"Dad believed that education is a great leveler. He wanted to help improve lives through the gift of education." That is how Lance Gokongwei, chairman of the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF), describes the vision of his father, the late John Gokongwei Jr.

Founded in 1992 by brothers John, Johnson, Henry and James Gokongwei, GBF is unusual among Philippine corporate foundations. The brothers set it up by pooling part of their shares in JG Summit Holdings, and the foundation holds 27.88% of JG Summit, making it the conglomerate's largest shareholder. That structure gives the foundation a long-term financial base, and it has focused that base on one area: science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

Scholarships for future scientists and teachers

According to JG Summit's 2025 Annual Report, GBF had 1,263 active scholars, 3,428 lifetime scholars and 1,988 graduates. A large share of active scholars, 650, are in its TeachSTEM program, which supports teachers pursuing advanced degrees in science and mathematics.

One of them, public school teacher Johann Shaira Malicana, studied for a master's degree in chemistry education at the University of the Philippines Diliman with GBF support. "I believe teaching is the most powerful profession in the world," she said.

Since 2019, GBF has also run the Young Scientist Award with the Department of Education and the Department of Science and Technology. In 2025, 14 student researchers received cash prizes, medals and college scholarships, and two of their projects won special awards at the International Science and Engineering Fair.

Teacher development at national scale

GBF's largest reach is through teacher training. In 2025, it signed an agreement with DepEd and reported that 164,000 teachers had been certified through its programs. Its STEM Collab online community, launched in 2022, grew to 264,423 members by the end of 2025, and its Class Builder program reached 41,000 teachers in 6,000 schools, with a target of 120,000 teachers by 2026.

In recognition of this work, DepEd named GBF a "DepEd Hero," making it only the second organization to receive the distinction. During National Teachers' Month in 2026, GBF and the Gokongwei Group honored more than 15,000 educators, including around 10,000 at the Araneta Coliseum on October 5.

Building institutions, not just programs

The foundation has also endowed academic institutions, including the John Gokongwei School of Management at the Ateneo de Manila University in 2002 and the Gokongwei College of Engineering at De La Salle University in 2011. Its Technical Training Center, which opened in 1999, moved to a new facility in Calamba, Laguna, in 2019, offering technical-vocational training for young people.

"It takes a lot of effort and time to do a program that has real impact," said Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, the foundation's general manager.

Why it matters

The Philippines needs more scientists and engineers, and that starts with better-trained teachers. GBF's approach, focusing its resources on STEM and on the people who teach it, offers a model for how a corporate foundation can make a lasting contribution: not by spreading itself across many causes, but by going deep on one.