What Asia Community Foundation does

Asia Community Foundation (ACF) is a Singapore-registered charity (incorporated as a public company limited by guarantee and holding Institution of Public Character status) that operates as Asia's first independent, Asia-focused community foundation. Officially launched in 2023 by a group of philanthropists from Asia Philanthropy Circle, ACF provides philanthropy infrastructure services to high-net-worth individuals, families, family offices, foundations and professional advisors across Southeast Asia, including Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), a portfolio of Impact Funds (both donor-led and ACF-led), Grantmaking & Advisory services, and the recently introduced Shared Impact Philanthropy (ShIP) offering for cross-border operational support.

The core service lines operate without a proprietary technology platform: DAFs provide administrative and grantmaking back-end support for donor-recommended grants; Impact Funds pool philanthropic capital around themes such as ocean conservation (30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund), child protection (Children-at-Risk Fund), livelihoods (Women and Livelihoods Fund), migrant support (People on the Move Fund), maternal and newborn health, and impact investing (Investing in Entrepreneurs for Impact Fund, co-developed with elea Foundation); and Grantmaking & Advisory connects donors with screened nonprofits. ShIP extends the model into shared back-office services for other funders. ACF's documented geographic footprint spans 11 Southeast Asian markets — Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Brunei, and Laos — with active grantmaking in marine protected areas, migrant services, and child protection.

ACF's revenue model is fees-based: it earns management fees on donor-advised funds and impact funds, alongside fees for grantmaking and advisory services. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, anchored by philanthropy advisors and the network effects of the founding Asia Philanthropy Circle ecosystem (50+ Asian philanthropist members) and a board that includes senior figures from Lien Foundation, AlTi Tiedemann Global, Capital Group, Withersworldwide and the Moh Family Foundation. The organization holds a Singapore Commissioner of Charities permit to conduct fund-raising appeals for foreign charitable purposes, which underpins its cross-border proposition.

Name

Asia Community Foundation

Legal name

Asia Community Foundation Ltd.

Website

https://asiacf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asia Community Foundation is a Singapore-registered charity and Asia's first independent community foundation, providing Donor-Advised Funds, Impact Funds, Grantmaking & Advisory, and Shared Impact Philanthropy services to philanthropists deploying capital across Southeast Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropy and Community Foundation Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE), Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

Keywords

• Donor-advised funds
• Philanthropic advisory services
• Collaborative impact funds
• Cross-border grantmaking
• Community foundation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Services and Fund Management: As a public charitable organization, ACF generates revenue through management fees on donor-advised funds and impact funds, as well as grantmaking and advisory services for donors and foundations looking to deploy capital across Asia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Asia Community Foundation is a Singapore-registered charity providing philanthropy infrastructure for donors across Asia. Its core offerings include Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) for efficient giving, collaborative Impact Funds (both donor-led and ACF-led) pooling resources around shared causes, and professional Grantmaking & Advisory services that screen nonprofits and structure cross-border giving. The foundation recently extended this stack with Shared Impact Philanthropy (ShIP), providing strategic advisory, fund management, grantmaking, and shared operational services to enable cross-border philanthropy at scale.

Product overview

Asia Community Foundation (ACF) is a philanthropic platform offering a portfolio of giving vehicles centered around Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), Impact Funds, and Grantmaking & Advisory services. The platform recently launched Shared Impact Philanthropy (ShIP), a new regional infrastructure service supporting cross-border philanthropy. The Impact Funds include both Donor-Led Funds (30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund, Inspiring Asia Fund) and ACF-Led Funds (Children-at-Risk Fund, Investing in Entrepreneurs for Impact Fund, People on the Move Fund, Women and Livelihoods Fund, and Maternal and Newborn Health Fund). Together, these offerings enable donors to give with confidence, transparency, and impact across Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund: A funders collaborative dedicated to supporting efforts to protect 30% of Southeast Asia's seas by 2030, supporting inclusive, equitable and effective conservation of ocean ecosystems.
• Inspiring Asia Fund
• Children-at-Risk Fund
• Investing in Entrepreneurs for Impact Fund
• People on the Move Fund: Thai-Myanmar Border
• Women and Livelihoods Fund
• Shared Impact Philanthropy (ShIP)

