“Education is
the most powerful
weapon which you
can use to change
the world.”
– Nelson Mandela
Given the informal structure our organization, we recognized that the demand for our scholarship grew beyond our ability to manage. In 2006, recognizing that the program was too valuable to shut down because of the serious needs of the students, but was also becoming more and more difficult to keep open, we decided to move beyond the current organization.
Supported by more diverse volunteers, we then formed a bigger and more formal organization called CERDAS Foundation. By November 2007, CERDAS had received the certificate of corporation as a non-profit organization in the State of Washington and about a year later in January 2009 we acquired 501(c)3 status, a tax exempt status from the federal government.
The cost for education is simply beyond the reach of many underprivileged children. Even if their families find a way to pay for tuition, other school related expenses like supplies or transportation costs, make education simply unaffordable to them. So, we started our program with a modest goal: to help pay for the elementary school tuition fees and cost of school supplies for 2 students in Subang, West Java.
In the years that followed, the number of beneficiaries in our program has increased significantly, including students from Aceh. In 2004, when the deadly tsunami destroyed Aceh and killed more than 230,000 people, we also lost some of our students.
During the 2012/2013 school year, CERDAS provided scholarships for a total number of 150 students from elementary through high school spread out in Bekasi, Bandung, Cimahi, Cianjur, Purwokerto, Pati, Cilacap, Solo, Jogjakarta, Bantul, Sleman, Surabaya, Madura and Bali.
We have 17 active Coordinators in the fields that work closely with the students, their families, teachers and school administrators and also work with us on the funding distribution and program administration.
“Education is our passport to the future,
for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today”
– Malcolm X
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Ronny has served as a Director of CERDAS Foundation since its beginnings in 2007. He grew up in Surabaya, Indonesia and moved to the United States in 1989. Ronny has extensive experience working in grassroots community organizations, especially in the Washington State and California. Currently he is working as a social worker for Ambition of Seattle – a company which provides a wide range of support services for people with mental development disabilities in Seattle, WA. Ronny lives in Everett, WA with his wife. He has 5 children and is a proud grandpa of 10 grandchildren.
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Budi has been with CERDAS Foundation since its launch and was involved in several different projects within the foundation. Prior to his current role, he shared the PR (Public Relations) responsibilities and focused his work on introducing CERDAS Foundation to the public. Budi was a Managing Partner and VP of Business Development for OSS Integrators, Inc. – a consulting company based in Kirkland, WA that specializes in providing Network Management and Service Assurance solutions to telecom service providers and large enterprises. Budi now resides in Jakarta, Indonesia.
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Adjat has been actively involved with CERDAS as a member since its inception in 2007. He is appointed as a member of the Board of Directors in 2014. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Mechanial Engineering from Bandung Institute of Technology and his Master of Business Administration from IPWI – Jakarta in Indonesia in 1997. He moved to the US in 2004 to work as aircraft loads engineer with the Boeing Company. In 2016 he has got a new job as flight test engineer at Sikorsky in Palm Beach, Florida.
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Ismail Budhiarso has served as President of CERDAS Foundation since its start in 2007. Ismail is in charge of shaping CERDAS strategy and responsible for the management operations of the foundation. Ismail currently works as a Senior Research Manager in Seattle. He lives in Seattle with his wife and daughter.
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Irfan has been actively involved with CERDAS since its inception in 2007. He was a member of the Board of Directors for the first 2 years and was recently appointed as the Vice President to help with the operational aspects of the organization. He obtained his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautic and Astronautic Engineering in 1996 from Purdue University. He worked for the Indonesian Aircraft Company (PT IPTN) from 1996 to 2000. He moved to the United States in 2000 to work as a structures engineer with The Boeing Company. He currently lives in Everett, WA with his wife and 7 children.
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Arif has been the treasurer of CERDAS Foundation since its inception in 2007.
He is also a Software Engineering Manager at Google Inc. in Kirkland, WA since 2011. He builds internal software engineering tools and infrastructure for Google developers. Prior to that, he was a software engineer at Microsoft in Redmond, WA, for 10 years.
Arif lives in Sammamish with his wife and two kids.
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Eka has been volunteering for CERDAS Foundation since its creation in 2007. Eka was born in Bandung, Indonesia, but grew up in Seattle, WA. He graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in geology. He currently lives in Seattle, WA.
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Patriawan has been the Program Director of CERDAS Foundation since its beginning in 2007. He raised in a small town in East Java, Banyuwangi and received his Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from University of Gadjah Mada in Jogjakarta, Indonesia. Currently he works at the Boeing Company in Everett WA. Previously, he works for 10 years as aircraft structure engineer for the Indonesian Aerospace (IPTN) and various global company in several countries. Patriawan lives in Mukilteo WA with his wife and two children.
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Mustika has been volunteering for CERDAS Foundation since its creation in 2007. Prior to her current position, she was the Public Relations Coordinator for CERDAS. Mustika grew up in Bandung, Indonesia and received her Bachelor of Communication Science degree from University of Padjadjaran in Bandung. She lives in Seattle, WA with her husband and two children.
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Andika joined CERDAS Foundation as a volunteer in 2014. He grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia and received his Bachelor’s degree in Architecture Engineering from Parahyangan Catholic University in Bandung. He went to University of Oregon for Graduate school and lived in Eugene Oregon for 14 years before moving to Seattle in 2014. He lives in Bothell, WA with his wife and two daughters, and works as an architect in downtown Seattle.
