China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB), Singapore Branch has set up the CCB SG Vision Foundation, with TT Foundation Advisors (TTFA). Based in Singapore, the Foundation will support philanthropic initiatives in areas such as education, healthcare, and environmental protection.
This marks CCB’s first charitable donor-advised fund (DAF) overseas and the first collaboration between TTFA and a Chinese financial institution. The partnership was announced at the 2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum during the recent China-Singapore Financial Summit in Singapore.
Mr. Chua Kee Heng, Chief Financial Officer, Temasek Trust, and Ms. Sun Nianbei, General Manager, CCB Singapore, at the launch ceremony of the CCB SG Vision Foundation.
Donor-Advised Funds: A Rising Model for Cross-Border Giving
As philanthropic activity in Asia grows in scale and complexity, there is a rising interest in platforms that offer donors flexibility, administrative ease, and structured support. DAFs are emerging as an attractive option to provide individuals and families with a trusted vehicle to plan, manage, and amplify their philanthropic impact.
Against this backdrop, the CCB SG Vision Foundation leverages a DAF model to provide donors — in Singapore, China, and beyond — a flexible and purposeful means of giving. By offering strategic advice and well-governed back-end infrastructure, this model supports donors in shaping a lasting philanthropic legacy.
“Singapore has established a solid institutional framework and incentive mechanisms for philanthropy, with a strong public consensus around giving,” pointed out Ms. Sun Nianbei, General Manager, CCB Singapore. She added that CCB is keen to learn from advanced, well-governed charity models and to adopt best practices.
To enable cross-sector, cross-border synergies in philanthropy, the Foundation will connect with global philanthropic resources and partners. CCB will also keep business partners and clients abreast of the latest insights and best practices in the local and regional philanthropic space to support them in giving back to society.
Cultivating Globally-Minded Young Talent
The Foundation has made an inaugural donation of S$30,000 to support the Youth Interns Exchange Scheme (YES) between Singapore and China.
Representatives from Business China, CCB Chongqing Branch, CCB Singapore Branch, Temasek Trust, and TT Foundation Advisors participate in the presentation of the cheque contribution to the YES programme.
Launched in 2019, YES is Singapore’s first government-level bilateral internship exchange initiative, jointly supervised by Singapore’s Ministry of Education and China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. It is managed by Business China in Singapore and the National Talent Mobility Centre in China respectively.
The programme seeks to promote cultural exchange and nurture globally minded talent by providing youths opportunities to gain deeper insights into the culture, economy, and society of their host country.
TTFA: Driving Change Through Strategic Partnerships
TTFA, the philanthropy advisory arm of Temasek Trust, will offer the Foundation a comprehensive suite of services, including strategic planning, project management, impact evaluation, and partner engagement. In the future, the Foundation will collaborate with other platforms such as Co-Axis — a digital impact marketplace connecting funders with impact startups.
“By building trusted platforms and collaborating with like-minded partners, we aim to unlock capital for good and drive lasting change in communities,” said Mr. Dickson Lim, Head, TTFA.
This partnership builds on TTFA’s commitment to drive lasting change for communities and collaboration with like-minded partners for systems-level impact.
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) recently partnered with TTFA to launch a DAF aimed at channelling capital from family offices and foundations into high-quality carbon projects under EDB’s Carbon Project Development Grant. The partnership will advance Singapore’s carbon market while delivering benefits for climate, nature, and communities.
In April, the Li Ka Shing Foundation and Temasek Trust committed S$12 million to acquire systems and advance a clinical trial for innovative histotripsy cancer therapy in Singapore. The funding, disbursed through a DAF managed by TTFA, aims to attract additional capital from other donors over time to sustainably support the next phase of cancer research.
In line with efforts to uplift the giving ecosystem at large, TTFA is also providing donor screening services — as part of a pilot initiative with Singapore’s Office of the Commissioner of Charities — to help safeguard philanthropic giving. TTFA has also supported charities in strengthening their donor screening processes when working with donors through two webinars conducted with Singapore’s Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth.
Visit TTFA’s website and follow its LinkedIn for the latest updates. For more information, reach out to TTFA at [email protected].
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