Products and services

• Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) An efficient giving vehicle that allows donors to make charitable contributions and recommend grants to eligible nonprofits, with ACF providing the administrative backend for grantmaking management. Designed for individual donors, families, family offices, and foundations seeking a professionally administered, compliant giving vehicle for Asia-focused philanthropy.
• Impact Funds (Donor-Led and ACF-Led) Collaborative pooled funds that leverage knowledge and insights from experts, championed by experienced donors, to address pressing issues through collective impact. Includes Donor-Led Funds initiated by individual philanthropists or family offices, and ACF-Led Funds created and managed by ACF for shared causes. Designed for donors who want to co-fund with like-minded philanthropists around defined themes across Asia.
• Grantmaking & Advisory Professional grantmaking and advisory solutions connecting donors with nonprofits who share similar values to achieve impact and partnership goals. Includes nonprofit screening, due diligence, grant recommendations, and bespoke advisory on philanthropic strategy. Targeted at individual donors, families, family offices, and foundations deploying capital across Asia.
• Shared Impact Philanthropy (ShIP) A regional platform providing strategic advisory, fund management, grantmaking, and shared operational services to enable cross-border philanthropy at scale across Asia. Targeted at foundations, family offices, and other philanthropic institutions that want to outsource or augment their Asia philanthropic infrastructure.
• 30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund A funders' collaborative dedicated to supporting efforts to protect 30% of Southeast Asia's seas by 2030, administered by ACF with professional grantmaking and grant cycles focused on creating, expanding, and strengthening marine protected areas. Targets philanthropic funders seeking pooled marine-conservation giving in Southeast Asia.
• Inspiring Asia Fund A donor-led impact fund that brings together filmmakers, universities, NGOs, and organisations to share stories that inspire action, raise awareness, and spark dialogue on arts and community issues across Asia. For donors interested in supporting arts, storytelling, and community awareness initiatives.
• Children-at-Risk Fund An ACF-led impact fund that keeps vulnerable children safe by supporting the work and collaboration of child-protection organisations in Southeast Asia. Targets philanthropists focused on child protection and at-risk youth in the region.
• Investing in Entrepreneurs for Impact Fund An impact fund created in partnership with the elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization that alleviates absolute poverty in Asia through investments in social entrepreneurship, providing funds and strategic support to elea's portfolio of impact ventures. Targets donors interested in impact investing and social entrepreneurship across Asia.
• People on the Move Fund: Thai-Myanmar Border An ACF-led impact fund that supports migrants by improving access to education and healthcare services in the Thai-Myanmar border region. For donors focused on migration, displacement, and cross-border humanitarian needs.
• Women and Livelihoods Fund An ACF-led impact fund that improves economic wellbeing for young women in Asia through employment opportunities and livelihood support programs. Targets donors focused on gender equity, economic empowerment, and youth livelihoods across Asia.
• Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) Fund A new collaborative fund bringing together regional philanthropists to co-invest in community-based maternal and newborn health care. Targets donors focused on maternal health, newborn health, and community health systems in Asia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Launched in 2023 as Singapore's first Asia-focused, independent community foundation
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and key connection.

• elea Foundation for Ethics in GlobalizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2024Strategic partnership to launch the 'Investing in Entrepreneurs for Impact' fund, supporting impact entrepreneurs and advancing the philanthropic impact investing ecosystem in Southeast Asia. The fund provides development and expansion capital for elea's portfolio of impact ventures in Asia.
• Rumah FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2024Co-chair of the 30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund alongside Oceankind. Rumah Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Singapore-based family office Rumah Group, focused on ocean-climate portfolio including protection and restoration of blue carbon sinks.
• OceankindcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2024Co-chair of the 30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund alongside Rumah Foundation. Oceankind supports strategic organizations and initiatives to improve marine environment health, focused on reducing overfishing and establishing marine protections.
• Asia Philanthropy CirclecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023ACF was founded by experienced philanthropists from Asia Philanthropy Circle, which has more than 50 leading Asian philanthropist members who exchange, learn and collaborate. Asia Philanthropy Circle serves as the founding ecosystem and knowledge network for ACF.
• Lien Foundationkey connectionStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe third largest philanthropic organization in Singapore (by grant size), well-regarded for forward-thinking innovation in education, eldercare and environment. Laurence Lien has chaired Lien Foundation since 2009 and serves on ACF's board.
• Community Foundation of Singaporekey connectionStrategic or Co-development PartnerFifth largest philanthropic organization in Singapore. Laurence Lien started up Community Foundation of Singapore in 2009 and became its Chairman from 2013-2019. He previously served as CEO of NVPC which established CFS.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Fidelity Charitable: The largest DAF sponsor in the US (>$100B AUM) and a global incumbent that increasingly markets Asia-relevant giving. Represents the scale benchmark ACF's DAF business would benchmark against and compete with for cross-border Asian donors.

Direct peers

• Tides Foundation: US-based community foundation and DAF sponsor operating across environmental, social justice, and Asia-adjacent causes. Closest global functional analogue — operates pooled funds, donor-advised giving, and shared philanthropic infrastructure on a multi-region basis.
• Asia Philanthropy Circle: Founding ecosystem and membership-based network of 50+ Asian philanthropists. Operates as a peer convening and learning platform for the same elite donor base ACF serves — overlapping entities, with APC membership serving as a feeder into ACF's grantmaking.
• Oceankind: Co-chair of ACF's 30x30 Southeast Asia Ocean Fund with parallel grantmaking in marine protected areas. Operates pooled-fund vehicles for ocean conservation and directly comparable in mission, geography, and target funders.
• Philanthropy Asia Alliance: TEMASEK-backed Asia-focused philanthropic platform established to catalyse cross-border giving. Directly comparable mission and geography, overlapping funder base, and competes with ACF for institutional donor mindshare across Asia.
• National Philanthropic Trust: Largest independent DAF sponsor in the US, administering billions in charitable assets. Directly comparable to ACF's DAF and impact-fund offering and a potential model for ACF's institutional-scale ambitions.
• Community Foundation of Singapore: Singapore's incumbent community foundation, also offering pooled funds, DAF-style giving vehicles, and grant administration. ACF's leadership includes Laurence Lien (former CFS Chairman), making CFS the closest direct analogue competing for the same Singapore-based donor base.
• National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC): Singapore's sector coordinator for philanthropy and volunteering, founded CFS, and houses 'giving.sg'. Comparable breadth of regional infrastructure role, with overlapping board connections (Laurence Lien was CEO 2008–2014) and shared donor pool.
• elea Foundation for Ethics in Globalization: Strategic partner co-launching the 'Investing in Entrepreneurs for Impact' fund. Operates a very similar philanthropic infrastructure model focused on absolute poverty in Asia and is a directly comparable pooled-fund operator to ACF.

Others

• Lien Foundation: Singapore's third-largest philanthropic organisation (S$250M+ grants disbursed), chaired by ACF board member Laurence Lien. Functionally a peer foundation operating at much larger scale; serves as both a model and key relationship/referral partner for ACF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asiacf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asia-community-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Asia Community Foundation