'My father founded the foundation with two general visions: to support Chinese arts and culture, and to support Buddhist concepts and ideas, especially to identify [Buddhism's] relevance for contemporary society,' says Ho, who has chaired the local philanthropic group since 2010.

'But they are not promoting Buddhism in the traditional way. They are revealing aspects of Buddhist culture or folklore,' Ho says. 'So, if you talk to the film directors [five of whom attended their premieres], you'll see each film should be judged as a film itself, not just as a Buddhist film.'

Ho says following Buddhism - the Pure Land denomination, to be exact - is a family tradition begun by his great-grandmother Clara Ho-tung, whose given name, Lin-kok, was attached to the Tung Lin Kok-yuen Buddhist Temple she founded in Happy Valley.

However, the foundation is focusing not only on helping to spread Buddhist culture. During the past seven years, the dynamic body has made an impact among various arts groups, from orchestras to galleries in and beyond Hong Kong.

To help nurture young talent, for example, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra receives HK$1 million each year for its orchestral fellowship scheme to train up to 10 young string players auditioned in the region, including Taiwan and Singapore. And as part of the foundation's scheme to improve cross-cultural understanding, outstanding local writers receive help in attending the renowned International Writing Programme in Iowa. Conversely, overseas writers are brought to Hong Kong to receive a personal feel for unique districts such as Sham Shui Po. Even the Qin dynasty terracotta warriors benefited from a grant to tour Canada to much acclaim.

Aside from sponsoring the arts, another main focus of the foundation has been education, particularly in the creative arts. A good example is 'Through Our Eyes', a photography education session that involved giving secondary students cameras to take snapshots of their daily lives and surrounding environments. The results were extraordinary: through their images, many students became more appreciative of the people and things around them.

Ho believes in the importance of not just 'creating artists, but creating people who appreciate the arts, and lead more fulfilling and complete lives'.

'While there is a lot going on hardware, such as the West Kowloon Cultural District, we feel there is a lack of software - such as ways to nurture talent and educate people, and create an environment that lends itself to a vibrant, self-sustaining, viable artistic sub-segment of society,' he adds.

Ho says the foundation is now reviewing its future direction. One thing that sets it apart from other funding bodies, he adds, is the way it's proactive and strategic in the way it provides grants, particularly to institutions.

'We are not passive grant-givers. It's easy to give without being mindful, but it's more difficult to be strategic,' he says.

'What we try to do is identify areas and institutions worth supporting, and devise longer-term projects - say, five to seven years - for a lasting impact.'

One example is the foundation's collaboration with designer-architect Chiu Kwong-chiu titled 'We All Live in the Forbidden City' - a project that presented the Beijing imperial palace to all ages through graphic design. The resulting book series was published in 2010 by the foundation and given to all primary and secondary schools for free.

Last year, the project turned into a pilot outreach scheme for about 3,000 students from 25 schools, and launched an interactive workshop of fun and games. And then the foundation collaborated with China Central Television for The Forbidden City 100, a series comprising 100 episodes focusing on the Palace Museum which have been airing nationally since January.

'To us, arts education is not just about teaching the arts. It's all about appreciating the greater choices in life and looking at the world in different ways,' Ho says.

'But Hong Kong has been one-dimensional. It's been commercial, real estate, financial ... What is lacking is a viable cultural sector, the software. That takes longer to build, and the results are harder to measure.'

But it's all done in the time-honoured family style. 'There has been a tradition of doing things for the community since [the time of] my great-grandfather, and we continue doing that. We also feel a moral obligation to give something back to the society we come from. And especially with our fortunate position, obviously, there are stronger obligations.'