Board member biographies will be added as the Foundation continues shaping this public profile.
Our Vision:
Flourishing Life For All
We envision a world where every person has the opportunity to grow, contribute, and thrive — where inner wellbeing, social harmony, and planetary health reinforce one another.
Flourishing is a continual process towards a more compassionate and regenerative future.
This is achieved through personal transformation, translating into community action, cultural practice, and leading to systemic change. We also see this working in a simultaneous, opposite flow — engaging with systems change will also lead to macro-level shifts that open up micro-level opportunities for communities to lead a flourishing life.
Our Mission
To strengthen ecosystems, pioneer catalytic approaches and support community-rooted solutions, that address the interconnected challenges of our time.
As part of our work, we commit to:
Working toward a just and regenerative future where people and planet flourish together.
Establishing TFF as a thoughtful convener and partner, grounded in introspective practice.
Championing catalytic, solution-oriented philanthropy that is rooted in local realities and capable of shaping bold models of change.
Being a learning organisation that integrates reflection and continuous improvement into our partnerships and our internal culture.
We pursue this mission by aligning inner intention with outward action, seeing philanthropy as both a reflective and relational practice.
Our Values
S
Strategic
Creating meaningful change requires clarity, focus, and a commitment to continuous learning.
M
Mindfulness
Self-awareness of one's values, beliefs, and intentions enable purposeful, grounded action.
I
Interconnectedness
Recognising the deep connections between people, planet, and systems helps us understand that all causes and consequences are interdependent.
L
Love
Deep compassion provides the courage and clarity to act with integrity and care.
E
Equity
A fair and just society is essential for every being to flourish.
These values guide how we listen, make decisions, and work with partners, ensuring our inner philosophy aligns with our outward action.
Meaningful Change Begins Within
At TFF, we view philanthropy as a practice of reflection as much as action. We believe that how we show up matters as much as what we support, especially in a world facing increasingly complex, interconnected challenges.
We translate inner awareness into outward impact by:
Listening with intention – prioritising understanding before acting.
Bridging silos through facilitation – creating spaces where diverse perspectives can meet, challenge, and strengthen one another.
Elevating voices from the ground – ensuring that community perspectives guide decisions and shape outcomes.
Anchoring our work in the 5Ts – Time, Thought Leadership, Ties, Treasure, Talent, and Testimony.
These principles come from lived experiences across decades of giving by the family, and provide grounding for the Foundation.
Where We Come From
The Tsao Family Foundation (TFF) was founded by the fourth-generation Tsao siblings – Calvin, Mary Ann, Frederick, and Cheryd – as a reflection of both their family's values and their own personal commitment to leave a lasting impact. They have imbibed this as a way of life – the Tsao Way – and are committed to create impact across the continuum of capital.
Frank Tsao’s entrepreneurial vision and Maisie Chow Tsao’s spiritual grounding in Buddhist philosophy shaped a family culture where enterprise, compassion, and consciousness coexist.
These experiences continue to inform how TFF engages the future – with care, responsibility, and a long-term view of change.
Who Are We
The Foundation is guided by a board rooted in long-view stewardship and carried forward day to day by a compact team leading programs, operations, and execution.
Board
Team
Priyanka Agarwal
Executive Director
Audrey Chooi
Head, Finance & Operations
Natasha Rynjah
Head, Programs
Gladys Tan
Program Manager
Margaret Yong
Executive Assistant
Patterns Over Time
The patterns of engaging and contributing over time have formed the Tsao Way. There is a recognition of deep interplay between inner and outer, individual and communal well-being. This interconnection makes it imperative that all forms of capabilities, capacities and capital work in coherence for true flourishing.
These patterns run deeper than the Foundation itself. Since 1996, long before TFF was formally established, the family had been supporting a range of causes - primarily across Asia, spanning education, humanitarian relief, and maritime heritage, with a particular care for maritime studies in Singapore and Hong Kong. With the Foundation's establishment, this giving took on a more strategic shape.
TFF is committed to take forward the legacy of Tsao Way, not just through financial commitments but working across the nuances of systems change, integrating the ground level realities and being a true partner and contributor in creating a future where there is flourishing life for all.