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Tanoto Foundation

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Tanoto Foundation
Formation2001; 23 years ago (2001)[1]
Founders
Area served
Asia
Key people
WebsiteTanotoFoundation.org

Tanoto Foundation is an independent family owned philanthropocal organisation whose work began in 1981 and was formally founded by Indonesian entrepreneur Sukanto Tanoto, and his wife Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 2001.[1][2] The foundation focuses on improving access to knowledge and education, with a specific focus on countries in which Tanoto has business presence, including Indonesia, Singapore and China.[1] Key activities include providing access to education through the provision of more than 20,000 scholarships (as of 2018), improving the quality of schools and teaching, and funding medical research into diseases prevalent in Asian populations.[3]

History

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Sukanto Tanoto and his wife Tinah Bingei funded the construction of a kindergarten and elementary school in Besitang, North Sumatra in 1981. Subsequent philanthropic activities were mostly aimed at improving education amenities and infrastructure in impoverished rural areas of Sumatra. Tanoto Foundation was later formally incorporated as a non-profit charitable organisation in 2001, and expanded its operations to include training teachers, improving educational facilities, providing scholarships, and supporting medical research. It is privately funded by the family of Sukanto Tanoto.[3]

In 2018 the foundation announced a refreshed strategy including four targets:[citation needed]

  • Contribute to the reduction of the stunting rate in Indonesia to below 20% by 2030
  • Help Indonesia become one of the five most improved countries in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ranking system by 2030
  • Catalyse preventive and integrative medical research efforts into Asian prevalent diseases to extend the average health span of Asians by five years, by 2030
  • Support the development of a community of leaders who are making a positive impact on society

Activities in Indonesia

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In 2010, Tanoto Foundation launched the Pelita Pendidikan program to improve the quality of rural education in Indonesia. Pelita Pendidikan aimed to improve the quality of teaching, improve the qualification ands competency of teachers, and provide adequate facilities in schools.[4] In 2018, Pelita Pendidikan was renamed PINTAR and expanded to cover schools in urban areas.[2]

In Jakarta, Tanoto Foundation opened the Acacia Child-Friendly Integrated Public Space (RPTRA) in 2016. The 2,400 square metre area includes a library, children's playground, gardens and multipurpose facilities to help provide more opportunities for early childhood development.[5][6]

Tanoto Foundation is also a prominent disburser of higher education scholarships in Indonesia, supporting more than 7,000 students as of 2018 at 28 Indonesian universities through its National Championship Scholarship program. In 2018 the program was renamed TELADAN, which means ‘role model’ in Indonesian. Scholarship recipients have their tuition paid and undergo additional leadership training. As part of TELADAN's focus on leadership training, the number of university partners was reduced to nine.[7]

In 2016, Tanoto Foundation agreed to fund a pilot project between UNDP Indonesia and the provincial government in Riau to implement the Sustainable Development Goals at a local level.[8][9]

In 2018, Tanoto Foundation was appointed by Filantropi Indonesia as the inaugural leader of the Education Cluster, a newly created voluntary association of philanthropies and government bodies designed to promote partnership to improve the quality of the country's education system.[10]

Tanoto Foundation contributed to the emergency response after the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, providing aircraft to help medical teams reach the area, and donating IDR1 billion to provide medicine and other necessities.[11]

In 2023, Tanoto Foundation, together with UNESCO, held the UNESCO Youth as Researchers and Tanoto Student Research Awards (YAR-TSRA) Knowledge Summit in Jakarta. This summit brought together over one hundred students as the culmination of twelve weeks of workshops organized by YAR-TSRA in collaboration with six Indonesian universities to foster evidence-based multidisciplinary research and policy recommendations on topics including climate change, inclusive education, youth participation, and sustainable AI.[12]

Activities in Singapore

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In Singapore, Tanoto Foundation's efforts have largely focused on tertiary education scholarship disbursements, education infrastructure development, art and cultural development, and medical research funding.

