In a powerful testament to the impact of grassroots change, Yayasan Hasanah, the foundation of Khazanah Nasional Berhad today unveiled The Hasanah Report 2024, themed ‘The Strength of Small: Small Efforts, Big Impact’. The report highlights how small, meaningful acts by ordinary Malaysians are collectively transforming lives and communities across the country.
According to the report, 814,563 individuals were reached in 2024 through initiatives spanning education, environment, community development, arts, and social enterprise, nearly double the number impacted the previous year. Since its founding in 2015, Yayasan Hasanah has now touched over 3.7 million lives nationwide.
Empowering Changemakers and Enabling Impact
Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah said,
“In 2024, Hasanah’s impact grew significantly — reaching 814,563 people — as more civil society organisations and social enterprises stepped up to support nation-building. Their growing role, especially in helping the rakyat recover from post-pandemic challenges, enabled us to do more, together. Compared to the previous year, the number of new initiatives we supported doubled, and our new partners tripled — a clear reflection of how more communities are actively contributing ideas, effort, and local knowledge. These milestones were possible because we listened, responded, and worked alongside those closest to the issues”.
She emphasized that Hasanah’s role goes beyond disbursing funds.
“Our work isn’t just about disbursing grants — it’s about building a sustainable, equitable future with partners who are willing to step in and step up. In this, Hasanah plays its role as catalyst, convenor, and collaborator — bringing people, ideas, and resources together so lasting change can take root. We have also prioritised efforts as a capacity builder in the social sector, enabling more partners to serve broader and deeper layers of society,”
Highlights from the Ground
Among Hasanah’s wide, ranging efforts in 2024:
- Education and Social Enterprise underscoring Hasanah’s commitment to education as a great equaliser, the potential of sustainable business models, and the importance of self-determination in improving lives and livelihoods and received the largest share of support, including programmes in Kelantan where teachers broke cultural taboos to deliver inclusive sex education, and initiatives to boost learning recovery and mental health services for children.
- Social enterprise such as Vanilla Impact in Sibu and Teman, which employs locals, including vulnerable communities needing a second chance at life to build a commercially viable and sustainable vanilla industry, a caregiving startup addressing elderly loneliness with trained companions.
- In environmental conservation, 41 hectares of forest land were rehabilitated by replanting native tree species, 27 tonnes of plastic waste diverted from landfills and Perak Sustainable Development Model was shared on the global stage at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP29 in Azerbaijan. The foundation also supported the efforts of the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in protecting the Bornean sun bear, to training fishers to deploy pingers on their nets to safeguard dolphins.
- Efforts in arts and public spaces included the revival of telepuk ( a traditional gold-lead textile craft ) and support for the Kuda Pacu dance of the Bajau community.
- Through rural infrastructure projects, over 5,000 people gained water access, more than 3,300 received solar electricity, and community members were trained to maintain these systems.
Hasanah also extended its reach via partnership such as GLC/GLIC Demi Rakyat and Negara (GDRN) and emergency relief during natural disaster.
Knowledge Sharing and National Conversation
To nurture a knowledge, rich ecosystem, Yayasan Hasanah hosted five ILMU Hasanah sessions throughout the year. Topics ranged from leadership and resilience to impact measurement, aimed at strengthening the capacity of changemakers. The foundation also contributed to the Asia Philanthropy Congress, positioning Malaysia as a thought leader on issues of equity, diversity and social innovation.
Celebrating Everyday Changemakers
Hasanah Impact Day 2025, held in conjunction with the reports release, brought together changemakers from across sectors to share learnings and explore funding opportunities through grant programmes like the Hasanah Special Grant (HSG), Hasanah Social Enterprise Fund (HSEF) and Arts for All Seasons (ArtsFAS)
“These grants were made possible through the continued support of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) — a valued collaborator whose investment is bearing real, tangible outcomes today,” said Siti Kamariah.
As part of its role in shaping regional impact conversations, thought leadership, knowledge sharing, and continuous learning, Yayasan Hasanah hosted five ILMU Hasanah sessions in the past year with experts to spark insight, start conversations and deepen understanding on a range of topics. These include leadership strategies for sustainable interventions, mental health and resilience, impact measurement workshops and others, which arm changemakers with the tools to succeed. Yayasan Hasanah also contributed key insights at the Asia Philanthropy Congress (APHIC), amplifying Malaysia’s voice in discussions around diversity, equity, and inclusion in Asia.
“We invite Malaysians to be the change they want to see, small as it may be – because transforming society for better is the sum of many parts. I look forward to more applications through the Hasanah grant cycle – with hopes that more Malaysians can be celebrated and honored next year,” she said.
The full Hasanah Report 2024 is now available online at their website.
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