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, demonstrating how private philanthropy is stepping in where traditional charitable giving has historically fallen short.
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.
Private Sector Leadership in Conservation
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. 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 said South-east Asia is home to nearly 15 per cent of the world's tropical forests and a third of coral reef species. Noting the region's rich biodiversity and potential for storing planet-warming carbon, Mr Zhu said the foundation's ongoing support includes two peatland restoration projects in Indonesia through the Singapore-based PM.Haze and Indonesian non-governmental organisation Yayasan Gambut.
Community-Based Solutions
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." The foundation's approach emphasizes local ownership and economic sustainability rather than dependency on external funding.
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.
Filling a Funding Gap
Donations to environmental causes in Singapore have traditionally lagged behind areas like social service and welfare, accounting for 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.
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:
This private foundation's expansion into Singapore highlights the essential role of voluntary philanthropy in addressing environmental challenges without expanding government budgets or regulatory mandates. The foundation's emphasis on community stewardship and economic self-sufficiency represents a market-oriented approach to conservation that empowers local populations rather than creating dependency. With environmental causes receiving less than 2 per cent of pooled charitable grants and only 4 per cent of overall giving in Singapore in 2023, private sector leadership fills a critical funding gap. The foundation's regional scope of more than $500,000 in grants demonstrates how private capital can efficiently address cross-border environmental issues like transboundary haze while respecting national sovereignty and local decision-making. The model of teaching communities to responsibly manage conserved areas while maintaining their livelihoods offers a sustainable alternative to top-down environmental regulation.