We operate differently from typical grantmakers in a number of ways. As we make just a handful of investment decisions a year, we prefer to take a more proactive approach to develop projects, assembling a coalition of potential partners to co-create and solve niche problems. 

Our attention is concentrated at the two ends of life’s spectrum. We revisit our mission from time to time, to stay relevant to a changing society. In 2022, we started making a progressive exit out of the crowded early childhood development space in Singapore, considering that the government’s annual spending on the sector has increased more than five times in the past decade. We believe in leaving our comfort zone to explore new terrain with little competition in pursuit of new opportunities.

We focus on areas where we possess a competitive edge, honed from our experience and networks, to add value beyond monetary terms. 

We appreciate the value and limits of evaluation. Proper evaluation can help shape our strategy and programme design, provide insights into the evolving needs of those we serve and keep track of outcomes and impact. We keep track of progress indicators for our projects and work every step of the way with our partners to learn from the past and, where possible, preempt the challenges and needs of the future.

What we are more interested in is learning. We are as much inspired by failures, which are part and parcel of experimentation. We define success in terms of the quantity and quality of insights gained, and the adoption of our work by others.

We are primarily focused on Singapore. We are selective of overseas projects, which are strategically carried out through our affiliates, the Lien Collaborative for Palliative Care and Lien Environmental Fellowship.

Philanthropy as risk capital can provide space to our partners to find effective solutions to complex problems. Many projects we support start from scratch, or are in their infancy, where there is a need to trial and iterate on new ideas. Difficult change, such as organisational growth or adopting new mindsets, takes time to bear fruit. By demonstrating possible models, we invest in solutions with the potential for long-term value.