The personal experiences of Tanoto Foundation founder and successful entrepreneur, Sukanto Tanoto, have helped shaped the Foundation’s philanthropic approach. The combination of the challenges faced in his early years and later in his career has given him the belief that nation-building through philanthropy requires both the systematic creation of equitable access to educational opportunities and a sustained, collaborative, growth-minded approach to its implementation.

Founded by Sukanto Tanoto and his wife Tinah Bingei Tanoto in 1981, the Tanoto Foundation has grown to take on challenges in human capital development. It now looks at education as a complex intersecting issue of governance, wherein effective integrated implementation can effect transformative changes.

Sukanto Tanoto, whose net worth is estimated at USD 1.3 billion, has accumulated half a century of entrepreneurship experience and is recognised as a visionary business leader in the industry. Almost equally as long as his business endeavours is his philanthropic work, which has consistently run parallel to each project and operation.

A new article recently covered the evolution of Tanoto Foundation. When Sukanto Tanoto achieved early success in his business, he visited a rural town in Besitang, Indonesia, and noticed the poor educational standards and infrastructure in the area. Sukanto decided that creating jobs in a town alone is not enough to raise the quality of life. Having never had the opportunity to continue his own education, which resulted in early struggles, Sukanto felt that education standards should at least be improved, so that improvements in quality of life for the community can be continuous and sustained.

As part of Tanoto Foundation's RMB 100 million sponsorship of the the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the International Masters in Public Administration (IMPA) class kicked off the academic year with an opening ceremony at Tsinghua University on Sep 29, 2018. This development is yet another step in Tanoto Foundation's support of strengthening relations between Belt and Road nations, as they seek mutually beneficial outcomes for their economies, industries and cultures.

Tanoto Foundation, founded by Sukanto Tanoto and Tinah Bingei Tanoto, came up with an excellent and impactful activation campaign at the recent 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang. The campaign sought to tie success with progress, champions of today and the champions of tomorrow - the One Gold One Library or #1Emas1Perpustakaan campaign. Held Aug 18 to Sep 2, 2018, the Asian Games not only brought together athletes from many Asian nations for 2 weeks of competition and friendship, but rallied and catalyzed support and action toward a brighter and promising future for Indonesia.