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Themed “Priming Asia for Good”, the Philanthropy Asia Summit (PAS) 2025 — the Philanthropy Asia Alliance’s (PAA) annual flagship event — demonstrated the collective commitment and catalytic efforts of PAA members and partners in accelerating lasting, positive change on a systems level.
This year’s Summit convened more than 1000 global and regional thought leaders, philanthropists, and innovators. Over three days in May, more than 100 speakers led 28 sessions that addressed global challenges across the interconnected areas of climate, education, and health.
PAA members and partners played an integral role, anchoring partner events, sharing insights and perspectives, hosting immersive learning journeys, and spotlighting high-impact scalable initiatives. Co-located with Ecosperity Week 2025 by Temasek, the Summit fostered new connections and partnerships, as well as facilitated knowledge sharing and the exchange of ideas to drive collective impact.
Speakers at the plenary included Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, President of the Republic of Singapore; Mr. Bill Gates, Chair and Trustee, Gates Foundation; and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization.
Harnessing Collective Strengths
PAS 2025 was made possible through deep collaboration with our distinguished speakers, members, and partners.
Our valued PAA members and partners who led and contributed to the numerous sessions include: Alliance Bioversity & CIAT, Asia Philanthropy Circle, Asia Centre for Changemakers by Wealth Management Institute, AVPN, Ayala Corporation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (CIIP), Co-Axis, Community Jameel, Conservation International, Dalio Philanthropies, Equinix Foundation, Gates Foundation, Google.org, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Sinar Mas, Tanoto Foundation, Tara Climate Foundation, Temasek Foundation, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, Temasek Trust, The Rockefeller Foundation, The World Economic Forum’s GAEA (Giving to Amplify Earth Action) initiative, TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), and Wellcome Trust.
The on-the-ground Impact Showcase visits were led by the Institute of Technical Education, KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), Mandai Nature, National Environment Agency (NEA), and SunGreenH2, offering delegates a first-hand look at catalytic impact in action across groundbreaking initiatives addressing climate, health, and biodiversity conservation.
Immersive visits at the Impact Showcase.
Booths at the Innovation Showcase were helmed by Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT and MyFarmTrees, the Amplifier mentorship programme, Co-Axis, Dalio Philanthropies and OceanX, Infoxchange, Temasek Foundation, and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory spotlighting research collaborations such as the Decarbonising Rice Project.
Advancing Bold, Collaborative Solutions for a Resilient Asia
Discussions at PAS 2025 reinforced that addressing Asia’s pressing challenges requires urgent action and cross-sector, cross-border partnerships.
During the plenary, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr. Bill Gates, Chair and Trustee, Gates Foundation, shared perspectives on philanthropy’s role in tackling interconnected challenges in health and climate, amidst a backdrop of declining aid.
President Tharman emphasised that the public, philanthropic, and private sectors must step up resources and refocus on building up domestic capacities to help countries be more self-sufficient. Mr. Gates highlighted the growing promise of Asian innovation in advancing health outcomes, and expressed excitement about the prospect of partnering with the philanthropic community in the region and accessing local research with the launch of a new Gates Foundation office in Singapore.
Across the Summit, key takeaways include the need to drive climate action and nature-based solutions for a more sustainable, liveable Asia; foster health systems, education, and social resilience to tackle inequalities and build adaptive capacity; invest in human capital through inclusive education and skilling; and strengthen collaborative ecosystems that mobilise resources, bridge sectors, and scale solutions for systemic change.
In bringing these insights to life, speakers shared numerous real-world case studies of impact in action, pointing to opportunities for further collaboration.
