OSK Foundation, the philanthropic arm of OSK Group, marked the second year of its Seed and Support Women’s Entrepreneurial Grant programme, reaffirming its commitment to uplifting women from lower-income and challenging backgrounds. The initiative, run in partnership with the Women’s Institute of Management (WIM), continues to offer financial and developmental support to micro and small business owners across Malaysia.
For 2025, 34 women entrepreneurs were selected to receive grants. The recipients comprise microbusiness owners operating in food, retail, services, and various home-based sectors, with many coming from single-mother and B40 households. WIM facilitated the application and mentoring process, ensuring that applicants received guidance throughout their submissions.
The event also recognised the achievements of seven recipients from the 2024 cohort, who returned to showcase their business progress over the past year. According to OSK Foundation, many of these women have expanded their product offerings, strengthened their business operations, and increased their customer base. Some have been able to generate more stable household income, while others have begun hiring staff — creating meaningful employment opportunities within their communities.
OSK Foundation CEO Cheryl Ong said the achievements of the past two cohorts underscore the value of targeted support for women entrepreneurs.
“This grant was created to give women the support they need to strengthen and grow their small businesses. We are encouraged by the progress shown by this group and glad to see how the funding has helped them take their next steps,” she said. “OSK Foundation will continue focusing on programmes that provide practical support to women and communities who can benefit from it.”
The grant programme builds on a longstanding partnership between OSK Foundation and WIM, which began in 2019 with nationwide entrepreneurial development workshops. To date, 22 training sessions have been conducted, reaching over 800 women with lessons on budgeting, business planning, and proposal writing. The entrepreneurial grant represents the next phase of support — direct financial assistance for women who are ready to scale their ventures.
Cheryl added that the Foundation hopes the programme will spark a ripple effect of empowerment.
“As their businesses grow, it is our hope that they will also lift others along with them — whether by hiring someone, supporting another family, or helping someone in their own community. That is how the impact continues and how the ripple effect begins.”
OSK Foundation said it will continue to prioritise women empowerment as a key pillar under its community development initiatives.