About Leap201

1. What is Leap201?

Leap201 is a Singapore-registered charity committed to uplifting communities at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid across Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Founded by Mr Michael Lien following the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, Leap201 takes bold and innovative approaches to createing lasting change for lower-income communities. To date, we have positively impacted nearly 1.9 million lives across the region.

2. What does ‘201’ in Leap201 mean?

The number 201 reflects our founding aspiration: to help the lower-income in Southeast Asia rise above the international poverty line of US$2 a day. It is a symbol of the agency and dignity we seek to restore in every life we touch.

3. What is Leap201’s model for high-impact philanthropy?

We work across two areas:

• Venture philanthropy in Southeast Asia – We offer loans to early-stage social enterprises in Southeast Asia, in sectors including agritech, financial inclusion, clean energy and water.
• Policy advocacy in Singapore – We conduct research, run pilots, and advocate for policies that improve outcomes for lower-income families in areas such as healthcare, income and retirement security.

4. What are Leap201’s current priorities?

Our north star is to impact 4 million lives by 2030. From now until 2030, we aim to double our impact and reach 2 million more lives. We are currently fundraising to:

• Extend social loans to more social enterprises in Southeast Asia, including those focused on climate adaptation and gender equality.
• Deepen policy advocacy in Singapore, e.g. on retirement security and healthcare costs for lower-income families.

 

Venture Philanthropy – Southeast Asia Social Loans Programme

5. How is venture philanthropy different from traditional philanthropy?

Traditional philanthropy typically offers one-time grants. Leap201 uses repayable social loans instead.

We bridge the financing gap faced by early-stage impact enterprises in Southeast Asia – enterprises too small to attract Series A funding or larger impact investors. Interest rates are set below market rates, in keeping with our social mission. By offering loans and advisory support, we help promising enterprises stabilise, grow, and unlock institutional investment.

Because loans are repaid, each dollar is recycled back into the pool to support more enterprises and reach more lives. This stretches the donor dollar many times further than traditional grants.

6. Why are your social loans mainly to enterprises in Cambodia?

Cambodia is one of the poorer countries in Southeast Asia and one of the places where we established our social loans programme two decades ago. Our deep understanding of the local ecosystem makes it a strong base for our work.

We carefully assess risk before entering each market, taking into account each country’s regulations, financial ecosystem, and social enterprise landscape. We continue to evaluate other Southeast Asian markets where we can drive meaningful impact.

 

Policy Advocacy in Singapore

7. What policies has Leap201 influenced in Singapore?

In Singapore, our policy advocacy has contributed to:

• Workfare Income Supplement enhancements, benefiting 500,000 lower-wage workers.
• CareShield Life improvements – Higher payouts and simplified applications for persons needing long-term care.
• Permanent healthcare coverage for 400,000 dormitory-based migrant workers through the Primary Care Plan, following our Care4MigrantWorkers pilot.

 

Our Impact

8. How many lives has Leap201 impacted?
Since inception, Leap201 has positively impacted over 1.9 million lives across Singapore and Southeast Asia. Our goal is to reach 4 million lives in total by 2030.

9. How do you calculate the number of lives impacted?

We track both direct and indirect lives impacted by our programmes. Indirect lives refer to household members of direct beneficiaries who also benefit from improved outcomes.

Leap201 uses a conservative, population-based methodology grounded in publicly available national-level datasets. Figures are reviewed by Leap201’s Directors and Advisors, including respected academics.

10. How much of each donor dollar goes into helping beneficiaries?

We keep our overheads low at below 20% of expenditure, well below the sector norms of 35 – 40%.

As of 2026, we have deployed S$9.5 million across our programmes and positively impacted over 1.9 million lives. This efficiency stems from our low-touch, high-impact approach.

 

We are happy to discuss giving options that align with your interests. Contact us at contact@leap201.org to start the conversation.

Note: Leap201 is a registered charity but not an Institute of Public Character (or IPC). As such, donations are not tax deductible.

12. Does Leap201 accept non-monetary contributions?

We occasionally welcome pro bono advisory support, networks, and in-kind expertise. Please reach out to contact@leap201.org to discuss how you might contribute.