- 80 and growing global PAA members and partners reflect strong desire to catalyse multi-sector partnerships to prime Asia as a force for good
- PAA will build capabilities, capacities, and communities in the philanthropic sector to unlock significant opportunity for impact in Asia and beyond
- PAA welcomes the President of the Republic of Singapore Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam as Patron
Singapore, 15 September 2023 – Temasek Trust, philanthropic steward and ecosystem-builder for good, announced the launch of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) at the 3rd Philanthropy Asia Summit (PAS).
Asia’s scale, diversity, and development profile present an unprecedented opportunity to drive impact. The region accounts for over 50% of global emissions, with 60% of the world’s population, and is disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. Solving Asia’s challenges will benefit all, but this cannot be done alone.
“Collaborative, collective action is key to tackling the interconnected and complex challenges confronting us. The opportunity for philanthropic capital to catalyse positive impact in Asia is immense, and the Philanthropy Asia Alliance will accelerate this. We will harness the strengths, ideas and best practices of members and partners to jointly pioneer philanthropic innovations to realise our bold ambitions as an Alliance to prime Asia as a force for good,” said Mr. Desmond Kuek, CEO, Temasek Trust.
PAA will build capabilities, capacities, and communities in the philanthropic sector, and harness multi-sector partnerships to catalyse Asian solutions for global challenges. To date, over 80 and growing global members and partners from the Americas, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East have joined the Alliance. Collective PAA pledges have crossed S$1 billion (US$777M) to catalyse collective action for good. This includes Temasek Trust’s US$100M commitment to grow the ecosystem and support PAA’s working capital. PAA’s growing community includes:
- Americas: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, C40 Cities, ClimateWorks Foundation, Conservation International, Dalio Philanthropies, Education Development Centre, Equinix Foundation, Evidence Action, Give2Asia, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, OneSky, PATH, Population Services International, Resilient Cities Network, Roc360, Room to Read, The Rockefeller Foundation
- Asia-Pacific: Aboitiz Foundation Inc., Ayala Corporation, CareSpan Asia, CBC Group, Chaudhary Foundation, Clime Capital Management Pte Ltd, Climateworks Centre, Community Foundation of Singapore, DBS Foundation, Duke-NUS Medical School, Fast Retailing Foundation, Educate Girls, GKG Investment Holdings Pte Ltd, Goh Hup Jin, Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, Ho Ching, Hong Leong Foundation, IMC Pan Asia Alliance Pte Ltd, JOil, Jollibee Group Foundation, Li Ka Shing Foundation, Mapletree Investments, Minderoo Foundation, National Parks Board, National University of Singapore, Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation, PlanetRead, PT Triputra Agro Persada Tbk, Rici Foundation, Quantedge Foundation, Safe Water Gardens, Sembcorp Industries, SHEIN Group, Shiv Nadar Foundation, Sinar Mas, Southeast Asia Climate and Nature-based Solutions Coalition, Standard Chartered Trust (Singapore) Limited, Tanoto Foundation, Tara Climate Foundation, Temasek Foundation, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Temasek Trust, Wing Tai Holdings Limited
- Europe and the Middle East: Badr Jafar, BirdLife International, Clean Air Fund, Community Jameel, Jameel Institute, Novo Nordisk Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, Vision Catalyst Fund, Wellcome Trust, World Economic Forum
“The Philanthropy Asia Alliance is driven by the immense opportunity to mobilise collective action to catalyse and scale Asian solutions for the world. We will deepen our partnerships, harness our strengths, and forge new pathways to make the impossible possible. We welcome members and partners with the same ambition and bias for action to join us in this collaborative journey of giving and catalytic impact,” said Ms. Lim Seok Hui, CEO, Philanthropy Asia Alliance.
Welcoming PAA’s Distinguished Patron
During his Opening Remarks at this year’s PAS, PAA Chairman, Mr. Lim Boon Heng, announced that the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, has accepted PAA’s invitation to be its Distinguished Patron.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said, “Philanthropy Asia Alliance is a significant and much-needed initiative. The challenge we face is unprecedented – combining the need for bolder actions to tackle climate change with the imperatives of job creation and income growth in developing Asia. It can only be addressed through a whole new wave of innovations, in virtually every sector including farming. PAA will bring global and regional philanthropies together to work with governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to catalyse and scale up these innovations.”
Catalysing Impact Through Calls to Action
PAA members and other funders can access 29 and growing curated PAA Calls to Action (CTAs) across three anchor mandates – Climate and Nature, Inclusive and Holistic Education, and Global and Public Health – to impact global communities. These CTAs tap on philanthropic capital to test out innovative models to drive positive climate and community change.
PAS 2023, PAA’s flagship Platform for Action, showcased eight CTAs:
Climate & Nature
- Decarbonising Rice by Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory
- SEAFOAM - The Ocean as a Vital Climate Solution by Climateworks Centre
- Scaling Ocean Conservation through Protection and Production by Conservation International
Holistic & Inclusive Education
- Project Pragati - Enabling 10th Grade for 10 Million in 10 Years by Educate Girls
- Advancing a Quality Independent Childcare Model in Vietnam by OneSky
Global & Public Health
- Safe Water to Save Lives by Evidence Action
- Enabling Healthcare Access in the Philippines by CareSpan Asia and Temasek Foundation
- Genomic Detection for Infectious Disease Elimination by Duke-NUS Medical School
About 300 in-person and virtual attendees from more than 16 countries attended PAS 2023.
PAS 2024 will be co-located with Temasek’s Ecosperity in the week of 15 April 2024.
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About Temasek Trust
Temasek Trust, established by Temasek Holdings, is a steward of philanthropic assets, advocate of sustainability and catalyst of positive impact. It provides governance and financial oversight of endowments for an ecosystem of entities with the shared purpose of building better for every generation by protecting the planet, uplifting communities, connecting people, and advancing capabilities. In forging new pathways for philanthropy and impact investing with like-minded partners, Temasek Trust aims to promote catalytic philanthropy as a force for good. For more information, visit www.temasektrust.org.sg
About Philanthropy Asia Alliance
Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) is a Temasek Trust initiative dedicated to catalysing collaborative philanthropy in Asia through dynamic multi-sector partnerships. By harnessing collective strengths, PAA multiplies impact, accelerates positive change, and takes urgent action to address the pressing environmental and social challenges of our time. PAA’s flagship programme is the annual Philanthropy Asia Summit, supported by Temasek Trust and Temasek Foundation. PAS features Calls to Action to foster innovation, drive momentum, and scale impact in addressing environmental and social challenges. For more information, visit http://philanthropyasiaalliance.org
Media contacts:
Ms. Tess Chia
Director, Communications & Engagement
Temasek Trust
[email protected]
Ms. Christabel David
Senior Manager, Communications & Engagement
Temasek Trust
[email protected]
