1961	On 10th September, a memorial service for Mr Tan Kah Kee was initiated by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and it was held at the Singapore Badminton Hall. A donation fund of $l00, 000 war raised and the Tan Kah Kee Scholarship Fund was founded.
1968	In April, the Tan Kah Kee Scholarship Trust Fund was established. It began to award scholarships to students of the four higher learning institutions.
1982	The Tan Kah Kee Foundation was officially registered under the Companies Act in February.
1983	The Foundation began to offer postgraduate scholarships.
1984	The first Tan Kah Kee Forum was organized.
1986	The Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award was first mooted by Prof C N Yang, Nobel Laureate in Physics, and was launched in May.
1991	The first Workshop on the Inventive Thinking Process was organized for teachers and students. A few of the past winning entries for the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award were submitted to the Fourth World Exhibition of Young People's Inventions, organized by the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation, among which 2 of the projects won prestigious Grand Award and Excellent Award respectively.
1995	A*Star, previously known at National Science and Technology Board, was invited to jointly organize the Young Inventors' Award with the Foundation.
1996	The Tan Kah Kee Gold Medal for Chinese Studies was launched at the National University of Singapore. The Tan Kah Kee Professership was established at the Nanyang Technological University.
1997	The first Tan Kah Kee Gold Medal for Chinese Studies was awarded to Mr Toh Hoong Teik. Mr Toh was the first student to receive a first class honour degree in Chinese Studies since the National University of Singapore was founded in 1980.
1998	The presentation ceremony for seventh award of Tan Kah Kee Prize was held in Singapore in April, together with the presentation of the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award. The ceremony was jointly organized by the Tan Kah Kee Foundation, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry, East Asian Institute, Tan Kah Kee International Society and Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan. The two Guest-of-Honour for the ceremony were former President Mr Ong Teng Cheong and Dr Wee Kim Wee, who is also the Patron of the Foundation. Prof Daniel Kwok of the University of Hawaii was the first eminent professor to be appointed to fill the Chair in History under the Tan Kah Kee Professorship.
2000	The Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award Committee received 403 entries for the Students Section and 69 entries for the Open Section -the highest numbers in the award's 14 year history. Senior Minister of State for Education Mr Peter Chen presented the awards to winners at the Singapore Science Centre in March. Seven outstanding candidates were awarded Tan Kah Kee postgraduate scholarships. The Presentation Ceremony was held on 4th August at Capthorne Harbour View Hotel. The Scholarships were given away by Mr Peter Chen, Senior Minister of State for Education.
2001	With the collaboration of the Defence Science Techonology Agency (DSTA), a new category of Award "Defense Science Award" was established under the prestigous Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award.
2002	The Presentation ceremony for the Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award was held in Singapore Science Centre in March. The Guest-of-Honour for the ceremony was Senior Minister of State for Education and Trade and Industry Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The Tan Kah Kee Young Inventors' Award was extended to Shanghai, China with the collaboration of Shanghai University. The Tan Kah Kee Foundation organized a series of activitie, including the exhibition on the life story of Mr Tan Kah Kee, the public seminar & the public lecture by Nobel Laureate Prof Y T Lee, the gala dinner and the Chinese epic drama staged by the students of the Chinese High School, etc. from 5th till 14th September to celebrate its 20th anniversary. These activities aim to promote and further the Foundation's influence on society, raise funds to organize more events so as to help foster the Tan Kah Kee spirit in entrepreneurship and promoting education in the new century.