Malaysian social entrepreneurs now have the opportunity to scale their impact with the launch of the Hasanah Social Enterprise Fund 2025 (HSEF2025), a collaborative initiative by Yayasan Hasanah and the Ministry of Finance (MoF). With grants up to RM100,000 per enterprise, the fund aims to empower mission-driven businesses that combine financial sustainability with measurable social or environmental outcomes.
Now in its fourth year, HSEF2025 continues to champion a new wave of entrepreneurs committed to inclusive, sustainable development. The fund specifically supports businesses in the Seeding Path category, with priority sectors that include Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security, Mental Health and Aged Care, Circular Economy, Arts and Heritage, Ecotourism, Social Mobility, and Education.
Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah said, “We’re witnessing a paradigm shift in the role of business in society. Today, social impact is not the domain of a few—it is embedded in how businesses operate, employ, and innovate. These enterprises hire and upskill marginalised communities, design for inclusion, and integrate social and environmental goals into the very fabric of their business models. At Yayasan Hasanah, we’re proud to support social enterprises that are driving this transformation—pursuing commercial success grounded in purpose.”
The fund is part of a broader movement where profit meets purpose, and the private sector plays an increasingly crucial role in tacking systematic challenges, from environmental degradation to education inequality and ageing population.
A National Network for Grassroots Impact
To broaden access and ensure that funding reaches high-potential enterprises across Malaysia, HSEF2025 is deployed through a powerful network of intermediary partners with strong community ties and regional knowledge. These partners include:
Asia School of Business, Iskandar Investment Berhad, Youth Trust Foundation (myHarapan), Satu Creative, Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC), Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), Selangor Information Technology and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC), Petronas SEEd.Lab.
All applications are evaluated based on innovation, scalability and alignment with long-term impact goals, and are subject to rigorous governance standard to ensure transparency and accountability.
Since its inception, HSEF has delivered transformative results across the country. The fund has,
- Upskilled over 10,000 underserved individuals, including Orang Asal and special needs communities.
- Created more than 500 jobs for marginalised groups
- Delivered 690,000 litres of clean water to rural areas
- Offset 2311 tones of Co2
- Saved 4680 trees through sustainable practices
- Upcycled 1794 tonnes of waste into new products
The fund also celebrates unique business models like Vanilla Impact in Sibu, Sarawak, which is reviving traditional vanilla farming while providing jobs to local communities and ex-convicts. In Kuala Lumpur, Teman is addressing loneliness among the elderly by deploying trained “Temanions” to offer companionship and care, bridging generational gaps with compassion.
Businesses or social enterprises ready to scale their social or environmental mission are encouraged to apply via Yayasan Hasanah’s official website.
Applications are open subject to fund availability. This is more than a grant, its a call to action for those building a better Malaysia, one purpose driven enterprise at a time.