In 2005, the foundation funded the construction of the Tanoto Library at the INSEAD campus in Singapore.[13]

In 2007, the foundation helped established the Tanoto Foundation Centre for Southeast Asian Arts in Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.[1]

Tanoto Foundation has offered scholarships to undergraduate students at Singapore Management University, the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Nanyang Technological University since 2001.[citation needed]

In 2012, Tanoto Foundation scholars in Singapore launched an annual program called Project Sukacita, in which volunteers travel to the impoverished rural areas of Pangkalan Kerinci in Sumatra to assist with hygiene and nutrition education, spring cleaning and other community related work.[14]

The foundation also supports medical research into diseases prevalent in Asian populations through:

  • A S$3 million gift in 2014 to SingHealth Duke-NUS to identify new ways of diagnosing, stratifying and testing cardiovascular diseases, thereby allowing early prevention for those who are genetically predisposed to the disease. Out of the S$3 million gift, S$2.5 million was used to set up the Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine, which was awarded to Professor Stuart Cook[15] The remaining S$500,000 funded the Tanoto Foundation Initiative for Genetics and Stem Cell Research at National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS)[16]
  • The Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Medical Oncology at SingHealth Duke-NUS, awarded to Associate Professor Lim Soon Thye from the Oncology Academic Clinical Programme in 2016. The S$2.5 million gift is intended to advance research in medical oncology[17]
  • A $2 million donation in 2017 to support the Viral Research and Experimental Medicine Centre at SingHealth Duke-NUS (ViREMiCS), which uses molecular techniques and other new technology to shorten clinical trials and bring new drugs and vaccines to market more rapidly[18]

Activities in China

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In 2016, Tanoto Foundation donated RMB 100 million to fund talent training initiatives over 10 years between China and countries in the Belt and Road Initiative.[19]

As of 2019, the HOPE (Harnessing Opportunity through Parenting and Education) program has established 10 early education centers to encourage early child development in poor communities.[20]

Other activities

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In 2013, Tanoto Foundation collaborated with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania to launch the Tanoto Initiative, which aims to encourage collaboration between the Wharton School and academic institutions in the ASEAN region, with a particular focus on Indonesia.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Tanoto Foundation Centre for Southeast Asian Arts at NAFA". tfcsea nafa education Singapore. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Nation-Building Through Philanthropy: Tanoto Foundation's Commitment To Improving The Learning Environment". Forbes. Retrieved 14 June 2019.[self-published source]
  3. ^ a b "Commitment To A Cause: The Continuing Evolution Of The Tanoto Foundation". Forbes. Retrieved 14 June 2019.[self-published source]
  4. ^ "Tanoto Foundation: Giving the rural poor a chance for a better future". thejakartapost. The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 14 June 2019.[self-published source]
  5. ^ Media, Kompas Cyber (21 October 2016). "Bangun Ruang Publik Terpadu, Tanoto Foundation Diapresiasi Pemprov DKI Jakarta". KOMPAS. (in Indonesian). Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Early start to human capital development". The Jakarta Post. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Enabling The Next Generation Of Leaders: Tanoto Foundation And Its Scholarship Programs". Forbes. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[self-published source]
  8. ^ "UNDP and Tanoto Foundation to support SDGs in Indonesia's Riau province". UNDP in Indonesia. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Kerjasama dengan Tanoto Foundation, Asian Agri dan UNDP, Wabup Pelalawan Resmikan Pusat Unggulan SPOI". riaugreen. (in Indonesian). 29 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  10. ^ "2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Tanoto Foundation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.[self-published source]
  11. ^ "Tanoto Foundation Fasilitasi Tim Medis Masuk ke Palu". Republika Online. 6 October 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[dead link‍]
  12. ^ "UNESCO and Tanoto Foundation Foster Youth Engagement in Research and Policy Making towards Sustainable Futures". UNESCO. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  13. ^ "INSEAD - Library - History". sites.insead.edu. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 2016-11-10.[dead link‍]
  14. ^ "Sukanto Tanoto | Tanoto Foundation Philanthropies Project Sukacita". Sukanto Tanoto. 2014-07-17. Retrieved 2016-12-13.[self-published source]
  15. ^ "NHCS cardiologist receives first Tanoto Foundation Professorship in Cardiovascular Medicine". The Straits Times. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Tanoto Foundation gift provides boost for cardiovascular medicine". National University of Singapore. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[dead link‍]
  17. ^ "Academic Medicine Partners Portal". academic-medicine education Singapore. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[dead link‍]
  18. ^ "SingHealth and A*STAR to advance medical research in diabetes; immunotherapy and drug development; and precision medicine". nhcs Singapore. National Heart Centre Singapore. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[dead link‍]
  19. ^ "Tanoto donates 100 Million RMB to OBOR Training Projects". en.ceiwow. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  20. ^ "2019 Annual Report" (PDF). Tanoto Foundation. Retrieved 6 October 2023.[self-published source]
  21. ^ "Tanoto Foundation International and Wharton Launch Tanoto Initiative for Indonesian and ASEAN studies". Wharton School. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2019.[self-published source]
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