The Global Impact of the Tanoto Foundation

The Tanoto Foundation was formed in 1981 by Sukanto Tanoto and his wife Tinah Bingei Tanoto, both of whom are still on the board of Trustees. Not having had the opportunity to finish their high school education themselves, they wanted to make sure that children were given the chance to receive education and that the quality of education in the rural and impoverished areas of Asia was of an acceptable standard. In 2001 the Tanoto Foundation was officially established in Singapore, and now impacts countries throughout the world, particularly those where the RGE group has a significant presence.

With efforts focussed on education, health care and disaster relief, the Foundation funds scholarships for students, builds and financially assists schools, and supplies training for teachers. The Foundation has donated US$ 4.5 million towards construction of the public library in Rizhao, China in 2010, and in 2015 donated 200 000 books to better stock the children’s’ section.

The Tanoto Foundation funds health care to remote areas, as well as research for heart disease and cancer.

The Foundation partners with several independent groups within Royal Golden Eagle (RGE), giving them the opportunity to facilitate the developments of small and medium sized enterprises in rural areas through career training, microfinance and business mentoring, ensuring the communities become better equipped and empowered to elevate their standard of living.

RGE is an independent group of resource-based manufacturing companies, founded by Mr Sukanto Tanoto in 1973. The company operates over four business sectors: Pulp and paper, agro industry, viscose staple fibre and energy resource development. Each company within RGE has become an industry leader in sustainability, adhering to the company policy that all business should be good for the community, good for the country, good for the climate and good for the company.

The Tanoto Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on giving back to impoverished communities in countries where the Tanoto family and the RGE group have significant presence. The Foundation is active in Indonesia, China, Singapore and the USA.