Partners Asia

What Partners Asia does

Partners Asia is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 45-4855118), founded in 2004 by Hal Nathan as the Foundation for the People of Burma and rebranded to Partners Asia in 2024 to reflect its expanded Southeast Asian focus. Headquartered in Oakland, California, the organization operates with fewer than ten staff and supports roughly 90 to 111 grassroots organizations and local leaders annually across Thailand, Burma/Myanmar, the Mekong region, and adjacent geographies. Its mission is to connect locally-rooted community leaders in Southeast Asia with global resources, funding, and advocacy platforms that traditional international aid frequently overlooks.

The organization executes a trust-based philanthropy model offering flexible grants ranging from US$1,000 to US$100,000, accompanied by technical support in donor outreach, monitoring and evaluation, and financial literacy. In 2025 Partners Asia disbursed US$2.9M in direct grants plus an additional US$2.1M as a fiscal sponsor, with US$623K of that dedicated to earthquake relief in Burma. Emergency funding can be disbursed within 48 hours of request, supported by a dedicated Metta Fund reserve, and average emergency grant size is approximately US$14,000. There is no technology product; service delivery is human-led, mediated by an Advisory Council of six established local human rights leaders and a board that includes former country directors of major INGOs, academics, and the founder.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations, foundation grants, and corporate matching programs rather than commercial pricing. The business model centers on three activities: flexible grantmaking to community-based organizations, alliance building through peer learning grants and partner convenings (including youth exchanges across Thailand), and donor advocacy via working groups, university curriculum in Thailand, and educational events. Core institutional funders include the John P. Hussman Foundation (a two-decade relationship), the Metta Fund, and other like-minded institutional donors who aggregated capital for the 2025 earthquake response.

Name

Partners Asia

Legal name

Partners Asia

Website

https://partnersasia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Partners Asia is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds, connects, and advocates for grassroots organizations and local leaders in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma/Myanmar, Mekong region) through flexible grants of $1,000-$100,000, fiscal sponsorship, and trust-based philanthropy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trust-Based Philanthropy and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Trust Funds & Multi-Donor Pooled Funds (BPADAOAE), Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

Keywords

• Trust-based philanthropy
• Grassroots grantmaking
• Nonprofit fiscal sponsorship
• Emergency humanitarian grants
• Community development funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Partners Asia is a US 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 45-4855118) that funds its operations through donations from individuals, institutional foundations, and corporate matching programs. In 2025, they gave out $2.9 million in direct grants and an additional $2.1 million as a fiscal sponsor. Their Metta Fund serves as a dedicated reserve for immediate, trust-based emergency responses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Partners Asia is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit grantmaking organization that funds and supports grassroots organizations and local leaders in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma/Myanmar, Mekong region). It provides flexible grants ranging from $1,000 to $100,000, emergency response grants disbursed within 48 hours (average ~$14,000), fiscal sponsorship services, learning grants up to $1,000 for peer-to-peer training, and technical assistance in donor outreach, monitoring/evaluation, and financial literacy. Its model centers on trust-based philanthropy that connects local organizations to global funding while supporting locally-driven strategies.

Product overview

Partners Asia is a nonprofit grantmaking organization that provides funding, alliance building, and advocacy services to grassroots organizations and local leaders in Southeast Asia. The organization does not offer technology products or software services. Its core offerings include flexible grants ranging from $1,000-$100,000 to community-based organizations, alliance building through partner exchanges and learning grants, and donor advocacy to promote equitable approaches to international philanthropy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Flexible Grants Program Provides flexible grants ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 to grassroots organizations and local leaders in Southeast Asia, allowing recipients to use funds as needed for community development, education, human rights, gender equality, and youth leadership programs.
• Emergency Response Grants Provides emergency grants (average size ~$14,000) disbursed within 48 hours of requests to grassroots organizations responding to natural disasters, conflict, and humanitarian crises in Southeast Asia. Funded through the Metta Fund dedicated reserve.
• Fiscal Sponsorship Services Provides 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship for community-based projects in Southeast Asia, administering $2.1M in pass-through funds in 2025 to enable grassroots groups to receive tax-deductible donations they could not access independently.
• Learning Grants Provides small grants up to US$1,000 specifically for peer-to-peer training and learning exchanges between community organizations and leaders across Southeast Asia.
• Technical Support and Accompaniment Provides technical assistance to grant recipients in donor outreach, monitoring and evaluation, and financial literacy, reducing administrative burden and building partner capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• US$5M in flexible grants made in 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Advisory CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSix established local human rights leaders from Thailand and Burma providing guidance on organizational strategy and mentoring next-generation leaders. Represent communities including migrant workers, ethnic minorities, and youth activists.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Peace Direct: International NGO that funds and partners with local peacebuilders in conflict-affected countries, including Myanmar. Highly comparable mission overlap around resourcing local actors in conflict zones, with similar philosophy of accompaniment rather than top-down aid delivery.
• The Asia Foundation: US-headquartered nonprofit that works across Asia and the Pacific on development, governance, and civil society. Highly comparable as both organizations channel US-based philanthropic capital to locally-driven programs in Southeast Asia, with overlapping partner ecosystems in Thailand and Myanmar.
• Swift Foundation: Family foundation that explicitly practices trust-based philanthropy with grassroots partners in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar. Directly comparable in grantmaking approach, regional focus, and organizational scale.
• Global Greengrants Fund: International environmental grantmaking organization that makes small, flexible, trust-based grants to grassroots environmental and indigenous groups. Comparable as a peer funder using nearly identical flexible, locally-led grantmaking philosophy with similar grant sizes and rapid disbursement cadence.
• Grassroots International: Nonprofit that channels resources to grassroots movements in the Global South, including Southeast Asia. Directly comparable as a small organization focused on trust-based funding of community-led social justice, human rights, and food sovereignty initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Major international philanthropy with active programs across Asia addressing inequality, governance, and civic participation. Comparable as a large-scale funder operating in Partners Asia's same issue domains and geographic focus, but with significantly broader portfolio.
• Open Society Foundations: One of the largest private foundations globally, with extensive grantmaking in Southeast Asia focused on human rights, governance, and civil society. Comparable as a major institutional funder in Partners Asia's same thematic and geographic space, but with vastly larger scale and more programmatic breadth.
• National Endowment for Democracy: US-funded nonprofit that makes grants to support democratic movements and civil society worldwide, with active programming in Myanmar and Thailand. Comparable as a peer funder resourcing local democracy and rights groups in Southeast Asia, though with a US-government-funded mandate that differs from Partners Asia's private foundation model.
• Aga Khan Foundation: International development organization operating across Asia with programs in health, education, and civil society. Comparable in geographic focus and community-development orientation, but operating at substantially larger scale with an integrated programmatic model rather than pure grantmaking intermediary role.

Emerging players

• Borealis Philanthropy: Emerging intermediary fund that pools resources from multiple foundations to support social justice movements, including in Southeast Asia. Comparable as a trust-based philanthropic intermediary that connects grassroots partners to institutional funders, though with broader thematic scope and primarily US domestic social justice focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PartnersAsia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partnersasia
• Instagraminstagram.com/partnersasia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Partners Asia