A Singapore-based foundation has disbursed more than $73,000 to environmental groups as it expands its support to environmental causes in Singapore for the first time, addressing a critical funding gap in a sector that has historically received minimal philanthropic attention compared to social services.
On May 22, the Pan Pacific Conservation Foundation announced support for charity People's Movement to Stop Haze (PM.Haze), Nature Society Singapore and the Institute of Technical Education during a beach clean-up at Changi Beach Park, coinciding with the International Day for Biological Diversity. The organisations' staff, volunteers and members, along with co-chair of the PAP Climate Action Group Poh Li San and Pasir Ris-Changi GRC MP Valerie Lee, removed 171kg of marine debris.
Bridging a Philanthropy Gap
The foundation's expansion into Singapore comes at a crucial time when donations to environmental causes in Singapore have traditionally lagged behind areas like social service and welfare, accounting for just 4 per cent of giving here in 2023. Giving to environmental causes accounted for just $510,000, or about 1.78 per cent, of grants disbursed between April 2024 and March 2025 by the Community Foundation of Singapore, which pools and facilitates donations.
The foundation's chairperson, Mr Peter Zhu, said he sees Singapore as a hub for philanthropy in South-east Asia, where there are many opportunities to take action against the accelerating pressures of climate change and environmental degradation. He said South-east Asia is home to nearly 15 per cent of the world's tropical forests and a third of coral reef species.
Empowering Local Communities
Noting the region's rich biodiversity and potential for storing planet-warming carbon, the Chinese national, who sits on the board of China's Society of Entrepreneurs and Ecology Foundation, said PPCF hopes to advance environmental and wildlife conservation, as well as integrate environmental thinking into supply chains. He cited the foundation's ongoing support of two peatland restoration projects in Indonesia, the Singapore-based PM.Haze and Indonesian non-governmental organisation Yayasan Gambut.
Mr Zhu said, "Our philanthropy enables local partners to educate and work with indigenous communities to become stewards of these ecosystems." He added, "By safeguarding and protecting these regions, the supported local communities are preserving natural carbon sequestration ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation." He also said, "These projects are sustainable because the communities are also taught how to responsibly manage the conserved areas on their own while tapping on the land's resources for their livelihood."
Supporting Youth Environmental Education
PM.Haze's partnerships and outreach manager, Ms Beatrice Baquero-Salah, said the funds will help cover cost of RE.Peat 2026, an expedition to the peatlands that will give young people the opportunity to learn about environmental issues in Indonesia and apply their experience to implement projects within their own communities. She said, "We are truly grateful for their (PPCF) support since it has allowed us to cover most of the programme costs and there are very few of such grants and donors willing to fund cross-regional projects and intercultural experiences such as this," and added that she hopes the foundation will continue to support the programme beyond 2026.
Haze from forest and peatland fires typically arise from human activities such as slash-and-burn methods deployed by farmers and corporations in Indonesia to clear land for plantations.
Nature Society Singapore executive director Huang Ningxin said the foundation's funds have helped its flagship citizen science and nature education programme to engage and inspire more than 1,620 students and teachers. The programme leads participants to support advocacy and conservation of the natural environment, which includes opportunities to assist in monitoring of biodiversity islandwide.
Around the region, the foundation supports more than $500,000 grants to various environmental causes, said Mr Zhu. The first round of funding for Singapore-based programmes received grants of between $21,000 and $27,120. He added, "We invite local environmental organisations who work with their communities for the purpose of conservation to connect with us so that we can explore collaborative partnerships."
Why This Matters:
The Pan Pacific Conservation Foundation's entry into Singapore's environmental philanthropy landscape addresses a significant structural gap in funding for climate action and conservation work. With environmental causes receiving less than 2 per cent of grant funding from major philanthropic institutions, grassroots organizations and community-based conservation efforts have struggled to secure resources needed to engage citizens in climate solutions. The foundation's focus on empowering local communities and indigenous stewards, rather than top-down interventions, represents an approach that centers those most affected by environmental degradation while building long-term capacity for sustainable resource management. By supporting youth education programmes and cross-regional collaboration, these grants invest in the next generation of environmental advocates at a time when accelerating climate pressures demand urgent collective action across Southeast Asia's biodiversity-rich ecosystems.