BY DR LEE OI KUM AND SUJAY SANTRA, IKURE Some of the most powerful stories in philanthropy aren’t about the size of a cheque—but rather, what happens when a funder stays in the room long after the initial gift. APC member Dr Lee Oi Kum‘s journey with Sujay Santra, Founder and CEO of iKure Techsoft, is one of those stories. The value of their relationship lies less in what iKure is today, and more in what their journey shows about how funders can journey alongside social entrepreneurs—from grassroots organisation, to funded social enterprise, to data-driven technology platform. That journey itself…
Beyond the Pavement: An Afternoon of Discovery and Learning at Hong Kong’s Chungking Mansions
BY YU TING POH, ASIA PHILANTHROPY CIRCLE Photo Credits: Flickr, Wikimedia Commons Chungking Mansions is one of those places in Hong Kong that comes with a Reputation. Ask most Hong Kongers about it, and you’ll likely get a look, or maybe even a warning. The building has been known as a dangerous place rife with crime and disaster for decades, and it’s a place people typically walk past quickly. With many of us in Hong Kong for the Philanthropy for Better Cities (PBC) Forum 2026, we took the opportunity to gather on the side for a site visit—meeting on Nathan…
Teaching, Not Fixing: Lessons from 15 Years of Philanthropic Venture Building
WITH RICO GONZALEZ, XCHANGE At a recent sharing for the Philanthropic Investing Collective, Rico Gonzalez shared his reflections on what it takes to build and support impact enterprises for the long haul—something he’s been doing through xchange, an impact-first venture he founded together with his wife back in 2011. Over 15 years, xchange grew from an investment vehicle into an impact-first venture and ecosystem builder supporting impact entrepreneurs through long-term accompaniment and hands-on partnership; it has since backed some 18 enterprises, channelling around US$5 million across grants, equity, and debt. Building trust before you invest xchange does not run open…
Sorry, GPT. The Future Isn’t Yours to Write.
WITH PROF LARRY KRAMER, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS (LSE) While preparing his commencement speech for his graduating class this year, Prof Larry Kramer, President and Vice-Chancellor of the London School of Economics, decided to run an experiment. He opened an AI chatbot and typed in a simple request: Write me a speech on the effects AI will have on the future of my students, one I can deliver as a commencement address. The AI opened with the line: “I wanted to write a speech about AI, and curious to see what it would do, I asked a chatbot to write…
Anita’s Sabah Reflections
BY ANITA FAM, AGENCY FOR INTEGRATED CARE (AIC) They’re called Bui-Doi The Dust of life Conceived in hell And born is strife They are the living reminders Of all the good we failed to do We can’t forget Must not forget That they are all Our children too* *An excerpt from ‘Bui Doi’, a song from Miss Saigon This was shared by fellow APC member, Ong Beng Seng, at our last breakfast in Kota Kinabalu. He had woken up at 4 am that morning with this heavy on his mind. Sobering, but it pretty much sums up how we all…
Super El Niño: A Postcard from the Future ‘Normal’
BY MABEL LEE, ASIA PHILANTHROPY CIRCLE The Super El Niño could be a postcard from the future, telling us what the new ‘normal’ could look like. The verdict? A peek into models that are ‘very sobering’. In a session with Lou Munden, founder of climate risk consultancy TMP, APC members came together to better understand where the impacts of the Super El Niño are likely to land within the region. While not a scientific certainty, models present a grim scenario: “We’ve hit the same point of warming 115 days earlier than we did back in 1997, ’98. There is now…
Man in the Arena: Notes from Switzerland
BY NAN LI, ASIA PHILANTHROPY CIRCLE “My first learning journey, to Switzerland, left a deep impression on me. Seeing how elea brings together a dedicated team, committed patrons and professional rigour to invest in impact entrepreneurs through the “valley of death” showed me what it takes to build an ecosystem of patient capital and entrepreneurial partnership. I was inspired by one of our host Adrian’s passion and the way he combines a strong grounding in Swiss heritage and culture with an outward-looking worldview, a quality I value in leadership and saw reflected across the elea team. Learning alongside the PIC…
Reflections at the Crossroads of Climate, Ocean, Communities, and Forests:
BY ANASTASIA KURNIADI, ASSOCIATE “Building Philanthropic Partnerships for Resilient Ocean, Climate, and Communities” funders breakfast event, 19 May 2026 Just as the morning rush began, a group of funders working across ocean, climate, communities, and forests in Southeast Asia gathered. Co-hosted by Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) and the Indonesia Marine Funders Collaboration (IMFC) on the sidelines of the 6th Philanthropy Asia Summit (PAS), the breakfast was designed with a simple but powerful intention: to bring funders across these intersecting fields together and ask, “How does your work relate to others in this room?” There was something special about watching old…
Community-Centred Grantmaking: Bringing Communities Into the Room
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…
Collaboration in Action: Shaping 2026 Together
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…