As Asia navigates accelerating social, environmental, and economic challenges, resilience is no longer just a survival tactic; it is central to building communities that can adapt, recover, and thrive. Few organizations operationalize this as intentionally as the CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), the philanthropic arm of CapitaLand Group, one of Asia’s largest diversified real estate companies.
Marking its 20th anniversary in 2025, CHF has launched the S$3 million CapitaLand Community Resilience Initiative—a landmark regional grant aimed at supporting innovative social resilience projects for vulnerable children and youth across India, China, Singapore, and Vietnam. In partnership with AVPN, Asia’s leading social investment network, the initiative signals CHF’s strategic shift from traditional philanthropy to a collaborative, systems-level approach that scales impact across borders.
Since its founding in 2005, CHF has reached over 540,000 individuals through more than 150 programs, maintaining a clear focus on social inclusion, education, health, and well-being. Now, as CHF moves into this next phase, it seeks to shape scalable solutions that strengthen communities’ capacity to thrive amid uncertainty.
In this thought-provoking interview, we speak with Ms Beh Siew Kim, Board Director of CapitaLand Hope Foundation, to explore the drivers behind CHF’s evolution, the ambitions of the Community Resilience Initiative, and how CHF is working to position itself and its partners as catalysts for systemic social change across Asia.
Scroll down to read the full interview.
Q&A
Q. CapitaLand Hope Foundation’s journey from traditional philanthropy to launching a regionwide Community Resilience Initiative signals a strategic evolution. What catalyzed this shift, and why was resilience chosen as the anchor theme to mark CHF’s 20-year milestone?
A. As CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF) celebrates its 20th anniversary, we saw a timely opportunity to scale up our systemic giving approach. The global disruptions over recent years—from the COVID-19 pandemic to macroeconomic challenges—have highlighted deeprooted vulnerabilities in our communities. These events reinforced the need to build long-term resilience.
"Resilience" was chosen as our anchor theme because it reflects our belief in empowering individuals — especially children and youth — to not only navigate adversity but to thrive despite it. By focusing on education, health, and well-being, we are equipping communities with the tools, networks, and confidence to adapt to future challenges.
This aligns with CapitaLand’s broader purpose to build inclusive and resilient communities. Since 2005, CHF has supported over 540,000 beneficiaries across Asia and donated more than S$64 million to over 200 community initiatives as of 31 December 2024.
Q. How does the CapitaLand Community Resilience Initiative differ from CHF’s earlier efforts, and what makes it a transformational step in how you engage with social impact across Asia?
A. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary for CHF and the launch of our inaugural S$3 million CapitaLand Community Resilience Initiative is timely, as we continue our commitment towards building resilient communities. It marks our first regional grant call for social resilience projects. The rationale behind this is to explore new avenues for discovering and supporting innovative ideas by non-profit organisations across four key markets - Singapore, China, India and Vietnam.
What makes this initiative transformational is its platform-based approach—it convenes NGOs and community leaders to co-create scalable, context-relevant solutions, while encouraging innovation and knowledge sharing across borders.
Q. Building resilience goes beyond individual programs—it involves strengthening systems and communities. How is CHF approaching this broader, ecosystem-level impact, and what does success look like at that scale?
A. We believe resilience is most effective when embedded within local systems. Through the initiative, we aim to strengthen the entire value chain; from early childhood education and mental wellness to employability and digital access.
Our approach involves close collaboration with community-based partners who understand local needs. We invest not only in programme delivery but also in capacity building, governance, and data tools.
Success at the ecosystem level means communities can eventually self-sustain—relying less on aid and more on their strengthened institutions and networks. We also aim for selected projects to become replicable models that can be adapted in other countries, amplifying impact across the region.
Q. India, China, Vietnam, and Singapore each present unique socio-economic contexts. How does CHF ensure that its regional strategy remains inclusive and responsive to the diverse local challenges facing children and youth in these geographies?
A. Our regional strategy is anchored in localisation. We partner with non-profits and social organisations that have on-the-ground expertise, local knowledge and networks that enable them to gain deeper insights into community needs and identify societal gaps and challenges that exist in the unique socio-economic context of each country. By combining macro data with local insights, we ensure interventions are culturally appropriate and responsive to real needs.
For example, in India and Vietnam, we may focus on learning and developmental needs of underserved children across the countries. In Singapore, we place an emphasis on education, health and well-being that focus on children and youths. Our goal is equitable opportunity for all—not one-size-fits-all solutions.
