The Borneo Institute

What The Borneo Institute does

The Borneo Institute (Yayasan Borneo Institute, branded as BIT) is an Indonesian nonprofit foundation established in 2006 and headquartered in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The organization focuses on empowering indigenous Dayak communities (Masyarakat Adat) to reclaim control over their ancestral lands, forests, and territories. It operates through six thematic departments: Gender, Land Rights (Hak atas Tanah), Forestry (Kehutanan), Finance (Keuangan), Agriculture (Pertanian), and Research and Communication (Riset dan Komunikasi). Programs span legal advocacy for customary village (Desa Adat) recognition, sustainable forest management, traditional agroforestry (Kaleka) preservation, gender empowerment, and capacity building through education and material support.

The organization's service delivery model is community-led and field-based, centered on direct engagement with villages across Central Kalimantan, including specific projects in Gunung Mas Regency and Manuhing Raya. Outputs include the bimonthly Panutung Tarung magazine, technical books and research publications in Indonesian and English, documentary films and podcasts distributed via YouTube, photo galleries, and annual financial transparency reports (published 2018-2024). The organization has documented approximately 60 Kaleka traditional agroforestry systems in the Manuhing Raya area alone.

The Borneo Institute is funded primarily through donations from German NGO Brot für die Welt (Bread for the World) in cooperation with the German government's BMZ development cooperation. As a Yayasan (foundation), it is a private nonprofit entity with no disclosed parent company, venture capital, or institutional investor involvement. The organization actively engages in regulatory advocacy, notably analyzing and opposing Presidential Regulation Number 5 of 2025 concerning Forest Area Reorganization, which it identifies as a potential threat to indigenous land rights.

Name

The Borneo Institute

Legal name

Yayasan Borneo Institute

Website

https://borneoinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Borneo Institute is an Indonesian nonprofit foundation that empowers indigenous Dayak communities in Central Kalimantan through land rights advocacy, forestry conservation, traditional agroforestry preservation, and community capacity-building programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Indigenous Community Advocacy Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Minority, Indigenous & Disability Rights (BPADAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Indigenous community empowerment
• Land rights advocacy
• Forest conservation
• Sustainable agriculture
• Customary village recognition

Headquarters

HQ city

Palangka Raya

HQ country

Indonesia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. NGO Funding: Primary funding from German NGO Brot für die Welt and German government (BMZ) cooperation

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Borneo Institute (Yayasan Borneo Institute / BIT) is an Indonesian nonprofit foundation that empowers indigenous Dayak communities in Central Kalimantan through six thematic departments covering Gender, Land Rights (Hak atas Tanah), Forestry (Kehutanan), Finance (Keuangan), Agriculture (Pertanian), and Research and Communication (Riset dan Komunikasi). The organization delivers direct field projects, legal advocacy for customary village (Desa Adat) recognition, capacity building, material support, and community education, and distributes its work through the Panutung Tarung magazine, books and research publications, financial reports, and documentary videos/podcasts.

Product overview

The Borneo Institute (BIT) is a non-governmental organization based in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, focused on empowering indigenous Dayak communities. The organization operates through six thematic departments: Gender, Land Rights, Forestry, Finance, Agriculture, and Research & Communication. BIT's products and services consist primarily of publications including the Panutung Tarung magazine, books and research publications, and annual financial reports. The organization also produces documentary videos and podcasts through its Research and Communication department. Most activities are funded by German NGO Brot für die Welt and German government cooperation through BMZ.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Panutung Tarung Magazine A bimonthly print and online magazine featuring investigative reports, interviews, and photography covering Borneo Institute's field projects and issues affecting indigenous Dayak communities in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.
• Books and Research Publications Technical books and cultural publications related to Dayak traditions, traditional livelihoods such as Kaleka agroforestry, and field research findings, published in both Indonesian and English.
• Annual Financial Reports Annual financial transparency reports published publicly detailing donor fund usage by the organization, available from 2018 through 2024.
• BIT Podcasts and Documentary Videos Podcast series and documentary videos produced by the Research and Communication Department covering topics such as Desa Adat customary village stories, youth perspectives, media literacy, and social issues affecting Central Kalimantan communities, distributed via YouTube.

Quantifiable outcome

• Documented approximately 60 Kaleka (traditional agroforestry systems) in Manuhing Raya area alone

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Cultural Survival: Indigenous-rights NGO supporting indigenous community radio, advocacy, and cultural preservation globally — comparable in indigenous-empowerment and media/publishing activities (e.g., documentary-style content), with stronger international advocacy reach but less field-embedded in Indonesia.

Broad incumbents

• Greenpeace Indonesia: Major international environmental NGO with Indonesian operations focused on deforestation and indigenous community rights — comparable in forest-conservation advocacy but operating at a much larger scale and broader environmental remit than BIT.

Direct peers

• Forest Peoples Programme: International NGO supporting forest-dependent and indigenous peoples' rights to land and resources — directly comparable mission and advocacy model, with a longer international track record and broader geographic scope.
• AMAN (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara): The largest coalition of indigenous communities (Masyarakat Adat) across Indonesia, advocating for customary rights, land tenure, and policy reform — directly comparable to BIT's Dayak-focused indigenous rights and Desa Adat work, but operating at national scale.
• KPA (Konsorsium Pembaruan Agraria): Indonesian agrarian-reform coalition focused on land-tenure conflicts, customary land recognition, and policy advocacy — directly comparable to BIT's Hak atas Tanah (Land Rights) department and Desa Adat recognition agenda.
• HuMA (Perkumpulan untuk Pembaharuan Hukum Berbasis Masyarakat dan Lingkungan): Indonesian NGO working on indigenous peoples' rights, customary law, and environmental justice — directly comparable legal-advocacy orientation and Southeast Asia indigenous rights focus.
• JATAM (Jaringan Advokasi Tambang): Indonesian mining-advocacy network defending communities against extractive industry encroachment — directly comparable to BIT in defending Dayak territories against industrial threats, with overlapping land-rights framing.
• WALHI (Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia): Indonesia's foremost environmental and forestry advocacy federation, engaging on forest conservation, indigenous land rights, and policy critique — comparable in mission overlap (forest + indigenous rights) and NGO funding model, though with a broader environmental remit.
• SAMDHANA Institute: Southeast Asia-focused foundation supporting indigenous community capacity building, customary resource management, and policy advocacy — closely comparable in capacity-building approach, indigenous-rights focus, and regional geographic remit.
• Pusaka Bentala: Indonesian organization supporting indigenous peoples' rights over natural resources, customary law, and policy advocacy in Kalimantan-adjacent contexts — closely aligned with BIT's Kalimantan-focused indigenous land-rights mandate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeborneoinstitute.org/Youtube
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-borneo-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Borneo Institute