New initiative lets wealthy fund organisations helping unemployed youth in S’pore, Thailand

Launched by social investor network AVPN in January, the ImpactCollab Outcomes Marketplace ties philanthropic funding directly to verified outcomes, so that donors release funds only when agreed results are achieved. 

The initiative, which was developed in partnership with non-profit social impact advisory firm Tri-Sector Associates, is working with 14 organisations across Singapore and Thailand focused on helping youth not in education, employment or training (NEET). 

Singapore has more than 16,000 NEET youth, while Thailand has about 1.4 million such youth.

“Youth employability is an urgent and important issue to tackle in Southeast Asia,” said Kevin Teo, head of ImpactCollab at AVPN, which is Asia’s biggest social investor network.

By the end of 2026, AVPN aims to support up to 600 youth in both countries to undergo training, be placed in jobs and remain employed.

Under the marketplace model, funders can select from the 14 organisations identified by the initiative and commit funding that is released only when predefined outcomes are met. The three outcomes are that if a NEET youth completes training, secures a job and remains employed for at least six months.

The 14 organisations, including charities YMCA of Singapore, Daughters of Tomorrow and social enterprise Inclus, were chosen based on considerations such as their track record and the maturity of their operations and governance.

There are about 2,000 family offices, around $1.52 trillion in wealth under management and more than 300,000 millionaires in Singapore, pointing to a large untapped potential to provide resources for social outcomes, Teo told The Straits Times.

“Many funders are actively seeking meaningful avenues to contribute, but face hesitation or challenges due to unverified or non-guaranteed outcomes, limited access to verified organisations, high due diligence costs and difficulties in cross-border giving,” he said.

He added that traditional funding is paid upfront, and this creates weak accountability as a programme is often funded even if the social outcome fails.

“This removes the incentive for impact organisations to design riskier but higher-impact approaches because payment is guaranteed regardless of performance. This reduces innovation,” Teo said.

Making funding conditional motivates and incentivises these organisations to keep developing new solutions, he added.

All outcomes undergo a verification process in which independent audit partners validate the outcomes before any funding is released, said Kevin Tan, chief executive of Tri-Sector Associates.

He said this process also helps organisations build credibility and makes them more attractive to funders.

“This ultimately builds clarity and trust in both the funder and the impact organisation ecosystem by encouraging transparency, efficiency and alignment when both parties commit every dollar to verified outcomes and real-world impact,” he said.

One of the 14 organisations is Trampolene, which has been working with underserved youth since 2016 to build work-ready skills and support them in getting sustained employment.

So far, it has engaged more than 2,000 youth in its programmes. Among its beneficiaries who are deemed job-ready, more than 60 per cent secure employment and 70 per cent of those placed remain in skilled roles beyond one year.

The organisation told ST that it supports outcomes-based funding because accountability should be tied to whether youth can make real­ progress and sustain employment, not simply to programme activity.

“When working with underserved youth, outcomes extend beyond placement numbers. They include readiness, confidence and the ability to adapt as workplace expectations grow,” it said.

It added that evidence plays a vital role in helping practitioners understand what drives lasting progress and that funding tied to verified, longer-term outcomes enables social impact organisations to focus on long-term change over short-term output.

Generation Singapore, a non-profit that trains and places job seekers into employment, has helped 676 learners aged up to 29 through its train-and-place programme since its inception in 2019.

Close to half of these youth learners were unemployed before joining their programmes, and 82 per cent of those who complete the programme are placed in jobs within six months.

The organisation said it is constantly on the lookout for funders who share a commitment to making a durable impact in the lives of its learners, and the new initiative helps funders and non-profits discover each other more easily.

AVPN said more impact organisations and outcome themes will be available for funding in the future as it continues to develop the initiative and its ecosystem.

The Straits Times