Our Mission
To empower vulnerable households in Southeast Asia to break free from aid dependence and the poverty cycle, enabling them to leap above the US$2 a-day poverty line
Our Vision
- A Southeast Asia where every individual lives with dignity and freedom
- Building a fairer and stronger society for all
Lasting, high-impact change for lower-income communities
Our Uniqueness
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Our Unique Approach
In Southeast Asia: Pioneers of social loans to social enterprises in Southeast Asia. Loans repaid and recycled — multiplying impact per dollar.
In Singapore: Catalysing policy change through research, pilots and advocacy
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Lasting Change
In Southeast Asia: Creating impact and growth, not aid dependency
In Singapore: Strengthening support on wages, healthcare and retirement adequacy for lower-income Singaporeans
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High Impact
In Southeast Asia: 0.5M lives impacted — farmers and workers across Southeast Asia
In Singapore: 1.9M lives impacted — workers with better wages and healthcare
Our Model
Financially Sustainable
70-80% of our deployed funds are in the form of social loans which recycle back, multiplying social impact many times over.
Highly Selective
We find projects that align to our cause and conduct careful research and due diligence before committing funds.
Impact Driven
Besides financial support, we work closely with program partners to provide business advisory, as well as measure impact.
Our Path To Impact
Incubation
LEAP201 started life as the Asia Refuge Projects, a non-profit founded in response to the devastation caused by the December 2004 tsunami.
With its geographical focus on rural Southeast Asia, Asia Refuge Projects undertook projects in the areas of education, sanitation and healthcare.
Advocacy and thought leadership initiatives
In support of social entrepreneurs with potential to scale capacity-building projects in Cambodia and Myanmar, Asia Refuge Projects launched the Asia Refuge Projects Fellowship.
Asia Refuge Projects organised the Village Self-Reliance Forum and Roundtable in 2011 and the SE Asia Capacity Building Forum in 2012.
Incorporation and name change to LEAP Philanthropy
The name of the organization was changed to LEAP Philanthropy or LEAP201 for short.
LEAP201 was launched with a mission to lift rural communities above the $2 a day poverty line via agriculture and financial inclusion programs.
Bridging Gaps and Expansion
LEAP201 began partnering with GRET Myanmar, AMK Microfinance Institution, VisionFund Cambodia and iDE Cambodia.
LEAP201 supported these organisations through strategic impact grants, social loans and other forms of support. By the end of FY16/17, we had impacted over 66,000 lives.
Regional Expansion
LEAP201 broadened our portfolio to include the energy and water sector. We also started two projects in Indonesia and Leap for Migrant Workers (L4M) in Singapore.
Catalysing Impact
Pilot projects and advocacy efforts in Singapore and overseas
Successful Policy Advocacy and the scaling up of overseas projects
Successful policy advocacy in Singapore and several overseas partners repaid social loans and secured larger institutional funding