Q. How does your partnership with AVPN enhance due diligence, capital aggregation, and ecosystem support, and what makes this collaborative model particularly effective in delivering measurable, region-wide impact?
A. AVPN brings strong regional expertise, rigorous due diligence processes, and access to a broad network of vetted partners. Their involvement enhances the quality and accountability of the initiatives we support.
By leveraging AVPN’s ecosystem, we reduce duplication of efforts and are able to have a wider reach. Their structured impact measurement frameworks also ensure consistency in how we evaluate outcomes. This partnership allows us to deploy resources more efficiently and to scale initiatives with proven success.
Q. Beyond financial support, how does CHF plan to ensure long-term sustainability of the selected projects? Are there components of capacity building or organizational strengthening built into the initiative?
A. CapitaLand not only plays the role of a funder, but also as an ecosystem builder. Providing our funding, resources, and networks to support non-profit organisations unlock greater value and creates a “multiplier effect”.
We also aim to promote peer learning across geographies for these non-profit organisations. Over time, this builds stronger institutions that can scale and sustain their work beyond CHF’s involvement.
Q. Why was the decision made to focus this initiative specifically on strengthening resilience among vulnerable children and youth, and how does this focus reflect the most pressing gaps CHF seeks to address across Asia today?
A. Children and youth are disproportionately affected by systemic inequalities—be it limited access to education, digital exclusion, or poor mental health support. These challenges have been exacerbated by the pandemic and rising social pressures.
According to the International Labour Organisation, youth unemployment in East Asia reached 14.5% in 2023, while South Asia’s Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) gender gap in youth was the widest globally at 31%. These figures highlight the urgent need for interventions that equip young people with the tools for a sustainable future.
Our focus on resilience ensures that we are not only addressing immediate needs, but also helping this generation build adaptive capacities that will serve them for life in navigating challenges. We aim to maximise their opportunities, prevent long-term exclusion and nurture a generation that can thrive and contribute meaningfully to society.
Q. Within the pillars of education, health, and well-being, what types of interventions or models is CHF most interested in supporting through this initiative, and how do you envision these being scaled or adapted across geographies?
A. We are focused on supporting non-profit organisations that provide impactful solutions in areas such as education, skills development, and physical and mental well-being. Organisations with clear, well-defined plans that demonstrate strong potential for scalability, feasibility, and measurable impact will have increased odds.
For instance, we are keen to support programmes that champion inclusive education—whether by raising awareness of the challenges faced by persons with disabilities or by enhancing access to early childhood education resources.
Mental health and well-being is another critical area, particularly in today’s fast-changing world. We are looking beyond simply providing textbooks or digital tools, towards interventions that strengthen mental resilience and promote social inclusion among children and youth.
A key success factor is adaptability. While solutions must be rooted in local contexts and needs, we also look for models that can be effectively scaled or adapted to other geographies to amplify their impact across the region.
Q. What key metrics or evaluation frameworks will CHF use to track whether the initiatives are truly enabling communities to adapt, recover, and thrive, considering that resilience outcomes are often complex and long-term?
A. We apply a robust outcome measurement framework, where we work with partners on their theories of change and measure educational and health outcomes to ensure feasibility, scalability and sustainability of the supported initiatives.
Depending on the initiative, we will measure outcomes such as school attendance, vocational training completion, improvement in mental well-being scores, and increased community participation. Resilience is a long-term goal, so we will also track progress milestones and use qualitative feedback to facilitate deeper impact.
Q. As CHF celebrates two decades of impact and CapitaLand marks its 25th anniversary, what are your aspirations for the next decade of social investment, and how do you envision the Foundation’s role evolving in addressing Asia’s emerging development challenges?
A. Headquartered in Singapore, CapitaLand has a deep presence across Asia and has long played a role in shaping communities in key markets such as Singapore, China, India, and Vietnam. As we look ahead to the next decade, our aspiration is to scale what works, deepen our impact, and continue our journey as a convener and catalyst for collective action in doing good.
We believe collaboration is essential to driving sustainable social impact. Our focus will be on working with like-minded partners to identify emerging gaps in society and co-create solutions that build long-term community resilience.
Key areas for growth include youth mental wellness, socio-emotional learning, and inclusion for individuals with special needs. We aim to foster a healthier, more empathetic, and inclusive society, while remaining responsive to the dynamic challenges facing our communities.
By building on our foundation of trust, purpose, and strong partnerships, CHF aspires to be a leading force in shaping resilient, inclusive, and future-ready communities across Asia.
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