Earth Company is a general incorporated association based in Japan and Bali, Indonesia. Under the vision of “a regenerative future where people, society and nature flourish together,” it works to build a society that can be handed on to the next generation.
It has three core businesses. The Impact Hero Support Program selects leaders across Asia-Pacific who are devoting their lives to solving local problems and supports them with funding and operations. The Impact Academy training program delivers training on sustainability to companies and schools. The third is the operation of Mana Earthly Paradise, an ethical hotel that opened in Ubud, Bali, in 2019.
According to its official website, cumulative donations to date total 130 million yen, and it has supported 14 countries. For fiscal 2026, 105 people from 18 countries are said to have applied to the open call for Impact Heroes, showing how this approach to discovering and supporting community-rooted leaders is spreading.
Key points
- Selects leaders (Impact Heroes) taking on social issues on the ground and supports them over the long term
- Develops the next generation through training for companies and schools and free inquiry-based learning materials for high school students
- Puts sustainability into practice as a business by running an ethical hotel in Bali
Why this organization's work stands out
While many international cooperation organizations carry out projects on the ground themselves, Earth Company takes the approach of “finding leaders who are already achieving results locally and supporting them.” The idea is to raise the impact of support by delivering resources to the people who know local circumstances best.
Another feature is that, by combining revenue-generating activities such as its training and hotel businesses, it aims to operate without relying on donations alone. It can be called a model case for NGOs thinking about fundraising and organizational management.
Editor's comment
The idea of “supporting heroes” is very striking. Through the stories of local leaders, problems in faraway countries come to feel close, which we think is another appeal.
It offers a recurring-giving program, a donation channel for corporations, and a newsletter twice a month, so we recommend starting by following its activities through the newsletter. It is also recruiting staff to work in Japan, so if you are interested in a career in international cooperation, check the news section of its official website too.