Ashoka in the Philippines

Ashoka PH Group

"In a world where everyone will suffer through the consequences of change, the common good can only truly be achieved when we all collectively actively change."

Rico Gonzalez, Chairperson of Ashoka Philippines

Ashoka is the first and largest network of leading social innovators in the world. Founded in 1980, Ashoka pioneered and helped establish the field of social entrepreneurship. There are now over 3,500 Ashoka Fellows in 93 countries who are working in all fields – from health and human rights to education and the environment.  

Ashoka is helping accelerate the pace of change by finding social entrepreneurs and providing them with personal stipends, professional support services, connections to a global network, and a platform for people dedicated to changing the world.

Since 2013, Ashoka has been electing Ashoka Fellows from the Philippines. Ashoka is also nurturing a culture of changemaking through creative coalitions, knowledge sharing, and open collaboration with multi-sector partners who look to entrepreneurial talent and new ideas to solve social problems. 

Today, Ashoka is aiming for its next paradigm shift: a world in which everyone is a changemaker.  

If this sounds like the kind of community you want to support, partner with us

Our Programs

Venture and Fellowship Logo

Ashoka Venture and Fellowship

 

"Ashoka finds changemakers who are innovating their way through systemic problems, connects them with each other and networks of support, to find solutions that will endure and scale and remake the very systems that allow these problems to persist.  We find them in the early days of their work, when the support and assistance of like-minded Fellows hold the greatest potential to scale their impact, and we commit to lend that support over their lifetimes."

Rico Gonzalez, Chairperson of Ashoka Philippines

Ashoka is finding and supporting high-impact problem-solvers. Ashoka Fellows are practical visionaires and are some of the world's top social innovators. Motivated by public gain, they are changing the world for the better.

To become an Ashoka Fellow, candidates must meet Ashoka's 5-point criteria and go through Ashoka's global selection process. Once elected into the global fellowship, Ashoka Fellows are granted a lifetime membership to the largest professional network of social innovators in the world.

If you know someone with an innovative solution to a social problem, nominate them

People arranged in circles around several tables in a warmly lit room with a high ceiling. In the background, the Ashoka logo is projected on a screen.

CommonGround

We are co-building impact communities across the country through CommonGround, a platform that brings together changemakers from different sectors and promotes shared knowledge to tackle social issues. We all want to create impact – that’s our common ground.

Illustration of young Filipinos with the text "Youth Years"

Youth Years

“We prepare our students for jobs and careers, but we don’t teach them to think as individuals about what kind of world they would create.”

Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate & Ashoka Global Academy Member

With increasingly interconnected global issues, compounded by rapid technological advancement, the world we live in presents a key challenge for the generations to come: How might every young Filipino become a changemaker? 

Ashoka believes that it is no longer enough to prepare for jobs. Young people must be taught to adapt, solve problems, and, ultimately, own their future. Ashoka convened the local Youth Years collective to provide a space for young people and leaders of youth-serving organizations across sectors to discuss, collaborate, and co-lead towards creating systemic change with and for the youth. 

Learn more about the local Youth Years PH Collective.

Two women wearing skirts of ethnic weaves laughing

DIWA: Advancing Women Social Entrepreneurship in ASEAN

 

 Three words to describe the journey of a woman social entrepreneur are: Empowerment, Change, and Impact. I think it's powerful to have every woman have the right to empower themselves, and after that they will change the challenges in our community, and scale up the impact. 

Septi Peni Wulandani, Ashoka Fellow & Founder of Ibu Professional 

As one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, Southeast Asia is home to millions of women driving the region’s growth and yet, they are rarely celebrated as powerful changemakers. 

In partnership with S&P Global Foundation, Ashoka has spearheaded a regional study on Advancing Women Social Entrepreneurs in ASEAN to learn and celebrate the work of over 100 women social entrepreneurs (WSEs) across Southeast Asia. 

The findings of the report have led us to spearhead several ecosystem building and storytelling projects such as a capacity-building program for women social entrepreneurs, roundtables, a video series and more!

Learn more here.

Contact

Address:

c/o co.lab
Unit 301, Three Brixton Building, #3 Brixton St.
Pasig City
1603 Metro Manila
Philippines