Sacred Bridge Foundation

Sacred Bridge Foundation is a not-for-prot organization, founded in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1998. Since the beginning, the organization has been a home to individuals of dierent generations with distinct background and expertise. The founding members of the Foundation already represent such diversity, and they are Umar Kayam (Historian), Nurcholish Madjid (Islamic Scholar), Stephen Hill (Sociologist), Stomu Yamash’ta (Composer & Musician), Roby Soelarto (Architect), Franki Raden (Ethnomusicologist), Tony Rudyansyah (Anthropologist), and Serrano Sianturi (Economist). Within the first eight years, the Foundation had mourned for the untimely departures of three of the founding members: Roby Soelarto, Umar Kayam, and Nurcholish Madjid. Their presence and guidance are very much missed, but their legacies in the organization live on. At later time, Tony Rudyansyah returned to teaching at the University of Indonesia, a “habitat” he left for quite a while. Franki Raden has been inactive most of the years due to his doctorate study in the United States, and later due to his personal pursuits. From the beginning, Sacred Bridge Foundation has been led by Serrano Sianturi, while Stomu Yamash’ta has chaired the Advisory Board with Stephen Hill as a member. Although living abroad, both gentlemen are actively involved in most activities conducted by the Foundation. To guarantee and maintain the objectivity and independency of its works, Sacred Bridge Foundation operates more on self-reliant funding and occasional project-based grants. It’s never easy, but with the support from partners and volunteers, Sacred Bridge has managed to implement numerous mid and long range programs in Indonesia and abroad. In the year Sacred Bridge Foundation was the first private cultural organization in Indonesia being recognized as a cultural counterpart by UNESCO.