Over the past 26 years, the Grupo Puntacana Foundation has developed experimental projects that serve as living and active examples of solutions to some of the most important social and environmental challenges facing tourism in the Dominican Republic. Through collaborations with private companies, non-profit foundations, universities, and state institutions, the foundation has worked to create a vision of Caribbean development that balances economic growth, community inclusion, and the celebration of local culture.

  • 1969

    Ted Kheel and group of 40 partners purchase approximately 30 square miles of undeveloped land in the eastern Dominican Republic.

  • 1970

    Kheel and partners hire Frank Rainieri, Dominican entrepreneur, to develop tourism project.

  • 1971

    Puntacana Resort & Club (PCRC) builds first “resort” of 10 beach cottages and clubhouse, dedication attended by President Balaguer.

  • 1972

    PCRC builds first elementary school in Punta Cana.

  • 1977

    Club Mediterranee purchases parcel of land from PCRC.

  • 1980

    Club Med opens hotel in Punta Cana.

  • 1984

    Inauguration of the Punta Cana International Airport with first flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

  • 1987

    PCRC builds new Puntacana Resort & Club using thatch-roof constructions and low-impact sustainable architecture.

  • 1988

    Formation of the not-for-profit Puntacana Ecological Foundation (FEPC) with donation of 1,500 acres of land for ecological park and reserve (incorporation follows in 1994).

  • 1992

    FEPC launches first sustainable agriculture initiative in Punta Cana (Fruit Tree Garden).

  • 1996

    Julio Iglesias and Oscar de la Renta join Kheel and Rainieri as PCRC major partners and build first homes in Corales development.

  • 1997

    PCRC founds a second not-for-profit organization, Puntacana Foundation (FPC) to develop social and community programs in the region.

  • 2000

    FPC founds bilingual, private school PUNTACANA International School (PCIS).

  • 2001

    FEPC and PCRC create Puntacana Center for Sustainability to develop research and education programs that create solutions to the environmental and social challenges facing tourism industry.

  • 2003

    FPC founds the public Ann and Ted Kheel Polytechnic School.

  • 2004

    FEPC launches PUNTACANA Partnership for Ecological Sustainable Coastal Areas (PESCA).

  • 2005

    Puntacana Resort & Club makes its first commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative

  • 2005

    Launch of co-management of Rural Clinic of Verón.

  • 2006

    Puntacana Resort & Club becomes founding member of RENAEPA, the National Network for Businesses that Protect the Environment in the Dominican Republic, now known as ECORED.

  • 2006

    La Fundación Grupo Puntacana realizó la primera misión médica junto con el Colegio de Medicina Osteopática de Virginia (VCOM)

  • 2007

    Puntacana Resort & Club becomes a member of the United Nations Global Compact.

  • 2007

    FEPC launches Zero Waste, integrated solid waste management system for Puntacana Resort & Club.

  • 2008

    Fundación Puntacana construye y equipa una estación de policía para la comunidad de Verón.

  • 2008

    Fundación Puntacana lanza "Carnaval de Punta Cana".

  • 2009

    FEPC launches beekeeping and worm-composting projects.

  • 2009

    FEPC signs collaborative agreement with The Peregrine Fund to conserve the endangered Ridgway’s Hawk.

  • 2009

    FEPC and FPC sign a collaborative agreement with Save the Children to develop community programs in the town of Verón.

  • 2010

    FEPC reinaugurates the Fruit Tree Garden and offers diverse ecotourism excursions.

  • 2011

    La Fundación Puntacana celebra la primera Misión Visual Quirúrgica junto con el Instituto de Ciencias Visuales de España (Incivi) entre otros socios

  • 2012

    PCRC and FEPC achieve Presidential Decree naming coastal area of Puntacana Resort & Club and Cap Cana as “Marine Protected Area.”

  • 2014

    Grupo Puntacana Foundation launch the social program "Grupo Puntacana works with the community".

  • 2014

    Grupo Puntacana Foundation launch the Ciudad Caracolí project.

  • 2015

    Fundación Puntacana lanza el proyecto de vivienda Ciudad Caracolí.

  • 2016

    Fusión Fundación Ecológica Puntacana y Fundación Puntacana.

  • 2017

    La Fundación inauguró las instalaciones del Centro Pediátrico Oscar de la Renta. El Centro brindará atención primaria de salud a más de 15,000 niños desfavorecidos de las comunidades locales. Creación del Centro de Innovación Marino 2018

  • 2019

    Lanzamiento de los viveros terrestres de corales.

  • 2019

    Lanzamiento del Proyecto de Vivero de Peces Ornamentales

  • 2019

    Inauguración Centro Educativo Caracolí