As more Asian economies enter super-aged status, there is heightened interest in the role of private capital and resources to support the region through this transition.

The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society’s latest report, “Building Age-Friendly Societies in Asia,” examines how philanthropy and other forms of private social investment are complementing public systems and accelerating the rollout of much-needed solutions in the diverse economies of Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand.

Drawing on insights from over 100 leaders, experts, and practitioners, it examines how government efforts, philanthropy, corporate initiatives, and impact capital are already advancing solutions — from enabling older adults to age safely in their homes and communities, to strengthening caregiver capacity, catalysing inclusive silver markets, and deploying technology that enhances autonomy and connection.

The report identifies strategic priorities and lessons for philanthropists and private social investors seeking insights on how to approach this timely issue.

Maternal and child health (MCH) is critical to global health, poverty alleviation, and economic development. Yet across Asia, the impressive gains made over the past two decades in reducing maternal and child mortality are now at risk. The withdrawal of foreign assistance—such as from the United States, historically a major supporter of MCH in Asia—raises concerns about sustaining this progress in the region. 

In response to these shifts in international development funding, this report from the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) examines how domestic philanthropy in China, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines has contributed to MCH.  

It shows how domestic philanthropy has brought unique resources and know-how to the table alongside critical capital, highlighting areas where it has already made an impact: strengthening the capacity of health workers, supporting the local implementation of national policies, improving access to services in remote and underserved regions, and aligning with national nutrition programs for mothers and children. 

Asian philanthropy has demonstrated its potential to support MCH. This report explores how those contributions can be built upon to ensure that hard-won progress is not lost. 

The family unit serves as a cornerstone of many Asian cultures, influencing how business and philanthropy are conducted. In recent years, there has also been a notable rise in family offices and foundations in the region dedicated to doing good. This report delves into the motivations and strategies of five prominent Asian families, showcasing their unique journeys toward societal impact.  

This report profiles the Chaudhary family (Nepal), the Harilela family (Hong Kong ), the Li family (China), the Lo family (Hong Kong), and the Tanoto family (Indonesia/Singapore). While the stories of these five philanthropic families alone cannot capture broader regional trends, a detailed examination of what motivates their collective giving and how their approaches have evolved offers unique insights into family philanthropy in the region. Indeed, each family we studied has its own distinct way of giving back, but our study has also identified six common characteristics:  

1. Family philanthropy comes in many forms: These families showcase different vehicles of giving—whether it be through corporation foundations, family foundations, hybrid models or charitable initiatives focused on specific causes—and have a mix of approaches to craft philanthropic strategies that align with their work styles and social goals.  
2. Family philanthropy is primarily community-focused: Philanthropy is seen as a way to give back to the communities where these families have built their businesses, wealth and networks.  
3. Family philanthropy is professionalizing: These families reflect a trend toward institutionalizing philanthropy, especially with the involvement of newer generations. This is demonstrated through the creation of foundations and the hiring of professional staff or external advisors to assess community needs, structure and manage programs and initiatives, and evaluate impact – with the family steering the overall direction and vision. 
4. Family philanthropy is reinforced—and inspired—by the family business: These families use their business expertise to enhance their philanthropic efforts or leverage their business infrastructure to implement projects directly. 
5. Family philanthropy is creating ties across generations and borders: Through their philanthropy endeavors, the families create a multi-generational legacy while forging tighter bonds in their shared decision-making, community and joy. 
6. Family philanthropy is sustaining core values over time: For these families, philanthropy is a lasting channel to reinforce core family values across generations. 

家族是诸多亚洲文化的基石，深刻影响着商业与慈善事业的运作方式。近年来，亚洲地区致力于慈善事业的家族办公室和基金会数量显著增长。本报告深入剖析了亚洲五大家族开展慈善事业的核心驱动力与策略，展现了他们各自创造社会影响力的独特历程。  

本报告涵盖了乔杜里家族（尼泊尔）、夏利里拉家族（香港）、李东生家族（中国内地）、罗氏家族（香港）以及陈江和家族（印度尼西亚/新加坡）。虽然五个家族的慈善事迹不能完全代表亚洲整体趋势，但深入剖析其各自慈善捐赠动机及方法的演变，为理解亚洲地区家族慈善事业提供了独特视角。我们研究的每个家族都有自己独特的慈善理念和方式，但也拥有一些共同特征： 

1. 家族慈善呈现多元形态：这些家族通过企业基金会、家族基金会、混合模式或针对特定议题的公益项目等不同形式开展捐赠，并结合自身行事风格与社会目标，制定混合多元的慈善战略。 
2. 家族慈善以社区为本：慈善事业被视为一种回馈社会的方式——这些家族的商业版图、财富积累与人脉网络正是在当地社区逐步建立起来的。 
3. 家族慈善日益专业化：这些家族均展现出慈善事业规范化的趋势，尤其在新一代家族成员的日益参与下。具体体现在设立基金会，聘请专业团队或外部顾问来评估社会需求、规划管理项目、评估项目影响等。在此过程中，家族自身会主导整体发展方向与愿景蓝图。 
4. 家族企业赋能并驱动家族慈善：这些家族运用其商业专长提升慈善效能，或依托企业营运的基础设施直接落地公益项目。 
5. 家族慈善正在跨越世代与地域建立纽带：这些家族通过慈善事业创造了代际传承，更在共同决策、社会联结与价值共鸣中建立了更紧密的家族纽带。 
6. 家族慈善维系家族核心价值观：对这些家族而言，慈善事业是跨越代际强化家族核心价值观的恒久载体。 

