ORANG UTAN REPUBLIK FOUNDATION INC
Saving a Species Through Education
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Orangutans are Asia's only great apes. Closely related to humans (97% genetically), orangutans are critically endangered due to direct and indirect killing. Orangutan habitat, the tropical rainforests on Borneo and Sumatra, has been converted to large scale agriculture and for other uses. In the process, hundreds of thousands of individual orangutans have been killed over the past two decades. While protected by law, orangutans are still being killed as pests and for the illegal pet trade. Conserving the orangutan through legal enforcement or the rehabilitation of confiscated orangutans has not been an effective measure to ensure their future existence. Our organization is focused on saving orangutans holistically through formal and informal education, conservation programs, and other community-based initiatives that inspire and enroll local people to take action to protect and conserve orangutans and their rainforest habitat.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Education and Conservation Program
The Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) and our newest Indonesian field organizations, YSHL (Green Sumatra Foundation) bring the conservation education message to schools, government offices, and the community-at-large in a variety of formal and informal methods. Active in Medan and areas around Bukit Lawang, YSHL partners with schools from grade school through high school to ensure the orangutan and other wildlife are better understood by the young generation. YSHL also seeks the support of local, regional, and national governments which helps to educate government officials about the issues facing orangutans. YSHL and OURF additionally network with other orangutan and conservation NGOs to more effectively leveraging funds in conducting education events and projects. They conduct Orangutan Caring Week activities annually. Community outreach is also done domestically in Southern California at various venues across the state as well as around the world.
Orangutan Caring Scholarship
The Orangutan Caring Scholarship (OCS) is a collaborative program of OURF and four implementing organizations: Orangutan Information Center (OIC) in Sumatra, Yayasan Palung (YP) in West Kalimantan, Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) in Central Kalimantan, and Center for Orangutan Protection (COP) in East Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).
The purpose of the program is to award Indonesian students in Sumatra and Kalimantan with tuition funding allowing them to attend college in the fields of Forestry, Biology, and Veterinary Science. Through the program, recipients develop an understanding of the plight of the orangutan from the perspective of the nongovernmental organization. The collaboration has allowed this program to expand based on available funding. OURF raises and provides the funding and OIC, YP, BNF, and COP administer the actual competition via outreach to schools, of submitted proposals, and oversees the selection process to determine the recipients.
LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship
Mrs. Lorraine Phyllis Jenkins of Sacramento, California, was an elementary school teacher and a long-time supporter of orangutan research. She encouraged her son, Dr. Gary Shapiro, President of Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) and Chairman of Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative, to enter the field to conduct orangutan research as a graduate student. In her memory, the LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship for Orangutan and Rainforest Research (LP Jenkins Fellowship) was created and administered through the Orangutan Foundation International until November 2004 when the OFI Board transferred the LP Jenkins Fellowship to the Orang Utan Republik Education Initiative at the request of Dr. Shapiro.
The LPJenkins Fellowship is a competitive award open to all graduate and undergraduate students planning to conduct field research on orangutans, related rainforests or conservation education in Indonesia.
Tree-planting Program
Trees provide numerous benefits to the local people and wildlife as well as the global community (the net effect of forests on reducing global greenhouse gases). The Green Sumatra Foundation (YSHL), the field action branch of OURF, works with the provincial Forestry Department to distribute and plant trees as part of government and non-government-sponsored tree-planting programs. OURF encourages YSHL to conduct tree-planting in schools, parks, and other urban venues as well as participate in large-scale events such as national tree-planting day or tree-planting month. OURF, through the CECP program, will support the planting of trees in degraded habitat areas in and around the Gunung Leuser National Park.
Domestic Outreach
Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) conducts outreach within the United States and other locations based on the availability of volunteer support. Most of the outreach events occur in the spring of each year, particularly around the Earth Day period (March-May), International Orangutan Day (August 19), and Orangutan Caring Week (in early November). Outreach consists of tabling events at various scheduled fairs or other organized functions. OURF's volunteer program also engages in outreach through social media and other activities.
Where we work
External reviews

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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of academic scholarships awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Students, People of Southeast Asian descent
Related Program
Orangutan Caring Scholarship
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The number of 3-4 year scholarships we have offered to implementing organizations that select Indonesian students on a competitive basis in orangutan range provinces in Indonesia.
Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, People of Southeast Asian descent, Students
Related Program
Orangutan Caring Scholarship
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total amount in US$ for the entire scholarship that is distributed on an annualized basis for the students by the implementing organizations.
Number of scholars who graduate from four year colleges and university within six years
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Young adults, Students, People of Southeast Asian descent
Related Program
Orangutan Caring Scholarship
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
The number of students graduating from all of the universities that have received the Orangutan Caring Scholarship funds
Number of lessons taught
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children, Adolescents, People of Southeast Asian descent
Related Program
Community Education and Conservation Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of trees planted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People of South Asian descent, Farmers, Young adults, Older adults
Related Program
Tree-planting Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The main goal of the Orang Utan Republik Foundation and its partner, The Orangutan Project, is to ensure the long-term survival of individual and populations orangutans through the stewardship of Indonesian people. Only if the needs of people living near the orangutans are met will orangutans be valued enough to be saved. Only if students are educated in biology and conservation will they come to appreciate the importance of the species for the health of the forests they also depend upon. Another goal is to promote the institutional capacity of Indonesian conservation organizations to provide education and higher education opportunities for local people in need of information or resources. Another goal is to save and manage existing forests or restore degraded forests through partnerships in Indonesia. Finally, another goal is to support the conservation activities of other orangutan-focused organizations working in other parts of Borneo and Sumatra.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The strategies we take to achieve our goals include the following:
Educating Youth: Local conservation educators are supported to plant and nurture the seeds of knowledge for a new generation that will be respectful and caring of orangutans and rainforests so as to value the species and their habitat in the years ahead.
