APC Philanthropy Guide Series

The APC Philanthropy Guide Series is a resource tailored for the Asian context and developed by APC for its members. Addressing specific needs at different stages of the philanthropic journey — from strategising and structuring to collaborating and evaluating — each guide presents different approaches, best-in-class models, expert perspectives, case studies of APC members, and other insights from APC’s work. APC Members Please click on the button below to go to the microsite for the APC Philanthropy Guide Series. If you have any questions about the guides or how to access the site, reach out to the APC team for more information. Others in the Ecosystem The APC Philanthropy Guide Series was…

Regional Early Childhood Landscape Research

Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a challenge faced by many countries in Asia. Across the region, local priorities, challenges, and models can be very different, with varying outcomes. ECD lays the foundation for a child’s physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being and is a strong predictor of long-term human development. However, despite the growing emphasis on ECD in policies and services, questions remain on the adequacy and timeliness of services children receive, as well as the availability of comprehensive programmes that optimise development. The study identifies the current landscape of policy and service provision pertaining to ECD in China, Indonesia, the…

Climate Collective

Less than 2% of global philanthropy goes towards addressing climate change, with even less going towards Asia. Recent IPCC reports [2021 / 2022] point to an extremely urgent need for climate action to curb emissions, and adapt to devastating impacts already being felt in vulnerable parts of the world. It is clear that more collective action is needed across the region to address this shared threat. The complexity of addressing climate change requires working together. The APC Climate Collective, which was launched in early 2022, gathers members to enable them to find focus areas for climate action in Asia. The…

Mental Health Collective

A study in 2016 by the Singapore Institute for Mental Health reported that 1 in 7 persons in Singapore has experienced a mental health issue in their lifetime. Coupled with Singapore’s ageing population, society faces a myriad of mental health-related issues such as dementia. Recent reports and movements have also highlighted the rise in teenage suicides and depression.  In 2020, APC members began to explore mental health issues in Singapore, organising several roundtables and workshops together with Caregivers Alliance, the Singapore Institute for Mental Health, and the Centre for Evidence and Implementation. Since then, members have regrouped to form the…

Migrant Workers Project

Migrant workers can face an array of challenges in the migration process, including navigating through multiple layers of stakeholders and high recruitment fees. A recent 2021 study on migrant workers of Singapore reported that the median recruitment fee paid by Bangladeshi workers to be SGD 6,000 (three times higher than those paid by Indian workers). Given that the majority of Bangladeshi migrant workers need to borrow money to finance their recruitment fees, Bangladeshi migrant workers are often arriving in Singapore with huge financial burdens even before they start work. This is a systemic issue that requires a systemic response. In…

Malaysia: Advancing Vulnerable Communities

Although the World Bank has indicated Malaysia is on track to achieve high-income nation status in the next two to six years, vulnerable communities remain sidelined from this advancement. These communities include daily wage earners, contract workers, indigenous peoples, and others among local and refugee communities. According to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, poverty in these communities has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the lack of a comprehensive social protection system. In 2021, building on a dialogue session with the UNHCR organised by APC on the surge of refugees emerging in the region from the…

Employer Certification Scheme for Singapore Migrant Workers

Many of Singapore’s unskilled and semi-skilled jobs in sectors such as construction, marine, and processing are filled by low-wage male migrant workers. Hailing from countries like Bangladesh, India, and China, a significant number of workers face disempowering challenges, such as high recruitment fees, coerced or un-transparent employment agreements, and illegal salary deductions. While the COVID-19 outbreak in migrant worker dormitories has put these issues in the public eye, the outpouring of relief and goodwill are unlikely to address the systemic issues that continue to place migrant workers at risk of precarious labour conditions. To tackle structural factors in play, APC…

Transnational Giving Asia Feasibility Study

The landscape of international philanthropy today is far more diverse than it was 20 years ago. Today we see funding flow not only from the West, but also between countries in the Global South. With one-third of the world’s wealth and two-thirds of the world’s poor living in Asia, the opportunities for regional giving are immense. However, Asia’s philanthropists face a range of tax, regulatory, and practical challenges that create barriers to giving across borders. Give2Asia, the King Baudouin Foundation, and the Asia Philanthropy Circle are conducting a 1-year feasibility study co-funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to…

Philippines Early Childhood Development (ECD) Pilot

In the Philippines, 1 out of every 3 Filipino children under 5 is stunted and due to that, 3.8 million children are forced to leave school due to learning gaps in the early years. The Philippines Early Child Care Development (ECCD) Pilot is to respond with better nutrition, increased learning, social protection and improved health in order to ensure whole child development. In following WHO and UNICEF’s nurturing care framework, the ECCD pilot will focus on the first 8 years of a child’s life as these early years contribute greatly to a person’s lifelong outcomes in terms of health, productivity, and…

Myanmar Community Development Fund

The Myanmar Community Development Fund’s (MCDF) mission is to cultivate and empower community leaders and social entrepreneurs in Myanmar to create long-term sustainable and scalable community development projects and businesses that will benefit the community. This fund will identify and develop impact enterprises in Myanmar in sectors with high potential for economic growth and livelihood development.