Qiu Qingqing is the Council Member and Social Innovation Strategic Partnership Facilitator of China Social Entrepreneur Foundation (YouChange), one of the country’s most prominent social enterprise intermediary organizations. Over the past 18 years, YouChange has impacted over 5,000 social organizations in total.

CAPS spoke (virtually) to Qingqing in May 2024 to explore YouChange’s journey in social innovation—from introducing the concept and implementing an impact measurement framework to advocating for impact investing—through cross-sector collaboration.  

CAPS: Qingqing, thank you for joining us today. Drawing on your previous experience as the Director of the Social Innovation Support Center, could you tell us about the origin of YouChange’s social innovation work? 

Qingqing: The journey began in 2007 with strategic planning, thorough research and numerous field visits to social enterprises across China. This laid a solid foundation for the development of YouChange’s social innovation stream, contributing to the establishment of the Social Innovation Support Center, as well as a partnership with the British Council for the Skills for Social Entrepreneurs pilot in 2009. The initiative marked a milestone in China’s social enterprise movement—formally introducing such concept and nurturing a group of emerging social entrepreneurs. 

In the same year, we collaborated not only with the government to compile the Social Innovation Blue Book but also with academics to design tertiary courses in social innovation. The following year, we launched one of the first-ever large-scale charity events in the country, the Social Innovation Carnival. Since then, many domestic foundations and international companies have joined our efforts, and together, we have kept up the momentum.  

CAPS: Is cross-sector collaboration always rooted in YouChange’s core values?  

Qingqing: Absolutely! Our Founder and Chairperson, Wang Ping, and I have always been champions of the idea that complex social problems cannot be addressed in silos. Cross-sector collaboration and innovation have crucial roles to play. One example (out of many!) that demonstrates YouChange’s commitment to these values is the setting up of the China Alliance of Social Value Investment (CASVI) in 2016, of which more than 50 organizations were brought together to accelerate sustainable finance for social enterprises. We have also made continued efforts to curate social entrepreneurship and innovation programs within academia.  

CAPS: What prompted the establishment of CASVI?   

Qingqing: It was largely driven by our recognition that financial sustainability is key to the longevity of social enterprises. To ensure sustainability in the long run, social enterprises must transition from depending on philanthropic or government funding to private capital. With this in mind, we sought to create a robust ecosystem of accessible, sustainable finance through CASVI. This includes developing standardized quantitative assessment systems, matching resources and promoting the concept of impact investing.  

We hope that CASVI will facilitate the flow of investment capital from traditional financial institutions to social enterprises. After all, despite growing interest in impact investing, social enterprises’ access to such investments remains limited. 

CAPS: As impact investing gains traction, monitoring and evaluating impact has become a subject of intense discussion in the philanthropic space. What is YouChange’s take on it?   

Qingqing: We have long recognized the importance of measuring impact in a systematic, evidence-based way and pioneered the 3A (Aim, Approach and Action) Social Value Investment Standard Assessment System in 2014. One main motive is to foster a common understanding of impact among stakeholders, ranging from the government, listed companies, social enterprises and individuals. Thus far, this system has been predominantly used for internal screening and monitoring of social enterprises and post-investment management. There is, nevertheless, considerable room for growth in its adoption outside YouChange. The good news is that there has been increased interest across various sectors such as academia, charity and business. For example, Renmin University of China and Tencent have employed the framework for social innovation case studies and accountability measurement of charitable projects, respectively. 

CAPS: In your opinion, what are the key enablers for YouChange to build a conducive ecosystem for social innovation? 

Qingqing: I would say that forging close ties with the public, private and charitable sectors—the three sectors working hand in hand to drive social innovation—is hugely advantageous. This gives us a profound understanding of how each sector works and opens up opportunities to mobilize collaboration such as CASVI. Firstly, the good relations we have built with the government have strengthened our ability to interpret policy and regulations. On the business side, several entrepreneurs were involved in the founding of YouChange, promoting concepts like entrepreneurship and business viability. Lastly, YouChange positions itself as an intermediary charitable foundation and works closely with other social organizations.  

These strong connections have made YouChange stand out in the social innovation field. A wide array of parties continues to support YouChange’s projects, notwithstanding their ups and downs and the rising prominence of other intermediaries.  

CAPS: What do you think are the opportunities ahead for social enterprises in China? 