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Jessica received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Seattle in 2008. She has been an active CERDAS volunteer since its inception in 2007. She is responsible for designing collateral and marketing material for CERDAS and communicating with fellow volunteers on their design needs. She now resides in Indonesia and continues to be an active supporter of CERDAS.
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Gandung has been a volunteer for CERDAS since its launch in 2007. He grew up in Surabaya, Indonesia, and has lived in Everett, WA since 2004. He is married and has two children. Gandung obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Naval Structure from the Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember of Surabaya, Indonesia. He has over 27 years of experience in structural aircraft stress analysis and is currently working for The Boeing Company in Everett, WA. Gandung’s previous experience also includes having worked for Embraer – Brazil, GKN Engage – UK, and the Indonesian Aerospace Industry (IPTN).
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Joehan has been a volunteer for CERDAS since its creation in 2007. He grew up in Kepanjen, East Java and moved to Seattle in 2004. Joehan obtained his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Brawijaya University in Malang, Indonesia. Currently he works at Boeing Company as a Stress Analyst. Joehan lives in Everett, WA, with his wife and two children.
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Ary has been with CERDAS since its start in 2007, collaborating with other volunteers to make its fundraising events and projects run smoothly. She currently manages the staffing of the fundraising events, communicating with and designating volunteers at all areas of
the events to ensure everything is in working order. Ary graduated from Bogor Institute of Agriculture in Bogor, Indonesia with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. She has resided in Seattle, WA with her husband and daughter since 1994, and currently works in the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, Seattle.
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Dwina has been involved with CERDAS since she was 11 years old. She started off as an event volunteer alongside her brother but is now the web developer. Dwina was born and raised in Renton, WA and recently graduated from UW Bothell with a Computer Science degree. She currently resides in Seattle, WA with her parents, brother and two cats.
CERDAS Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered in the State of Washington. CERDAS was established in 2007 in Seattle, WA. We are a volunteer-based organization. None of our officers or members receives compensation for their work. Every dollar of all financial contributions goes to our activities and scholarship program.
We have twin missions of providing financial aid for education to underprivileged children and offering relief assistance in the event of a natural disaster or national emergency in Indonesia. We believe that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. We strive to provide children access to education early in their lives through a scholarship program for basic education. To increase the likelihood of success and ensure sustainability, we build partnerships with individuals and organizations in the local communities where the children live who share a similar mission.
No. We take pride in our diversity and policy of inclusiveness. We are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children in need, regardless of color, race, religion, or creed.
We are based in Seattle, WA, USA. Our program currently offers scholarships to students in 12 locations in Indonesia: Bekasi, Bogor, Cianjur, Cimahi, Bandung, Jogyakarta, Solo, Purwokerto, Madiun, Surabaya, Madura and Bali.
Our scholarship program is designed to directly give impact to the children in need so that they will be able to remain in school. The scholarship provides students in elementary, middle school, and high school with incentive to do well in his or her studies and encourage the family to be more supportive of their child’s dreams. Depending on the area of the country, the school level and the need of the student, our scholarship includes:
- School fees, uniforms, books, and school supplies
- Transportation (such as a bicycle or bus fare) as needed
- Support & facilitation (called “pendampingan” in Bahasa Indonesia) as needed
- Parent meetings as needed
Our objective for the scholarship program is to open the access for education for underprivileged children. Therefore, the first and most important criteria for the scholarship are the students have to be in great need. Working with our volunteers in Indonesia, CERDAS can identify children who are in need and have high desire to succeed.
Our current program is funded by contributions from individuals, local businesses and corporate matching programs.
There are multiple ways for you to help the work of CERDAS Foundation. The following are a few suggestions:
- Become a monthly pledge partner
By signing up to be a Pledge Partner, you contribute to our sustainability on a monthly basis. To get started, please fill out our pledge partner form. - Gifts of cash
- You can make your donation safely by clicking on the Paypal button on our home page at: http://www.cerdasfoundation.org; or
- Send a donation by mail to: CERDAS Foundation, 4059 NE 55th St, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
- Matching Gifts
Make your gift go further. Many companies will match donations made by their employees to CERDAS. Please contact your company to find out if they have a Matching Gift Program for 501(c)3 non-profit organizations. - Services
We welcome offers of pro-bono services in many areas, including legal, tax and administrative assistance, printing, mailing, and photography/videography. Contact us at: info@cerdasfoundation.net to be an active part of our success. - Volunteer help
CERDAS is always in need of dedicated individuals to help with our fundraising activities and outreach efforts. Contact us at: info@cerdasfoundation.net to discuss how your skill and talent can be an asset to our organization.
Yes. All contributions made to CERDAS Foundation are U.S. income tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Our tax ID is 26-1640702.
CERDAS strives to operate efficiently and keep the operational costs to a minimum. In 2009, 98.6 percent went to our scholarship program and natural disaster recovery aid and 1.4 percent went to operational expenses.
There are no paid staff and no fixed costs like rent. This allows us to keep our overheads very low. We also keep our fundraising costs minimal by using volunteers to run our events. Overhead costs we do incur include Paypal transaction fees, postage, bank fees and other incidentals.
Yes. Annual Reports from 2007-2008 are available in the Financial Information section of our website: https://cerdasfoundation.org/about-us/#financial
You can email us at: info@cerdasfoundation.net, or send your question by mail to: CERDAS Foundation, 4059 NE 55th St, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
