January 20, 2026 — HONG KONG — The Institute of Philanthropy (IoP) has announced the launch of the Leadership Excellence in Asian Philanthropy (LEAP) Fellowship, apioneering fellowship programme designed to address one of the region’s most pressing needs:developing the next generation of visionary leaders for Asia’s rapidly evolving philanthropic sector, with a curriculum and design tailored specifically to the cultural, economic, and social realities of the region.

As Asia emerges as a global hub of wealth creation and social investment, philanthropic resources are also growing. Yet analysis by The Bridgespan Group shows that while Asia’s philanthropic organisations now steward tens of billions of dollars a significant gap remains between these resources and the expertise required to utilise them effectively.

The study identified Asia-specific needs for upskilling in areas such as impact measurement,adaptive leadership and cross-sector collaboration. Funders across the region consistently seek programmes rooted in Asian realities, with local case studies, culturally relevant frameworks and content that can be applied directly in their operating environments.

The Leadership Excellence in Asian Philanthropy (LEAP) Fellowship was created to bridge this gap through a structured, practitioner-led curriculum focused on strategy, impact and policy.The aim is to cultivate leaders who can build adaptive strategies, design interventions with embedded metrics, and form effective platforms that transform communities across Asia.

“Asia’s philanthropic sector stands at a pivotal moment, with the opportunity to maximiseimpact and accelerate change through visionary leadership and regionally grounded collaboration. The LEAP Fellowship was created to meet this need — equipping leaders with the skills, networks and tools to drive systemic change and shape the future of philanthropy in Asia,” said Lester Huang, Chairman of the IoP.

LEAP combines academic excellence with practice-based learning and peer collaboration by faculty members from The University of Hong Kong (HKU), the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the LondonSchool of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

“As Asia’s leading university, HKU is proud to have helped develop the LEAP Fellowship,”said Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong.“The programme is built around experiential learning that draws from real philanthropic challenges in the region. By combining these insights with Asia’s unique cultural and social context, LEAP equips senior professionals with the confidence and practical tools to lead with impact. This is how we will nurture leaders who can translate vision into action and strengthen philanthropy across Asia.”