The Hongkong Bank Foundation

What The Hongkong Bank Foundation does

The Hongkong Bank Foundation is a Hong Kong-registered charitable foundation established in 1981 that operates as the philanthropic arm of HSBC Holdings plc, coordinating the group's community investment and charitable giving in Hong Kong. Its mission is structured around three pillars: care for the elderly (food assistance, health education, climate-resilience support), nurturing tomorrow's leaders (scholarships, youth entrepreneurship, mentorship), and cultivating a sustainable future (electric accessible transport, habitat conservation). It does not sell products or services; instead, it receives capital allocations from HSBC Group and disburses them as grants to a network of registered Hong Kong charities, NGOs, universities, and government-led initiatives.

The foundation's core programmes are delivered through strategic partnerships with established Hong Kong charitable organisations. Flagship programmes include a three-year partnership with Food Angel to scale elderly food assistance (targeting 7.2 million meals by 2027 and 900,000 distributed food items via the Hearty-Meal Express automated dispenser initiative), a multi-programme collaboration with Hong Kong Red Cross including a Mobile Health Education Station touring all 18 districts, a three-year partnership with Junior Achievement Hong Kong training approximately 6,000 secondary students in entrepreneurship with over 300 HSBC volunteer advisors, and the Green Rehabilitation Bus Pilot Scheme deploying seven electric buses with barrier-free facilities to NGOs serving people with mobility difficulties. Five HSBC scholarship programmes support over 7,000 students across ten Hong Kong universities.

The foundation is powered by the HSBC Volunteers Scheme established in 1993, which has contributed over one million hours to date, and is supported by HSBC Group donations including a HKD477 million net-proceeds contribution from the 2016-2020 150th Anniversary Charity Programme and a HKD140 million special donation marking the foundation's 40th anniversary in 2021. Governance is overseen by an advisory committee chaired by Dr Peter Wong (Chairman of HSBC Hong Kong). It holds no subsidiaries, generates no commercial revenue, and operates exclusively within Hong Kong, distributing grants only to organisations recognised as charitable institutions exempt from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance.

Name

The Hongkong Bank Foundation

Legal name

The Hongkong Bank Foundation

Website

https://www.hongkongbankfoundation.org.hk/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Hongkong Bank Foundation is the Hong Kong-based charitable arm of HSBC, funding programmes in elderly care, youth development, and environmental sustainability through grants, NGO partnerships, and employee volunteering since 1981.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Foundation & Community Philanthropy

NAICS

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

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community philanthropy
• Charitable grants
• Youth scholarships
• Volunteer programmes
• Elder care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hong Kong

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. HSBC Group Donations: The foundation receives funding from HSBC Group to support its charitable initiatives across Hong Kong. The foundation uses these funds to make grants to charitable organizations, fund community programmes, and support volunteer activities.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Hongkong Bank Foundation is a Hong Kong-based charitable foundation that funds education, environment, inclusion, and community programmes through grants, partnerships, and volunteering. It operates three programme pillars — Care for the Elderly, Nurturing Tomorrow's Leaders, and Cultivating a Sustainable Future — delivered via NGO partnerships (Food Angel, Hong Kong Red Cross, JA HK, WWF-HK, The Conservancy Association), scholarship schemes, and the HSBC Volunteers programme.

Product overview

The Hongkong Bank Foundation is a charitable foundation that operates multiple community service programmes across three strategic pillars: (1) Care for the elderly, featuring the Food Angel Partnership with Hearty-Meal Express automated food dispensers and Hong Kong Red Cross collaborations including Mobile Health Education Stations; (2) Nurturing tomorrow's leaders, including the HSBC x JA Company Programme for youth entrepreneurship, the Strive and Rise mentorship programme, five HSBC Scholarship schemes, the HSBC Hong Kong Community Partnership Programme, Greater Bay Area Scholarships, and the HSBC/HKU Business Case Competition; and (3) Cultivating a sustainable future, featuring the Green Rehabilitation Bus Pilot Scheme with electric vehicles for NGOs and WWF-HK environmental partnerships. The Foundation is powered by the HSBC Volunteers Scheme established in 1993.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Angel Partnership (Hearty-Meal Express) Three-year partnership programme with Food Angel providing food assistance for underprivileged elderly groups in Hong Kong, including Hearty-Meal Express automated food dispensers installed in low-income neighbourhoods, with over 2,000 HSBC volunteers participating.
• Hong Kong Red Cross Collaboration (Mobile Health Education Station) Multiple programmes with Hong Kong Red Cross including the Mobile Health Education Station providing free health check-ups across 18 districts, COVID-19 Support Hotline offering psychological support, and the Building Climate-Smart Community Resilience programme supporting 650 households in substandard housing.
• HSBC x JA Company Programme Hong Kong's largest youth entrepreneurship programme providing hands-on entrepreneurial experiences to approximately 6,000 secondary students aged 14-18, with HSBC volunteer business advisors and workshops covering sustainability, AI, cloud computing, fintech, and e-commerce.
• Strive and Rise Mentorship Programme Government-led mentorship programme for secondary one to three students from low-income families, with HSBC as strategic partner and Partners' Board member. Over 300 HSBC staff volunteers act as mentors in activities including financial education workshops, climate change sessions, wetland tours, and museum visits.
• HSBC Scholarships Five flagship scholarship programmes supporting over 7,000 students since 1965: HSBC Social Work Scholarship (first in Hong Kong, 1965), HSBC Global Scholarship (formerly Overseas Scholarship), HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship, HSBC Vocational Education Scholarship, and Innovation and Technology Scholarship Scheme, delivered through partnerships with 10 Hong Kong universities.
• Green Rehabilitation Bus Pilot Scheme Hong Kong's first Green Rehabus scheme providing seven electric buses with barrier-free facilities to local NGOs serving people with mobility difficulties, along with charging infrastructure support. Expected to serve over 80,000 users and reduce CO2 emissions equivalent to planting 2,000 new trees.
• WWF-Hong Kong Environmental Partnership

