Improving access to philanthropic giving across Asia 

This impact story is part of our TrustLaw Awards series to celebrate the extraordinary pro bono projects undertaken by legal teams to support NGOs, social enterprises and independent media with the support of TrustLaw.   

Dechert LLP provided pro bono support that helped AVPN establish the legal foundations for ImpactCollab, a platform connecting donors with over 800 verified impact organisations across Asia to make effective philanthropic giving more accessible. 

Across Asia, civil society organisations working to address social challenges face an increasingly constrained and complex operating environment: Funding is fragmented and short-term; regulatory frameworks are uneven across borders; and foreign funding restrictions add another layer of complexity. 

Many of these organisations have the expertise and community to deliver social change. However, they lack the direct connections to funders and the robust legal frameworks that institutional donors, funders, and private banks expect. Without that visibility and infrastructure, smaller, high-impact organisations are at a disadvantage regardless of how strong their work is on the ground. 

Building legal frameworks donors can trust 

Through TrustLaw, AVPN – a leading social investment network with a presence in more than 40 countries – was connected to Dechert LLP. Their legal expertise was used to draft template service agreements covering service fee arrangements, data terms and confidentiality. This was needed to govern the platform’s relationship with clients and beneficiaries involved in distributing philanthropic capital across the region, making it easier to onboard them onto the platform. 

This in turn built the legal foundations for ImpactCollab, a marketplace platform designed to give donors and private banks access to verified charitable organisations, due diligence resources and impact monitoring tools across Asia. With these governance terms in place, smaller, high-impact organisations acquired the credibility that funders and donors recognise and trust, helping them compete on a more level playing field. 

“Good philanthropy requires trust between funders, intermediaries, and the organisations they support. Working with TrustLaw was a genuine partnership; they brought a rare combination of rigour and generosity. Their support exemplifies how pro bono expertise, deployed strategically, can remove structural barriers to social impact and move capital towards high-impact organisations.” Kevin Teo, Head of ImpactCollab, AVPN 

Expanding CSO access to philanthropic funding 

TrustLaw’s pro bono legal support developed the legal frameworks for Donor Advised Fund (DAF) structures, making philanthropic giving more accessible and scalable for a wide range of donors.  

Since the platform launched in late June 2025, it has verified over 800 organisations across Asia, helping organisations engage more confidently with funders, donors and private banks. For example, the platform has successfully facilitated a USD 200,000 grant to a Hong Kong-based impact organisation, whilst a DAF client has leveraged ImpactCollab for legacy planning, establishing long-term giving commitments to a curated set of impact organisations in Asia. 

TrustLaw’s support helped translate legal expertise into practical infrastructure for the social impact sector – enabling AVPN to expand access to philanthropic capital across the region.  

“We enjoyed working with the AVPN team in building ImpactCollab’s legal infrastructure, reflecting our commitment to pioneering novel impact investing structures across Southeast Asia. It is fulfilling for us to see how creative legal structuring can unlock philanthropic capital for beneficiaries doing the hardest work on the ground.” Eng-Lye Ong, Pro Bono Counsel, Dechert LLP 

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