Tanoto Foundation Supports Rollout Of New Regional Philanthropy Alliance In Asia

• Foundation commits US$25 million over five years to the Philanthropy Asia Alliance
• Call to action by Tanoto Foundation at Philanthropy Asia Summit highlights potential for scaling up early childhood development programs throughout the region

Building on decades of successful social and educational causes throughout the region, Tanoto Foundation recently played a central role in the establishment of The Philanthropy Asia Alliance. This new initiative already has US$200 million in committed funding to create an ecosystem for philanthropic organizations to share knowledge and expertise, and be a stronger force for good in Asia.

Launched by Temasek Trust at the Philanthropy Asia Summit in Singapore in September, The Philanthropy Asia Alliance will act as a forum to help drive collective action by philanthropic groups in Asia. Tanoto Foundation is one of the first core members of the Alliance, which also includes the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Dalio Philanthropies.

Tanoto Foundation has committed US$25 million to the Alliance over the next five years, while Temasek Trust will invest US$100 million to underwrite the setting up of the Alliance’s infrastructure and build capabilities to forge partnerships.

The concept for the Alliance emerged because of growing calls for more sustainable efforts to address contemporary challenges by mobilizing resources in a more coordinated way to develop Asia-specific solutions. Existing and new members of the Alliance can provide funding, in-kind support, or lead an area of interest leveraging their domain expertise or organizational capabilities.

The World Economic Forum will act as a strategic partner to help drive impact through curated projects and programs, while also advancing regional capacity and capabilities. Law firms Wong Partnership and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer will provide pro bono legal support to aid the setting up of this Alliance.

A Bold Vision

Speaking at the Summit, Temasek Trust Chairman Ho Ching highlighted the importance of partnerships and collective action to address the challenges facing the world. Ms. Ho said the Alliance “will convene, connect and combine the best of Asia and international resources, ideas and organizations. The Alliance aims to develop, adapt and seed solutions that are relevant to the diverse context of Asia.”

Tanoto Foundation issued its own call to action at the Summit, urging other organizations to replicate its early childhood development (ECD) programs in other parts of Asia, specifically its SIGAP and HOPE projects, which are run in Indonesia and China, respectively.

^{At the Summit, Tanoto Foundation issued its own call to action to other organizations to replicate its early childhood programs in other parts of Asia.}

The SIGAP program encourages community members to participate in training so that they can take part in building their community as facilitators. SIGAP places importance on group activities, encouraging children and parents to interact and build a resilient community. The HOPE program in China also trains local women to become ECD center facilitators, and has established local project management teams to ensure the relevance of programs in the community.

For organizations looking to scale up in Indonesia, the Foundation provides technical assistance to replicate its existing models in other areas of the country. For funders and organizations that aim to replicate programs in their respective countries outside of Indonesia and China, the Foundation will help with networking support and best practice sharing to raise awareness about the importance of investing in ECD.

Helping Philanthropy Flourish

The setting up of the Alliance and the call to action at the summit took place against a backdrop of increased capacity for philanthropy in Asia. Over the past 20 years, personal wealth across Asia-Pacific has risen by around 70% net, according to a 2021 report from Credit Suisse. The region has also seen the fastest growth of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) compared to other continents.

However, the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network has stated that Asia has only one-third of the number of social investors compared to the U.S. or Europe, despite having a population that is more than four times the combined population of those markets. Given Asia’s growing population and the resulting social and economic issues, these factors are indicative of both the pressing need for increased levels of philanthropy throughout the region and the potential value of the Alliance.

The Alliance will also help address the need for sustained interventions to achieve lasting impact. According to a 2017 report, only 11 of 91 education development projects in Indonesia from 1971 to 2017 were rated as sustainable or showed evidence of sustainable benefits.

Ultimately, the goals of The Philanthropy Asia Alliance are closely aligned with Tanoto Foundation’s core mission to improve lives and accelerate equal opportunity. The Alliance will also allow the Foundation to provide catalytic capital and to share learnings and best practices, while also transferring knowledge and technical know-how to other philanthropic organizations.