Tanoto Foundation started when co-founder Sukanto Tanoto, in the process of expanding his business operations in Besitang, witnessed the challenges faced by the community. The educational amenities and standards were poor, but together with his wife, Tinah Bingei Tanoto, Sukanto Tanoto decided to work towards improving the quality of education and educational infrastructure.
Signalling the birth of Tanoto Foundation, the Tanotos opened a kindergarten in 1981. This was followed by a primary school in 1982 and in 1984, they opened a junior high school. They wanted the community to receive good quality education, and be aware and supportive of it.
Tanoto Foundation has since gone beyond just building infrastructure. It has given out over 20,000 scholarships, supported the development of over 60,000 hectares of community and livelihood plantations, created more than 1,800 jobs through programmes for small and medium enterprises, provided disaster relief to victims of natural disasters, and even backed research on diseases in Asian countries. These are just some of the many philanthropic activities Sukanto Tanoto and his family have engaged in and supported – all inspired by the single drive to positively impact lives by creating greater access to opportunities to help beneficiaries and the wider communities realise their potential.
Tanoto Foundation co-founders Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto at the opening ceremony of a school in Besitang, Indonesia, in 1981.
Want to know more about Tanoto Foundation’s work? Here is one of them. The One Gold One Library or 1 Emas 1 Perpustakaan campaign, launched at the recent Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia. The campaign promised to developed one library of its partnered schools for every one gold achieved by Indonesian athletes. More videos on Tanoto Foundation’s YouTube channel.