Improving Livelihood of Villagers Near the National Park: Just educating villagers about orangutans is not enough. We provide them with options and alternatives that will improve their livelihood so they shift from destructive practices to sustainable ones.
Reducing Human-Wildlife Conflict: Understanding the levels of human-orangutan conflict near habitat areas is key to developing strategies to reduce that conflict. That is the goal of the Community Education and Conservation Program.
Engaging in Policy: Participating in the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) enables OURF to have a voice in the policies needed to make this global commodity less onerous to orangutans.
Investing in Higher Education: Supporting college education and research in the natural sciences: biology, forestry, and veterinary science will build an educated citizenry that will advocate for orangutan survival.
Creating Partnerships: Leveraging the power of other organizations in the common mission of conservation education is leading towards a sustainable population of orangutans and enlightened communities that ensure their survival.
Capacity Building: Providing our NGO partners with the funds and support needed to implement the programs as well as move towards independent operations.
Facilitating Outreach Events: Spreading the message of our organization requires using the technologies available (website, Facebook, Twitter) as well as person-to-person approach typical of outreach events.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Orang Utan Republik Foundation partners with numerous organizations, including The Orangutan Project, and relies on volunteers to administer and manage our various programs. Because of this, we operate as a lean organization with little overhead. Through our partnerships, we leverage funding to optimize our performance. Foundation leadership has a long record of creating and overseeing programs and projects in Indonesia. Since our founding in 2004, we have established and are currently supporting the following programs:
1) Orangutan Caring Scholarship Program. We raise funds and partner with implementing organizations in Indonesia to annually offer Orangutan Caring Scholarships, to college-bound or college students from orangutan range provinces (N Sumatra, Aceh, W. Kalimantan, C. Kalimantan, E. Kalimantan). The students must seek degrees in the fields of biology, forestry, or veterinary science. The scholarships are competitive and provide basic support (tuition and thesis write-up, internship for vet students). The awarded students are obligated to work and participate with the implementing nonprofit to understand the issues impacting orangutans and methods being taken to help ensure their survival.
2) L.P. Jenkins Memorial Fellowship Program. We provide an annual fellowship for post-graduate students conducting research on orangutans or rainforest ecology through the LP Jenkins Memorial Fellowship program. A better understanding of the orangutan and its challenges within the dynamic rainforest ecosystem can provide information and improved protocols to advise wildlife managers.
3) Community Education and Conservation Program. We provide funding to support operations and capacity-building of the Indonesian-based Yayasan Sumatra Hijau Lestari (Sustainable Green Sumatra Foundation). YSHL and its staff carry out the Community Education and Conservation Program (CECP) to provide conservation and basic education to villagers along the border of Gunung Leuser National Park, home to the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan. The program is holistic and seeks to improve the livelihoods of local communities as well as better understand the level of human-wildlife conflict and teach methods to mitigate the conflict. Additionally, the program includes tree-planting and ecosystem restoration activities in partnership with local communities
4) TOP-USA Support Program. As the USA chapter of The Orangutan Project (TOP-USA), we provide fiscal sponsorship to TOP, the largest orangutan support organization in the world. As such our collective organization can support one another as well as the efforts of dozens of other organizations working to save the species.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) has a website where the accomplishments are listed and updated. Interested readers can find the information at https://www.orangutanrepublik.org/about-us/our-accomplishments/
OURF has completed its goal of establishing a scholarship program in all of the orangutan range provinces in Indonesia with competent local partners who implement the program with local universities. At this writing, 244 multi-year scholarships have been awarded since 2006. At this writing, 148 recipients have graduated, many continuing with careers in conservation, wildlife management, and academia. We will continue to offer the Orangutan Caring Scholarships and build an educated constituency that values the importance of maintaining healthy populations of orangutans as well as rainforest ecosystems.
OURF has been able to support and mentor groups of young conservation educators in North Sumatra who provide education and training to local villagers who live and work around the iconic Leuser Ecosystem, particularly Gunung Leuser National Park. The currently supported organization, the Sustainable Green Sumatra Foundation, has been working with hundreds of farmers and villagers through the Community Education and Conservation Program (CECP) to mitigate wildlife conflict, improve livelihood outcomes, and educate elementary school children both at the government schools and village learning locations. Additionally, tree planting and forest restoration programs provide opportunities for positive local involvement in improving buffer zones, wildlife corridors, and food trees for wildlife. Finally, the organization has been increasing its capacity to seek funding from alternative sources.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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ORANG UTAN REPUBLIK FOUNDATION INC
Board of directorsas of 09/08/2022
Gary Shapiro
Leif Cocks
The Orangutan Project
Term: 2021 - 2026
Susan Callery
NASA/JPL
Eric Raymond
No Affiliation
Robert Kounang
Amerindo United
Gary Shapiro
Orang Utan Republik Foundation, Inc.
Leif Cocks
The Orangutan Project
Elizabeth Varnhagen
No Affiliation
Cheryl Parrish
On the Move Permits
Max Tramboo
Panomatics
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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