Initiatives highlighted include:
• Asia Centre for Changemakers, hosted by the Wealth Management Institute
• Asia Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Asia PGI), genomic detection for infectious disease elimination, by Duke-NUS Medical School
• Decarbonising Rice Project, by Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory
• GAEA Awards, by the World Economic Forum
• Google.org AI Opportunity Fund: Asia-Pacific, with recipients selected by AVPN
• High Touch High Tech (HTHT) for All, by The Learning Generation Initiative at Education Development Centre (EDC)
• Project Wolbachia, by NEA
• Sustainable Oil Palm Replanting in Indonesia (SOPRI), by Abler Nordic, Livelihoods Funds, Musim Mas, and Temasek Foundation
• The Amplifier mentorship programme, by CIIP and PAA, with 2025 Impact Innovation Partners: Macquarie Group Foundation, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, and SHEIN
• The Climate & Health Funders’ Coalition, launched by Wellcome Trust and The Rockefeller Foundation
• The School Meals Coalition, a multilateral government-led and partner-supported effort
• OceanX missions in scientific research and education for ocean conservation
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The projects and programmes discussed at PAS 2025 — many led by or involving PAA members and partners — exemplify how multi-stakeholder collaboration across sectors, innovative funding models, and tailored support can enable long-term, scalable change.
Several initiatives — including Asia PGI’s genomic detection project, Decarbonising Rice, HTHT for All, and OceanX missions — are part of PAA’s portfolio of high-impact, Asia-focused projects. To learn more or collaborate on these initiatives, please reach out to us.
Launch of Two New Communities
At PAS 2025, PAA launched two new Communities: the Health for Human Potential (HHP) Community and the Just Energy Transition (JET) Community.
Photo credit: Gates Foundation
PAA Impact Report 2025
Our inaugural Impact Report, titled Seeding a Hopeful Future, highlights how collaboration across public, private, and philanthropic sectors is driving meaningful change across Asia’s most pressing challenges.
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Since our launch in September 2023, PAA members have committed millions of dollars of their pledges towards programmes and initiatives in Asia. Among them are 19 catalytic projects, in areas spanning climate, education, and health, that PAA has mobilised over US$37.5 million in funding towards.
Shared Commitment to Staying the Course
In his opening remarks at PAS 2025, Mr. Lim Boon Heng, Chairman, PAA, and Chairman, Temasek, noted that driving impact takes time, and staying the course matters. “That long-termism underpins all that we do at PAA, as we advance a future that is more equitable and resilient, alongside the philanthropic, public and private sectors,” Mr. Lim said.
Partnerships create common ground for purpose and action across sectors and borders, driving collective change for all. They are a force multiplier, said Mr. Desmond Kuek, Executive Director and CEO, Temasek Trust, in his welcome address.
Closing off the PAS plenary, Mr. Shaun Seow, CEO, PAA, reaffirmed PAA’s core purpose — bringing people and capital together to catalyse scalable, cross-sector solutions — and emphasised the importance of patience.
“We must have the appetite to think of philanthropic capital as risk capital,” Mr. Seow added.
Looking Ahead
We thank our dedicated members and partners for your invaluable contributions at the Summit and beyond, in advancing our shared mission of Priming Asia for Good.
Look out for our upcoming PAS 2025 Insights Report for in-depth takeaways.
Access the full session recordings here.
Partnerships remain the bedrock of our work. While PAS 2025 was a key milestone in co-creating and accelerating impact, the journey and work continue.
We hope to see you next year at PAS 2026, scheduled for 18–20 May.
Stay updated — subscribe to our PAA Pulse newsletter and follow us on LinkedIn.
Read More
Explore perspectives and reflections from PAS 2025, published in Alliance magazine and Devex:
• Better together: Reimagining cross-sector collaboration for impact in Asia
• Philanthropy Asia Alliance's new CEO on shifting the needle of change
• Climate coalitions and addressing the threats of extreme heat on human health
• Southeast Asia, ocean sustainability and what collaborating effectively means
• Igniting Asia’s engines with ‘catalytic capacity’ and professionalising philanthropy
• Conference report: Philanthropy Asia Summit 2025: Primed for good
• Inside the Singapore summit shaping Asia’s philanthropic future
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