When the late Henry Sy, Sr. and his wife Felicidad T. Sy founded SM Foundation in 1983, they built it on a simple guiding principle: "people helping people." More than 40 years later, the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM Group has grown into one of the Philippines' most far-reaching private development programs, with work spanning education, health care, livelihood and disaster relief.

The foundation describes its approach as "targeted social investments," and its latest Social Good Report, covering 2025 and published in June 2026, shows how those investments add up.

Education: classrooms and college degrees

Education has long been at the heart of the foundation's work. According to the 2025 report, SM Foundation has built or donated 116 school buildings and repaired 102 more since donating its first building in 2002. In total, it has built 398 classrooms and repaired 348.

Its college scholarship program, which has run since 1993, has supported 7,376 scholars, 4,640 of whom have graduated. The 2025 graduating batch of 199 included 102 graduates with Latin honors, which the foundation called its most decorated class in 32 years. In July 2026, the program welcomed a record 1,100 new scholars for school year 2026–27, the largest batch in its history, including 10 STEM scholars sponsored by Mastercard.

Behind the numbers are stories like that of Rica Marbebe, whose family ran a small sari-sari store. As an SM scholar, she graduated summa cum laude in Accountancy from the University of Mindanao and placed fifth nationwide in the May 2025 Certified Public Accountant board exam. A tablet provided through the scholarship allowed her to keep studying online during the pandemic.

Health: reaching millions of patients

The foundation's health programs began with its first medical mission in 2001. Since then, it has conducted 1,797 medical missions serving more than 1.39 million patients, and rehabilitated 228 health and wellness centers that have served more than 7.6 million patients. Its blood drives have collected 40,480 blood bags. In 2025, it opened a blood laboratory with the Philippine Red Cross in Quezon City and rehabilitated a health center in Zamboanga City that serves more than 23,000 residents.

"Access to healthcare remains a fundamental need," said Connie Angeles, SM Foundation's Executive Director for Health and Medical Programs.

Livelihood: training farmers for the market

Through its Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan program, SM Foundation trains smallholder farmers in organic and climate-resilient farming, along with bookkeeping and marketing, over 14 weeks. The program has produced 34,427 farmer graduates from 495 trainings, and 72 graduates now supply produce to the SM Weekend Market. This links the foundation's community work directly to the group's retail business.

Disaster relief: Operation Tulong Express

In a country frequently struck by typhoons and floods, the foundation's Operation Tulong Express has carried out 941 relief operations and distributed more than one million Kalinga Packs of essential goods. In 2025 alone, it distributed more than 18,800 Kalinga Packs after floods and storms, including 8,000 in Cebu after Typhoon Tino.

Recognition and the road ahead

The foundation was named CSR Company of the Year at the 15th Asia CEO Awards in October 2024, marking its 40th anniversary. In 2025, it also received two Silver Anvils and honors at the Philippine Quill Awards and Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

"Every effort is rooted in inclusivity and collaboration, uplifting lives and strengthening communities," said Executive Director Deborah "Debbie" Pe-Sy in the 2025 report. With new school buildings planned in Tagbilaran, Tagum and Iligan in 2026, and new programs linking scholars to jobs and digital skills, SM Foundation continues to show how a corporate foundation can measure its impact in classrooms, clinics and farms across the country.