China Philanthropy

Healthcare for China’s Kids: An Interview with Ellen Luo of the United Foundation for Chinese Orphans

Created in 2001 as the philanthropic branch of United Family Hospitals (UFH) the United Foundation for Chinese Orphans (UFCO) offers underprivileged kids one of the most basic, but also most important aspects of human life—health. Partnering with local organizations, UFCO provides medical services, modern healthcare, and training through UFH, as well as, funding for medical services that the cannot provide. UFCO currently operates in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. They partner with organizations like Baobei Foundation and Bethel Training Center for the Blind which have been featured in SVG newsletters and blog posts.  New York native Ellen Luo recently came on as UFCO’s Executive Director. She discussed UFCO’s mission, goals, and CSR with us.

Vocabulary Lesson #3: The Three Rural Issues

n. The Three Rural Issues (三农问题S­ān Nóng Wèntí)

In the 1990s researchers designated Agriculture (农业 nóngyè), Rural Areas （农村 nóngcūn）, Farmers （农民 nóngmín) as three issues vital to the development of China, all three in need of significant restructuring to improve the country’s health. Both Deng Xiaoping and Wen Jiabao publically addressed the need for reform in these three areas, but the past five years have seen increased dissonance in rural areas and consequently, increased attention on the subject.

Social Investors: An Interview with Graham Thompson of The Blackford Trust

Established in 2008 as a Scottish charity, The Blackford Trust has an unusual dual focus—philanthropic investing in Scotland and China.  Native Scot Graham Thompson decided to form the Trust after receiving a legacy from his late father. The focus for the Trust came out of Mr. Thompson’s own firsthand experience living and working in China, as well as his father’s interests in the environment and landscape of Scotland. Graham is assisted by a board of four other trustees located in both countries.

So far Blackford Trust has invested in eight projects,  five in China - Hands on Shanghai , Sunrise Library, The Library Project, the Pucheng County Women's Sustainable Development Association, and the rebuilding of a community center in a quake-damaged Sichuan village (the last jointly alongside a school from Edinburgh). Following the recent launch of their website, I spoke with Graham about the development of the Trust and what they’ve been up to so far.

Sitting Down with Xu Yongguang- Pioneer of China’s Private Foundation Sector

I’m in Beijing this week, and on Tuesday I had the distinct privilege of spending time with Xu Yongguang at the Narada Foundation, one of China’s first private foundations.  We have written about the emergence of China’s private foundations as well as Narada previously on this blog.  I’d recommend reading that post for some background on the landscape of private foundations in China. 

One of the values that SVG shares with Narada is a focus on helping Chinese grassroots nonprofits organizations to thrive.  Narada sees itself as a “supporting” organization, helping with funding and programs for capacity building for grassroots groups in China, who are often overlooked by the general public and the corporate sector for funding and assistance. 

CSR in Asia: What Businesses Should Be Doing Now

Last week CSR Asia posted an article on the 10 issues that will be on the top of stakeholder’s lists for the coming decade. Companies should take a close look at this information as they decide how to incorporate these issues into their CSR plans. Not only do these matters have huge impact on the people of Asia, but they can have positive or negative effects on a company’s branding and success. Last year’s milk scandal is simple proof of the damage a company can incur. Consequently, addressing the concerns of stakeholders has the potential of creating long-term success for companies.

What’s an INGO to do?: The Uncertainty of Registering an International NGOs in China

An article in The Chinese Business Review discusses the plight of International NGOs (INGO) in China. The whole article is worth a read, but here are a few of the highlights:

INGOs have had a long struggle registering in China. Of course there is no official number, but the article estimates approximately 200 INGOs working, not necessarily under the radar, but without government registration. Such organizations must do their fair share of tip-toeing as they operate without any legal security. Funding must go through personal bank accounts and no tax breaks are provided to such “renegade” groups who often suffer in the funding department because foreign governments rarely fund an NGO not registered in the country where it operates. Unregistered organizations cannot get work visas or work papers for Chinese and foreign employees. Organizations that do not register or are denied registration but choose to continue working in China, may find that they are severely limited in what they can actually accomplish. In general, it is not defiance of authority which keeps INGOs on the edge of the law, but a number of pitfalls that exist in the current registration processes. For instance:

Who Says Philanthropy Isn’t Cultural?

A popular line of thought is that the Chinese are naturally not philanthropy-minded. This line of thinking has some basis in the current cultural state of China but should be understood in light of a magnitude of hardships in the relatively recent history of China’s 5,000 years. Renee, Assistant to the Managing Director, has dug up a few traditional idioms from many of China’s best philosophers that show a different side of China—one that has an expectation of philanthropy which is emerging again in the landscape, one in which we hope to play a part in cultivating.

Vocabulary Lesson #2: Ministry of Civil Affairs

n. Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People’s Republic of China (MCA)

 中华人民共和国民政部--zhong hua ren min gong he guo min zheng bu

Part of the State Council, MCA was first established in 1949 as the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was abolished in 1969, but founded again under its current title in 1978. In 2003, Li Xueju (李学举) was appointed the sixth minister of MCA.

MCA is comprised of 10 departments including the non-governmental organizations bureau, disaster and poverty relief department, social welfare and social security, foreign affairs department, and education department and heads social administrative affairs. China Detail provides an extensive list of MCA‘s responsibilities which include everything from standardizing the Chinese names of ethnic minorities and foreign places to overseeing democratic elections in villages to providing guidance in domestic and foreign adoptions.

Project and Partners Page Updated!

We recently updated SVG’s Projects & Partners page on our website.  For those of you who have asked us what we’re working on now…this is it.  From legal aid for migrant workers to microfinance for rural women to cerebral palsy care for children in China, we are particularly excited and proud of these partners and projects, all of whom have been vetted by SVG’s rigorous due diligence process.  For inquiries on these opportunities or if you or your organization would like SVG to do a custom search for you from our large database of grassroots NGOs in China, please leave a comment or contact us at info@socialventuregroup.com.

-- Grace

I Start: An Interview with Wokai’s Casey Wilson

While studying at Beijing’s Tsinghua University in 2006, Casey Wilson and Courtney McColgan met and found they shared a mutual interest in alleviating poverty in rural China. They set about researching the possibilities of forming an organization that could support and foster the nascent Chinese microfinance industry in it’s work with rural Chinese. While it would clearly be a challenge, Wilson and McColgan decided to form Wokai, which means “I Start” in Chinese. Wokai is a nonprofit based out of California with an office in Beijing and chapters in Beijing, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City. Wokai raises funds through contributions made on their website and works with its Chinese microfinance partners to disseminate the funds to rural borrowers.