●      Inspired by and co-developed with Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) members, the Communities initiative aims to scale impact more effectively and quickly across geographies 

●      Three Communities were launched today at the Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024, helmed by PAA and Community Pioneers – Blue Oceans with Dalio Philanthropies and TPC (Tsao Pao Chee); Sustainable Land Use with Golden Philanthropies (Sinar Mas) and Jollibee Group Foundation; Holistic & Inclusive Education with Tanoto Foundation

●      Each Community will develop a Collective Impact Framework and have access to a portfolio of PAA-evaluated high-impact projects that they can fund collectively

Singapore, 15 April 2024 – The Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA), a Temasek Trust initiative to foster collaborative philanthropy in Asia, today announced its Communities initiative, a collaboration model inspired by and co-developed with PAA members that will scale impact more effectively and quickly across geographies. 

In joining a Community, members and partners can:

• Combine their strengths and experiences to address complex climate, health and education challenges in holistic and interconnected ways
• Diversify funding across a portfolio of high-impact projects at various stages and unlock a wealth of insights and learnings
• Replicate successful pilots in their respective countries, thereby scaling them regionally and globally

PAA and Community Pioneers of the first three Communities have committed S$40M for a start, with more expected.

“The Communities initiative is testament to our members’ bias for action and commitment to breaking down silos, so they can collaborate better with like-minded parties. Many recognise that funding and implementing similar projects result in inefficiencies and diluted impact. They also inadvertently repeat mistakes that others have made. With the Communities initiative, both funders and project owners are empowered to align their efforts and resources, and tackle pressing issues head-on. This approach promotes systems thinking, scalability and synergies to create lasting change. We are deeply grateful for the support of our Community Pioneers who are funding and driving each Community, highlighting the value of partnerships in collective impact," said Ms. Lim Seok Hui, CEO, Philanthropy Asia Alliance.

The Blue Oceans Community

The Blue Oceans Community will focus on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources, with a focus on Asia. It will look at science and exploration to build our connectivity to, and appreciation of, the importance of oceans and its related marine and coastal ecosystems.

“At Dalio Philanthropies, we’re committed to championing important work in the ocean space, from conservation to exploration, helping increase our collective knowledge of and access to the ocean. We are thrilled to be pioneer members of PAA’s Blue Oceans Community and look forward to the impacts of collaborating on this important work,” said Ms. Gretchen Wagner, Executive Director of Dalio Philanthropies.

“The definition for Well-being of Life today is becoming more extensive, not only ourselves, our family and society, but the whole planet. This calls for business reform with global leaders to embrace the process of restoration – restoring purpose to business, restoring health to our ocean and planet, and restoring nature of love to Life,” said Mr. Chavalit Frederick Tsao, Chairman, TPC (Tsao Pao Chee).

The Sustainable Land Use Community

The Sustainable Land Use Community will prioritise sustainable agriculture, land conservation, and biodiversity preservation. It will focus on fostering nature-positive initiatives that restore ecosystems, promote sustainable food production, and implement resilient agricultural practices.

“Sinar Mas has established Golden Philanthropies, a body which will take an active role in funding projects in PAA’s Sustainable Land Use Community, in developing new initiatives and in offering our sites in Indonesia to carry out pilot projects. Given our years in conservation management and most crucially, in understanding the needs and aspirations of the forest communities, we stand able to catalyse important initiatives to mitigate climate change through philanthropy,” said Mr. Bernard Tan, Country President Singapore, Sinar Mas.

“Jollibee Group’s commitment to promoting food security in the Philippines has led us to PAA, where we hope to collaborate in securing the future of smallholder farmers and their families. We believe that while the various crises we face put us all at risk, each of us can be part of the solution. As such, we look forward to working in solidarity with PAA members, business sector, government, the scientific community, and most importantly, with farmer cooperatives and associations, in fostering resilience and cohesion, as we confront the multifaceted challenges that lie ahead," said Ms. Gisela Tiongson, President, Jollibee Group Foundation

The Holistic and Inclusive Education Community

The Holistic and Inclusive Education Community seeks to achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all. To achieve this goal, the Community will adopt a comprehensive approach to support access to high-quality education and to create a supportive environment for children during their early years of development. This approach involves enhancing educator skills, improving curricula, leveraging innovative technology, and advocating for early childhood development policies.

“Tanoto Foundation is honoured to lead the way in pioneering PAA's Holistic and Inclusive Education Community.  For over 40 years, our Foundation has harnessed the transformative power of education to fulfil people's full potential and to improve lives. We are confident that the Community will be a platform for us to further this mission, by allowing us to work collaboratively with like-minded organizations and catalyse support for impactful educational programs across the region," said Mr. Benny Lee, CEO, Tanoto Foundation.

An Impact-focused Approach to Collaboration

In line with PAA’s focus on an evidence-based and impact-focused approach, impact measurement and management will be key for the Communities initiative. Temasek Trust will support each Community in developing a systems thinking approach and a Collective Impact Framework. This aligns members on a shared mission statement, effectively scope the challenge they are solving for, define the impact they intend to achieve, and set up the right metrics and timelines to measure their progress. This lays the foundation for successful philanthropic-public-private partnerships (PPPPs) in the longer term. In joining each Community, members will contribute their knowledge, resources, and capital to achieving shared goals as outlined in the framework.

“Systems thinking in philanthropy involves understanding interconnected factors and leveraging collective efforts for long-term positive impact. Establishing a robust framework with an intentional approach towards outcomes from the outset is vital. By analysing root causes, collaborating across sectors, and advocating for systemic solutions, Temasek Trust and all its partners in the philanthropic ecosystem can effectively mobilise action towards a sustainable tomorrow. Platforms such as the Philanthropy Asia Alliance’s Communities initiative will build the momentum for these efforts,” said Mr. Benedict Cheong, Chief Systems Integration Officer, Temasek Trust.

PAA is actively working with members to introduce more Communities.

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