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 assess the appetite and feasibility for setting up an effective cross-border giving network in the Asia-Pacific region.
The results of this research were published in 2022 and launched at the AVPN Conference in Bali, Indonesia. Entitled Unlocking Cross-Border Philanthropy in Asia, this research provides the first-ever comprehensive assessment of cross-border philanthropy. Findings are based on detailed interviews with 150 high-net-worth donors/foundations and surveys from 135 nonprofit organizations across 15 markets.