Qingqing: Many have pushed for a standardized definition and certification mechanism for social enterprises from the central government. However, I feel that the absence of such helps the sector at its nascent stage. It encourages diversity in areas such as organizational structures and profit reinvestment amid the ever-changing landscape. More groups of diverse status can participate in the growth of social enterprises. Notably, quite a few state-owned enterprises dedicated to corporate social responsibility (CSR) have in some way become social enterprises.  

The growing momentum for environmental, social and governance (ESG) in China has led to an increased willingness, even among traditional businesses and local governments, to invest in social enterprises. Moreover, China’s large population base offers substantial market potential for foreign financial institutions. Given these encouraging signs, YouChange will continue to act as a change agent (as it always has been!) and spur more innovative collaboration.  

CAPS: All the best to YouChange’s future chapters, and thank you for your time, Qingqing. 

This Op-ed by CAPS team members Angel An-Chi Chiang (Director, Research and Advisory, Greater China) and Ke LI (Research Associate) discusses strategies to further amplify the impact of China’s philanthropy going abroad.

China’s philanthropic efforts have been thriving, with total social donations reaching CN¥151 billion (approx. US$21 billion) in 2023. Amid geopolitical tensions, economic and environmental challenges, and diminishing international aid, China’s philanthropy holds significant opportunities to support broader social development worldwide. Discover more in the article here.

Our DECODED series unpacks, explains, and crystallizes issues critical for social investment in Asia. It draws upon our expertise in research and access to an extensive network of sector experts and philanthropists in 18 Asian economies, enabling us to identify emerging trends in the region. Through DECODED, we translate these concepts into digestible insights.  

This edition of DECODED looks at the unique landscape of collaborative giving in Asia. In recent years, the global call for more collaboration to tackle significant societal challenges has grown louder. There is strong recognition that collaboration is critical in driving meaningful change at scale, and private sources of wealth have become an increasingly important source of capital that can be mobilized swiftly. However, the discourse around collaborative giving has been dominated by models and approaches emanating from the West, often neglecting the contributions of similar efforts in Asia. This oversight ignores the characteristics and nuances that distinguish Asian philanthropy. In Asia, we find that while interest in collaboration is high, actual attempts to create these mechanisms are more limited. Despite this, given the enormity of our shared challenges, we need to find ways to carry out more collaborative efforts. 

Despite the rapid digitisation of the Asian social sector, social delivery organisations (SDOs) are struggling to keep up with technological changes because of inadequate access to digital infrastructure, lack of capacity and insufficient donor support, according to the Doing Good Index 2024. As technology continues to advance, a new type of digital divide is emerging that hampers the ability of the social sector to deliver products and services to the most vulnerable communities, said the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), which created the index.

Read the full article here.

The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society(CAPS),a uniquely Asia, independent, action-oriented research and advisory organization, released the 2024 edition of its flagship study, the Doing Good Index. The study finds that despite the rapid digitalization of the Asian social sector, social delivery organizations (SDOs) are struggling to keep up with technological changes due to inadequate access to digital infrastructure, lack of capacity, and insufficient donor support. As technology continues to advance, a new type of digital divide is being created that hampers the ability of the social sector to deliver products and services to the most vulnerable communities.

Read the full article here.

The Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS), a uniquely Asia, independent, action-oriented research and advisory organization, released the 2024 edition of its flagship study, the Doing Good Index. The study finds that despite the rapid digitalization of the Asian social sector, social delivery organizations (SDOs) are struggling to keep up with technological changes due to inadequate access to digital infrastructure, lack of capacity, and insufficient donor support. As technology continues to advance, a new type of digital divide is being created that hampers the ability of the social sector to deliver products and services to the most vulnerable communities.

Read the full article here.

CAPS’ biannual Doing Good Index identifies the factors that drive or hinder the giving and receiving of private social investment to address social needs.

Now in its fourth iteration, the Doing Good Index 2024 looks at how the four components of the Index—regulations, tax and fiscal policy, ecosystem and procurement—have changed in the last two years. The findings are evidence-based, derived from original data from surveying 2,183 nonprofits and social enterprises and interviewing 140 experts across 17 Asian economies. This iteration of the report also includes a special thematic section on the impact of digital technology on Asia’s social sector.

Against the backdrop of the tumultuous Covid-19 years, the 2024 Index shows a continuation of the status quo with few major changes. However, the lack of change is not necessarily bad, as stability lays the groundwork for the social sector to thrive. The report also finds that Asia’s social sector is insufficiently prepared for the technological future, held back by inadequate access to digital infrastructure, capacity constraints and insufficient donor support.

The Index offers a blueprint of the policies and practices that can unleash private social capital and how the public, private and social sectors can work together to build a stronger and more equitable Asia.

Doing Good Index microsite

Our interactive microsite lets you explore and compare our Index data using visual and digestible graphics. The economy profile pages present a deep dive into each economy and provide a longitudinal overview of select data points. The data dashboard allows you to compare economies with each other, the Asian average and over time.

The Doing Good Index is published every two years. Read the inaugural edition from 2018, our 2020 edition, and our 2022 edition.