Looking back on 2024 and the road that brought us here

Christian Enevoldsen

Chairman, ECCA Family Foundation

Dear Friends, Partners and Collaborators,

When we started ECCA, we knew one thing for sure: real change happens with people we love. Five years later, that truth still holds - only now, it’s written into the stories we’ve created together.

To the friends we met along the way. To the partners who opened our eyes. To the collaborators who brought new ideas and bold solutions.

This report is our thank-you.

Thank you for your trust.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for reminding us that family is defined by connection, not just by name.

This report isn’t just a look back - it’s a glimpse behind-the-scenes. We’re sharing the journey we’ve taken with five long-term partners who have shaped trust, growth, and quiet moments that have changed us in ways we’ve never really put into words – until now.

This year, ECCA turns five - five years of listening, learning, and walking this path with you. We never knew exactly where this journey would take us (let’s be honest, we still don’t). But we always knew who we wanted beside us: people like you.

People who question the status quo, people who see possibilities where others see limits, people who believe that change isn’t just necessary – but within reach.

We don’t say this enough, but we love working with you. Truly.

From day one, you’ve inspired us, challenged us, and helped us grow. We’ve stumbled, adapted, and refined our approach - always learning, always listening. Your ideas, your energy, your trust – they’ve been deeply woven into ECCA’s very fabric.

This past year was a pivot. After stepping back in 2023 to reflect and recalibrate, 2024 became a year of action. We put our first five-year strategy to test, welcomed 6 new partners to the family and grew our small team to 4. Through it all, we stayed focused on what matters most: showing up for you.

This milestone is yours as much as ours. And as we look ahead, we’ll keep building bridges - with you, for you, because of you.

With gratitude,

ChristianEnevoldsen

CHAPTER 1: GROWING YEARS

From new faces to
familiar smiles

Milestones, memories, and
the in-between

2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

August 2020

The First “Hello”

We took the first leap and ECCA was born from a desire to build something meaningful. More than just another foundation, this was a space for real change, with people we believed in.

November 2020

Our First Multi-Year Partnership

It was still early days, but it was momentuous when we signed a three-year partnership with The Incubation Network to tackle ocean plastic pollution. This was special to us as it was the first signal that we were in it for the long haul.

December 2021

Eight new partnerships

By the end of our first full year, we had eight partners onboard. It was our “sandbox” season – experimenting, learning, and building the foundation of what ECCA could be.

April 2022

Our First Flagship Project

We co-created the ECCA-DMJX Photojournalism Award, a commitment to amplify untold stories and support emerging storytellers. It felt like our first public declaration of who we were becoming, and a pledge that we were serious and committed.

January 2023

The First Heart-to-Heart

Communication is the key ingredient in any relationship. So we designed our first-ever partnership survey to understand our partners better. The results gave a lot of insight into what our partners appreciate and how we can improve. Around the same time, we earned MCCY’s Light Touch Grantmaker status - proof that we were growing in all the right ways.

September 2023

The First Strategy Retreat

We came together for our first-ever Board strategy retreat. After reflecting and aligning our values, our Vision and Mission were born.

December 2023

Making it official

We made it official with the launch of our first five-year strategy (2024–2028) – backed by our first team retreat. Now we had a shared dream, grounded in trust, connection, and a common purpose (with a good dose of fun, of course).

January 2024

Expanding the Family

We joined the Asia Philanthropy Circle, opening doors to new ideas, peers, and possibilities.

May 2024

Growing in Thailand

We welcomed our first team member based in Thailand, where more than half our work takes place. Long-distance? We’re making it work.

October 2024

A Fresh look

With a new website and refreshed identity, we further embraced who we are and what we believe.

May 2025

A Love Letter, in Person

For the first time, we’re bringing everyone together – partners, friends, collaborators – for a gathering in person to connect and recenter ourselves. Because building a better world starts with caring for ourselves and each other.

CHAPTER 2: PORTRAIT OF US

Where we’ve
been, what
we’ve shared

A snapshot of our
achievements together

5 years at One Glance

US$9.15M

grants committed

US$ 2.26M

additional funding

partners received as a result of ECCA's support (e.g. connections made,recommendations, direct facilitation).

US$ 1.9M

Communities - Underserved

US$ 2.6M

Communities - Arts

US$ 0.4M

Nature - Ecosystem

US$ 4.2M

Nature - Oceans

60%

US$ 5.5M

Thailand

25%

US$ 2.3M

Denmark

15%

US$ 1.3M

Singapore

Discover the collective impact made possible by our partners

57.5

hectares of land and ocean protected or restored

(equivalent of 80 football fields!)

Total:

29,302.3

metric tons of plastic waste removed, upcycled or avoided from nature

(equivalent to 255 adult whale sharks!)

Total:

926

people’s livelihoods directly improved

via new jobs created, or formalized or increased income streams

Total:

39

products, technologies, or solutions

engaged to promote nature protection or restoration

Total:

1,407

underserved community members

who have trust in social opportunities and relationships and feel a sense of belonging to their community and society

Total:

3,870

underserved community members

accessing resources or opportunities that they otherwise would not have

Total:

211

underserved community members

who became more satisfied with their quality of life

Total:

51

people supported in finding employment

through training, skilling and employment programs

Total:

950

people who experienced social change

due to engaging with the arts

Total:

A roundup of responses from our 2024 partnership survey:

Reputable Foundation

88.5%

would recommend ECCA as a partner.

Trustful collaboration

Partners feel psychologically safe and are open to sharing challenges.

4.76 / 5

across key trust indicators such as feeling comfortable to approach ECCA when a problem arises; whether ECCA exhibited trust throughout.

"The Foundation seeks to understand the problem and is more consultative in approach rather than take a punitive approach to problems. That really helps to foster the level of trust we have now."

“Issues could always be raised with the Foundation, without ever fearing that this could damage their trust in us or our capacity to lead the project. I feel we can be true and honest, not pretending we have all the answers and solutions."

“We have been surprised with the continuous level of detail in the Foundation’s follow up."

Useful partnership

Partners value ECCA as a partner and friend.

4.74 / 5

“ECCA is a competent partner”

4.42 / 5

“ECCA understands our sector”

“The Foundation is an engaged partner who cares deeply about the work of their grantee partner. This can be seen through their dedicated presence in the execution of the grants. More significantly, they form deep relationships with their partners through the multi-year collaboration."

"When it comes to our sector and communities we serve, the Foundation is clear in where its understanding extends and where it ends. I see this as a source of strength, allowing us to explore approaches both within and outside of our immediate expertise."

"ECCA sincerely seeks to add tangible and needle-moving value through its work and resources, and is willing to be experimental in order to achieve its goals."

Boosted Confidence

96%

agreed that ECCA helped them feel more confident.

CHAPTER 3: LOVE IN ACTION

The ones who’ve grown with us

Our long-term partners and the journeys we went on together