They provided services such as social welfare, religious observances, education, and mediation to their members, who typically belonged to the same lineage, ancestral district, or dialect group.
[1][2] However, by the 1980s, memberships of Chinese clan associations in Singapore were declining and ageing, and many of their social welfare functions were now provided by the state.
[2][3] Then-Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng Cheong participated in this meeting and endorsed the associations' plans.
[1][5] The first head of the SFCCA was the banker Wee Cho Yaw, who also chaired the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan.
It moved to its current headquarters in the former premises of the Heng A Khe Bong School at 397 Lorong 2 Toa Payoh in 1997.