BY WILLIAM GONDOKUSUMO, CAMPAIGN FOR GOOD According to The Center for Effective Philanthropy’s Voices that Matter report, 71% of foundations believe their programs align with community needs. Most nonprofits disagree. That gap almost always starts at selection. And at its heart, it is a question of who gets to decide who gets funded, and whose voice counts in that decision. Communities are surveyed, interviewed, and consulted. Their needs are documented and presented in reports. But when shortlists are being finalised, and decisions are being made, they are not in the room. Insight is gathered. Input is not. From Insight to…

BY ESTHER CHANG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER The start of 2026 has been both energising and grounding for our community. Across our engagements, I have been encouraged not only by the level of activity, but by the depth of reflection and connection taking shape among members. This year, we welcomed the launch of two new collectives, the Climate & Communities Collective (CCC) and the Philanthropy Impact Collective (PIC). These platforms are already bringing members together in meaningful ways, creating space to exchange perspectives, build alignment, and explore where collaboration can drive greater impact. At the same time, our recent Next Gen…

BY CAROL LIEW, ECCA FAMILY FOUNDATION At ECCA, we don’t consider ourselves a major funder in the anti-human trafficking space—in fact, we don’t identify ourselves as one. Yet our work, like that of many other foundations, intersects directly with the drivers of exploitation. That was the starting point for hosting the first Call for Collab with APC: to encourage more funders to see these connections, share insights, and consider how their existing work can contribute to prevention. Human Trafficking: A Global, Evolving Crisis Human trafficking is no longer a regional issue—it is a global, rapidly evolving crisis. Increasingly, scam centres…

BY SOPHIA NG Early childhood development (ECD) in China has been an area of growing interest among researchers and practitioners. Today, it is beginning to take centre stage. The recent inclusion of ECD into China’s national economic planning framework marks a significant shift—not just in policy, but in how the earliest years of life are understood. For those working in this space, it signals that early childhood is no longer seen as a peripheral social issue, but as a foundational investment in the country’s long-term development. This moment reflects a convergence that has been building over time at APC. Through…

BY JASMINE KHIN AND SWATI ARGAWAL Climate insurance may not be the first tool that comes to mind when we think about building resilience. Yet, as our Climate & Communities Collective discovered, it may be one of the most transformative yet underutilised levers for supporting vulnerable communities in Southeast Asia and beyond. As part of the Climate & Communities Collective, APC recently hosted a conversation with Charlie Langdale, CEO of Humanity Insured, a UK-based nonprofit rethinking how insurance can serve those on the frontlines of climate change. Drawing on over 30 years in the industry, Charlie shared a compelling vision:…

BY JEREMY NGUYEN PHUONG, NGUYEN-PHUONG FAMILY FOUNDATION I recently had the privilege of co-hosting a next-generation leaders lunch with Asia Philanthropy Circle, joined by changemaker titan Jacqueline Novogratz. I had no specific expectations for the gathering. I just knew we needed more safe spaces for next gen leaders—and that Jacqueline could hold that space beautifully. She did not disappoint.  What stayed with me wasn’t a single insight. There’s something powerful about being in a room where people are navigating similar tensions—between legacy and individuality, duty and freedom, certainty and doubt. It reminds us that we are not alone in this….

BY BELINDA TANOTO, APC MEMBER For the first time, early childhood development (ECD) has entered China’s national economic planning framework—opening the door for provinces to prioritise investment, scale services, and strengthen systems that support young children and their families. For many of us working in this space, the milestone reflects years of collective effort. It also demonstrates the growing role that collaborative philanthropy can play in connecting field practice, research, and policy dialogue into a reinforcingpractice–research–advocacy loop. A notable example is the China Early Childhood Development (ECD) Collaborative Fund. A collaborative response to a systemic challenge The idea for the…

BY ANNETTE TRYDE AKMAN, HINRICH FOUNDATION For much of modern life, we have been shaped by the story of the hero. The individual who steps forward.Who solves the problem.Who rescues the community. It is a powerful story—one that has shaped our films, our institutions, and our understanding of leadership itself. But I am beginning to sense that something is shifting. Recently, I spent several days in retreat with renowned activist Satish Kumar, reflecting on what it means to live—and to act—from a place of radical love. One insight stayed with me: how easily we can slip into the belief that…

BY LAURENCE LIEN, CHAIRMAN We don’t talk about failure very easily—especially in Asia.  We are taught from a young age to succeed, to avoid shame, to save face. Many of us have built our lives on the idea that success defines who we are. So when we fail—in our case, when something in our philanthropy doesn’t go as planned—our instinct is often to go quiet.  We move on. We reframe the story. We tell ourselves it was a ‘learning experience,’ but we rarely say what it was we actually learned. Or—sometimes, we do. But most of the time, we are…

BY EILEEN CHONG, LEAD, INSIGHTS & INNOVATION When the Secretariat set out to plan APC’s 10th anniversary celebration, we knew we did not want it to be yet another conference. We wanted to celebrate the people who made APC possible and who shaped our journey over the past decade. We wanted to honor the philanthropists, non-profit leaders, and beneficiaries at the heart of our work – not with polished keynotes and perfectly curated panels, but with space for real stories, honest reflections, and all of the messy, human parts of systems change. On 23 October, what unfolded was less a…