Laurence Lien

THE GRANDSON OF A SINGAPOREAN BANKING tycoon, Laurence Lien is a third-generation steward of one of the island nation’s most venerable family foundations.

- Charlie Campbell

His “radical philanthropy” strategy is straightforward: highlight a gap in public goods, pilot a remedy, then allow state institutions to take over. A ranking that he funded of preschool provisions across 45 countries helped spur Singapore into a fourfold spending increase; a palliative-care index triggered its first national end-of-life strategy.

In 2015, Lien co-founded the Asia Philanthropy Circle, a network of over 60 philanthropists across 13 markets. In 2023, he launched the Asia Community Foundation, which is designed to channel Singapore’s vast family-office wealth toward charity. Lien’s efforts helped Singapore rise 19 places to third on the World Giving Index in 2024.

And last year, as the collapse of Western aid led to an estimated $275 million shortfall across 20 Asian countries, Lien’s mission statement swelled. His response was to encourage Asia to stop mourning foreign aid and start funding its own development. That year, he also launched Asia Climate Philanthropy Advisory, the first regional climate-giving platform led from Asia.

“There are some people where philanthropy is more about legacy, feeling good,” Lien tells TIME. “For me, it is really about making the greatest difference on the ground.”