Case Study: Unlocking Philanthropic Support for Vulnerable Children in Malaysia
Project Type: Rapid landscape review
Project Duration: 8 weeks in 2024
Client: Family foundation
Geographical Area(s): Malaysia
Sector(s): Vulnerable children from refugee and stateless communities
A Funder in a New Space
A family foundation, which had recently set up an office in Singapore, was keen to support vulnerable children in Malaysia, with a particular focus on refugee and stateless communities. They wanted to deploy a series of test grants within a few months and required support for a quick turnaround.
The Foundation’s lean team engaged RIA to help them understand the complexities and nuances of the Malaysian landscape, and to provide recommendations for philanthropic engagement. Like other foundations entering a new space, they wanted to be aware of the most effective role they could play. Through this work, the Foundation aimed to disburse learning grants, which could help to inform the development of their ongoing strategy.
A Thoughtful Approach to a Complex Landscape
The project sought to answer the following key questions:
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How are vulnerable children defined in Malaysia?
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How is the current landscape characterized and influenced by different factors and actions?
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What are the gaps and leverage points where philanthropy can be most effective?
To address these questions, RIA conducted desk-based research to understand the relevant laws and regulations affecting this group, the organisations and groups directly or indirectly supporting this community, and the active funders in this space.
We complemented this with in-depth stakeholder interviews with subject matter experts, government-related agencies, NGOs, and funders to bring first-hand insights and contextual understanding. By leveraging RIA’s extensive network, we were not only able to engage prominent sector leaders, but also access non-publicly available information.
Identifying the vulnerable children community in Malaysia. Note: this diagram is illustrative and these groups are not mutually exclusive.
Integrating this research with RIA’s deep philanthropic expertise in Asia ensured our work was tailored to the Foundation’s needs.
Did You Know?
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Malaysia is not a signatory to UN’s conventions on refugees and stateless persons and there is no national policy to protect refugees, asylum seekers, or stateless persons¹
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Less than 40% of refugee children are enrolled in educational institutions in Malaysia²
Putting the Pieces Together
Through this work, RIA identified that there are lots of potential ways for philanthropy to effectively support vulnerable children in Malaysia. This spans from downstream work, supporting direct services; to upstream work, strengthening the ecosystems and influencing policy change. To demonstrate how the Foundation could best align its own efforts with those of other actors, we developed an ‘impact trajectory framework’ to help narrow the Foundation’s focus.​
The project sought to answer the following key questions:
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Significant differences exist between West Malaysia and East Malaysia in terms of the resources and support available for these communities.
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Activists in this sector have a strong presence, work closely with parliamentary systems, and can be effective in driving longer-term policy change.
These insights enabled us to craft actionable recommendations for the Foundation to engage with different geographies and levels of the system.
From Insights To Impact
Given the Foundation’s current learning focus, RIA recommended a portfolio approach, supporting both downstream and upstream efforts. This would allow the Foundation to build up its knowledge of the sector, with an understanding of the contextual realities informing any strategic initiatives.​
​To put these recommendations into action, RIA also identified specific opportunities with the potential for high impact based on a scan of over 50 NGOs in the sector.​
As a result of this work, the Foundation has:
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Deployed 3 test grants to 2 NGOs and 1 new initiative.
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Participated in a learning journey to East Malaysia, reflecting the Foundation’s growing commitment and willingness to engage.
Overall, this patient and learning-focused approach has been critical for the Foundation to enter and build trust in a sensitive space.
“Working with RIA and their team was a great boost for our learning.
They asked us great questions, went to work, and delivered us a set of ideas that we could immediately turn into meaningful grants to communities in need.
We couldn’t have asked for more.”
- Executive Director of Foundation