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million volunteer hours contributed by HSBC Volunteers since 1993
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Hong Kong Red CrossflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Multiple collaborations including: Mobile Health Education Station (travelling to 18 districts offering free health check-ups); Building Climate-Smart Community Resilience programme for 650 households in substandard housing; COVID-19 Support Hotline handling over 11,400 calls. The foundation donated HKD100 million for COVID-19 relief.
• Food AngelflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Three-year partnership to scale up food assistance in Hong Kong, focusing on underprivileged elderly groups. Includes the 'Hearty-Meal Express' initiative with automated food dispensers in low-income neighbourhoods. Food Angel's cook-chill meal production capacity will increase by 60% to reach 7.2 million meals by 2027. Over 2,000 HSBC volunteers participate in this initiative.
• Junior Achievement Hong Kong (JA HK)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Three-year partnership for the HSBC x JA Company Programme, Hong Kong's largest youth entrepreneurship programme. Trains approximately 6,000 secondary students (aged 14-18) in hands-on entrepreneurial experiences. Over 300 HSBC volunteers serve as business advisors. HSBC volunteers have contributed over 60,000 hours since 2003.
• The Conservancy AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Launched Hong Kong's first Green Rehabilitation Bus Pilot Scheme - a three-year programme providing 7 electric buses (Green Rehabuses) with barrier-free facilities to NGOs serving people with mobility difficulties. Expected to serve 80,000+ users and reduce CO2 emissions equivalent to planting 2,000 new trees.
• Strive and Rise Programme (HKSAR Government)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Strategic partnership in the government-led mentorship programme for secondary one to three students from low-income families. HSBC serves on the Partners' Board, with over 300 HSBC staff serving as volunteer mentors in the 2022-2023 cohort. Supported by approximately 120 enterprises and institutions.
• WWF-Hong KongcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Long-standing collaboration since 1999 focused on environmental protection. Recent support includes an otters conservation project in the internationally acclaimed Mai Po wetlands.
• Policy for Sustainability Lab at HKUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the revitalisation of Lai Chi Wo, a remote traditional farming landscape, through the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong.
• HKU Business Case CompetitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSBC/HKU Hong Kong and Asia Pacific Business Case Competition bringing together bright undergraduates from Hong Kong and across Asia Pacific to solve real-life business challenges.
• Hong Kong Universities (10 institutions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 10 Hong Kong universities for HSBC scholarship programmes including Social Work Scholarship, Global Scholarship, Hong Kong Scholarship, Vocational Education Scholarship, and Innovation and Technology Scholarship Scheme.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust: Hong Kong's largest charitable foundation, funding community, education, elderly, and environmental programmes across the territory. Most directly comparable by mission, geographic scope, and scale of grantmaking activity.
• The Li Ka Shing Foundation: Major Hong Kong-based private foundation with long-running programmes in education, healthcare, and community welfare. Comparable as a flagship corporate-family foundation driving large-scale Hong Kong philanthropy.
• Hang Seng Bank Charitable Foundation: Charitable arm of Hang Seng Bank (itself part of the HSBC Group), funding education, environment, and community initiatives in Hong Kong. Closest corporate-foundation peer within the same banking ecosystem.
• Bank of China (Hong Kong) Charitable Foundation: Charitable arm of a major Hong Kong bank funding community, education, and environmental programmes. Comparable as a banking-sector corporate foundation operating at scale in Hong Kong.
• Standard Chartered Foundation: Banking-sector foundation focused on education, employability, and community resilience programmes, with significant Hong Kong/Asia activity. Comparable as a global bank's corporate foundation with comparable programme pillars.
• Swire Trust: Corporate foundation of the Swire Group in Hong Kong funding education, environment, marine conservation, and arts. Comparable as a Hong Kong corporate-family foundation with similar three-pillar structure.

Broad incumbents

• Citi Foundation (Hong Kong): Global corporate foundation of Citigroup with Hong Kong community programmes in youth employability and financial inclusion. Comparable as a banking-sector foundation but operates across broader global geographies.

Regional players

• The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Community Foundation: Hong Kong-based hospitality-sector corporate foundation supporting community and environmental initiatives in the region. Comparable as a Hong Kong-rooted corporate foundation, though more narrowly focused.
• Wu Yee Sun Foundation: Family-linked Hong Kong foundation funding education, youth, and elderly community services. Comparable in its elderly/youth programmatic focus though operating at smaller scale.

Others

• The Community Chest of Hong Kong: Hong Kong's umbrella fundraising body for charities, of which The Hongkong Bank Foundation is a longstanding donor and partner. Comparable as a community philanthropy infrastructure player within the same ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHongkongBankFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hongkong-bank-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Hongkong Bank Foundation