From left to right: Steve Loh, Executive Director, Lien Centre for Social Innovation, Singapore Management University, Achal Agarwal, Incoming Chair, AVPN Board, Anupama Anand, Program Officer Asia, Philanthropic Partnerships, Gates Foundation, Teo Kai Xiang, Deputy Director and Head (Banking Development Division), Monetary Authority of Singapore and Kevin Teo, Chief Technology Officer, Head of ImpactCollab, AVPN
Singapore, 27 June 2025 – Private wealth is growing across Asia, and with it, interest in philanthropy. However, many individuals and institutions still face barriers to giving. One of the biggest challenges is having clear and verifiable data on credible organisations to support. This is especially important for wealth managers and private banks in Singapore, where strong due diligence and governance standards are required.
To address this gap, AVPN, the largest network of social investors in Asia, today launches ImpactCollab, a platform that enables AVPN members, grantmakers, and wealth and philanthropy advisors to discover, assess and engage with a curated pool of verified and reputable impact organisations. ImpactCollab is supported by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Gates Foundation.
“At its core, ImpactCollab aims to make good philanthropy accessible. The platform enables more reliable, data-driven giving by reducing the barriers to identifying verified and reputable organisations. It equips private wealth holders and their advisors with the tools they need to direct capital towards high-impact opportunities, with confidence. With ImpactCollab, AVPN is laying the foundation for a more accountable, accessible and effective philanthropy ecosystem across Asia—one that supports both the aspirations of funders and the capabilities of local social impact organisations,” said Kevin Teo, Head of ImpactCollab and Chief Technology Officer at AVPN.
Empowering advisors to unlock philanthropic capital
Asia is expected to account for more than 230,000 of the world’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) by 2027. In Singapore alone, there are 2,000 family offices, more than 300,000 millionaires and US$1.2 trillion of wealth under management. However, the potential for philanthropic deployment of this capital remains largely untapped as private bankers and wealth managers are not fully equipped to better serve their clients’ philanthropic interests. Many funders are eager to contribute meaningfully, but face obstacles including high due diligence costs, limited access to verified organisations, and challenges with cross-border giving.
ImpactCollab addresses these challenges by helping grantmakers, and wealth and philanthropy advisors—especially those new to giving—identify trustworthy, impact-driven organisations. The platform enables reliable, data-informed decision-making and makes philanthropy more approachable and transparent, rather than something reserved for a select few. By fostering early trust in both the platform and the giving process, AVPN aims to lay the groundwork for more effective, long-term philanthropic engagement. Additionally, by offering access to a curated pool of verified organisations backed by due diligence tools, ImpactCollab helps reduce reputational and compliance risks for grantmakers.
“In line with MAS’ vision to strengthen Singapore’s role as a trusted and responsible financial centre, the launch of ImpactCollab equips wealth managers with crucial tools for measuring the impact of social programmes in Asia. This will allow financial institutions to better support their clients in their philanthropic journeys and unlock meaningful capital flows in Singapore and the region,” said Gillian Tan, Assistant Managing Director (Development and International) and Chief Sustainability Officer of MAS.
“With growing interest in philanthropy across Asia, there’s a need for simple, trusted ways to help people give effectively. ImpactCollab makes it easier for wealth advisors and funders to find credible organisations and understand where their support can make a difference. The Gates Foundation supported the design of the platform to help ensure it meets global standards for reliability and impact management, so more capital can reach the organisations delivering real results on the ground,” said Hari Menon, Director, South and Southeast Asia, Gates Foundation.
Building credibility and trust for impact organisations
AVPN is currently engaging with a number of leading private banks to join ImpactCollab. For early-stage philanthropists, the platform serves as a trusted starting point. For institutions, it mitigates reputational and compliance risks, while enabling more structured and confident philanthropic advice.
The platform features the Governance Maturity Framework, which is co-developed with the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at Singapore Management University. This framework assesses impact organisations against a range of parameters including strength of leadership, codes of conduct, transparency and accountability. As part of its governance scoring, the impact organisations and their boards are also screened against LSEG World-Check, adding a further layer of assurance.
“Driving real impact requires more than intent—it requires clear governance, transparency, and measurable results,” said Steve Loh, Executive Director of the Lien Centre for Social Innovation, Singapore Management University (SMU). “The Governance Maturity Framework helps AVPN members, grantmakers, and wealth and philanthropy advisors evaluate social organisations with confidence, ensuring that philanthropic capital flows towards initiatives with both integrity and capability.”
The platform currently features more than 400 impact organisations from across Asia. These organisations have access to due-diligenced profiles, which allows them to present their work using standardised impact metrics and governance indicators. This improves their visibility and credibility, while also streamlining their fundraising efforts by reducing the need for repetitive due diligence. By enabling impact organisations to showcase their outcomes clearly and consistently, ImpactCollab builds trust among funders, simplifies the process of engaging new partners to enable them to reach like-minded and values-aligned grantmakers.
Outcomes-based funding is the next step
Looking ahead, AVPN is evolving ImpactCollab to support outcomes-based funding. The upcoming Outcomes Marketplace, developed with Tri-Sector Associates, will enable grantmakers to purchase verified social outcomes across key impact areas. Through standardised contracts, outcome rate cards, and third-party validation, the marketplace will help unlock cross-border giving, scaling results-based funding for high-impact solutions in Asia.
About AVPN
AVPN is the largest network of social investors in Asia, comprising over 600 funders and resource providers across 33 markets. With over a decade of expertise and deep understanding of regulatory and process requirements, our mission is to increase the flow and effectiveness of financial, human, and intellectual capital in Asia by enabling members to channel resources towards impact. As an ecosystem builder, AVPN enables its members to connect, learn, act, and lead across key pillars and improve the effectiveness of deployed capital, bringing local field needs, regional expertise, and policy insights to the forefront. For more information about AVPN, please visit our website and read our latest Annual Review 2023/24
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