrant workers, with the six-month pilot scheduled from October 1 to March 31, 2027. The grant will fund sites where workers can spend rest days outside dormitories and existing recreation centres.

The ministry said successful applicants must run each pop-up space at least twice a month, on Sundays or public holidays, for a minimum of three hours each operating day. Applications close on July 30 at 11:59 p.m. Organisations proposing more than one site must file a separate application for each location.

MOM is looking for organisations that have run at least one similar-scale event for 100 or more migrant workers in the past three years. Applicants must find and secure their own venues. Sites in rest-day areas such as Little India, Kallang, Geylang and Chinatown will be preferred, giving the programme a street-level shape rather than keeping recreation only inside purpose-built centres.

The grant will pay for actual operating costs during the pilot, with funding tied to six-month visitor targets. Operators may receive up to $100,000 for 3,300 visitors, $150,000 for 5,000 visitors, $200,000 for 6,700 visitors, or $250,000 for 8,300 visitors. Supported costs include furniture, equipment, staffing, utilities, maintenance, programmes, marketing, logistics, licensing, legal and professional fees, insurance, volunteer meals and transport. Venue rental and cash prizes are not covered.

MOM said the grant is meant to create “conducive, convenient pop-up spaces at locations frequented by the MWs where they can relax, socialise with peers and participate in events and activities on their rest days.” The ministry said it may appoint one operator or several operators, depending on the applications received.

The call comes after Singapore’s foreign workforce continued to expand in the latest official annual data. MOM’s March 20 update showed 1,635,700 foreign workers in December 2025, including 1,222,700 Work Permit holders. 

The construction, marine shipyard and process sectors accounted for 482,600 Work Permit holders, a category that includes many workers living in dormitory-heavy industrial areas.

The pop-up grant adds a smaller, movable layer to an existing recreation network. MOM’s recreation centre list, last updated on May 26, includes Kaki Bukit, Kranji, Penjuru, Sembawang, Terusan, Tuas South and Woodlands, plus the Migrant Workers’ Centre Recreation Club at Soon Lee Road. 

On April 17, MOM also called for consultancy services to redevelop Soon Lee Recreation Centre into Singapore’s first Recreation Hub and upgrade Kaki Bukit Recreation Centre. Soon Lee now serves more than 40,000 nearby workers and is expected to serve over 100,000 workers after redevelopment, with completion expected by end-2030.