Report: Cross-Border Philanthropy in Asia

“Private philanthropy has the potential to address the major needs facing Asia in the coming decades. This report provides a roadmap for unlocking Asia’s wealth to address major needs in the region and shape Asia’s culture of philanthropy.”

– Rob Rosen, Director of Philanthropic Partnerships, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

When Give2Asia was founded 20 years ago, international philanthropy primarily flowed in one direction, as donors in the West supported nonprofits in other locales. Strong tax incentives for charitable giving fueled a steady increase in overseas philanthropy.

Today, the landscape of potential donors is far more diverse. With increasing levels of wealth across the Asia-Pacific, there is great potential to address pressing humanitarian needs by increasing funding flows between countries in the Global South.

Produced in cooperation with the Asia Philanthropy Circle, King Baudouin Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this report provides a roadmap for establishing a cross-border giving network for Asia.

The multi-year research effort included interviews with 150 high-net-worth donors/institutions and survey responses from 135 nonprofits. The study aims to answer two key questions:

1) Is there an appetite and need for infrastructure that supports cross-border giving within Asia?

2) If so, what institutions might participate in building it, and where?

Markets Studied

Unlocking Cross-Border Philanthropy in Asia evaluated the cross-border giving landscape in 15 markets across the Asia-Pacific region:

Cross-border Giving Infrastructure

The research revealed that four of the 15 markets studied already have a high level of readiness for cross-border giving:

Preferred Causes

Among the donors interviewed, education was the top cause:

Motivation to Give

In the markets studied, tax incentives were not a key factor in most donors’ decision to give:

Barriers to Giving

More than half of NGOs surveyed identified a need for more intermediary services to access overseas donations:

Possible Services

The report identifies several potential services to facilitate both outbound and inbound philanthropy across borders:

How to Access the Report

The full report, including an executive summary and profiles of each location studied, can be downloaded here (PDF, 10 MB).

The market profiles are also available to download individually:
• Australia
• China—Mainland
• China—Hong Kong SAR
• China—Taiwan
• India
• Indonesia
• Japan (English version) & Japanese translation
• Republic of Korea (South Korea)
• Malaysia
• Nepal
• New Zealand
• The Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand
• Vietnam

For more information on the Unlocking Cross-border Philanthropy in Asia report, contact Give2Asia: