The United States’ Gates Foundation – one of the world’s largest private philanthropic organisations – will be establishing a physical presence in Singapore, as it opens a new office to deepen partnerships in global health and development in Southeast Asia. 

Alongside other private foundations and non-profits such as the Hong Kong-based Institute of Philanthropy, Indonesian family-owned Tanoto Foundation, as well as Singapore’s Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA), the Gates Foundation will also lead an effort to crowd in over US$100 million in catalytic funding for projects that will improve health outcomes for people in the region by 2030. 

The initiative will first focus on Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam – Southeast Asia’s most populous countries – where “important gains (in healthcare) have been made but further progress is needed”, said PAA in a media statement on Monday.

The philanthropic group was launched with the backing of Singapore’s Temasek Trust in 2023 and counts the Gates Foundation, co-founded by businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates, as one of its early core members. 

The new initiative, known as the Health for Human Potential Community, aims to reduce preventable deaths and disease burdens across the region, focusing on maternal and child health. Its other objective is to tackle infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and malaria. 

PAA’s latest “Communities” initiative will help match funders and philanthropists to high-impact projects that it has evaluated and approved. The first three Communities launched last year were focused on blue oceans, sustainable land use, as well as inclusive education; this year, PAA also introduced the Just Energy Transition Community with support from its other members such as Tara Climate Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. 

Gates, who is in Singapore this week, spoke about plans for the foundation’s 12th office at the ...