AVPN launches social outcomes exchange that connects funders to verifiable impacts – first of its kind in Asia
Under this model, the funds disbursed are tied to the results of organisations such as non-profits, social enterprises
[SINGAPORE] The voluntary carbon market – with a social twist. That is what the ImpactCollab Outcomes Marketplace, launched in Singapore on Tuesday (Jan 27), is about.
A tie-up between Asia-based social investor network AVPN and non-profit Tri-Sector Associates, the platform opens up outcomes funding for organisations focused on creating positive social or environmental change.
It does so by connecting funders directly to verifiable outcomes, said Kevin Teo, head of ImpactCollab at AVPN.
Measuring change through outcomes-based funding
He explained: “In the outcomes marketplace, the ‘buyers’ are funders who are interested in buying independently verified social outcomes, while the ‘sellers’ are organisations (which) are able to prove that the creation of such social outcomes can be attributed back to them.”
The short-term goal is to onboard more funders and impact organisations to this outcome-based model, he said. But as “Asia’s first-of-its-kind social outcomes exchange... we will also need to inform and educate funders on how this systematically transforms how impact is funded”.
In particular, this approach “(shifts) capital from supporting activities to rewarding verified results and long-term value creation for our communities and our societies”, he added.
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In other words, the funds disbursed are tied to the outcomes of entities such as non-profits, social enterprises and non-government organisations.
The aim is to make doing good more accessible and help impact organisations scale, while allowing funders to find appropriate causes to support.
In Singapore, the ImpactCollab team is in discussions with about 10 potential funders in the philanthropy, banking and financial services sectors.
Meanwhile, it has onboarded nine impact organisations here, including YMCA, social enterprise Inclus – which trains and places persons with disabilities into meaningful employment – and Generation Singapore, a talent development non-profit that delivers job-ready training and places underserved individuals into high-growth sectors.
Teo said that ultimately, “the outcomes-based funding mechanism mobilises Asia’s wealth and scales cross-border investment even in markets (with which) funders may not be familiar, as funders can be guided by verifiable outcomes and accredited impact organisations”.
Making an impact on youth employability with verifiable social outcomes
Boston Consulting Group said in November that Asia is entering a critical chapter of wealth. It found that by 2029, private wealth in the region is projected to reach US$99 trillion – yet, high-net-worth individuals and institutions often hesitate to give, constrained by uncertainty over outcomes.
At the same time, the region is grappling with the issue of youth not in education, employment or training (Neet).
More than 16,000 young people in Singapore and 1.4 million in Thailand fall under this category. Addressing youth employability requires urgent, impactful and measurable change that is verifiable.
With the launch of the ImpactCollab Outcomes Marketplace, 15 organisations across Singapore and Thailand with a focus on helping Neet could tap outcomes funding.
AVPN aims to make a positive impact on more than 600 young people in the two countries by 2026 through training, employment and job retention.
“At its core, the ImpactCollab Outcomes Marketplace aims to make good philanthropy accessible and outcomes verifiable,” Teo said.
“Our social outcomes exchange equips private wealth holders and their advisers with the confidence that they are directing capital towards opportunities with verified outcomes.”
Asia has vast untapped potential in unlocking resources for social outcomes.
The region’s private banking assets under management have surpassed US$3 trillion, yet only a small fraction is deployed philanthropically or via impact investments.
Kevin Tan, Tri-Sector’s founder and CEO, said: “The outcomes-based model strengthens accountability in social investment, and empowers impact organisations to demonstrate their results with greater credibility.
“By building trust and transparency, we are laying the foundation for sustained financing and scalable social impact across Asia.”
Measuring impact
As for whether this initiative could make the “social” aspect in environment, social and governance frameworks more quantifiable, he said: “We hope to be a means to that end.”
“If the Outcomes Marketplace takes off, and buying outcomes credit is the gold standard, (companies can include that in their financial and sustainability reports),” Tan added.
Dr Jeremy Fox, Asia-Pacific CEO of global non-profit Generation, noted that the platform “has natural synergy with our approach”, which places “data at the heart of our methodology to measure impact”.
“The Outcomes Marketplace... (drives) higher efficiency for the system through outcomes-based funding models that are based not on activity or intent, but on verifiable results,” he said.
The platform was soft-launched in Thailand last September. The Singapore launch marks the official roll-out in the city-state and the rest of the Asia-Pacific.
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