KBRN, Jakarta: The United States government has awarded a grant to support the preservation of collections in 12 museums across Indonesia. The funding comes from the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), a program aimed at safeguarding a country’s cultural heritage.

The grant is being channeled through the Indonesian Museum Documentation Project Koleksi Kita to help conserve the collections of 12 museums, including the National Museum and 11 other museums managed by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Culture Agency.

The Koleksi Kita Project is administered by the Jalin Narasi Budaya Foundation in collaboration with the nonprofit Southeast Asia Museum Services. The project was officially launched with a seminar featuring speakers from the cultural and governmental sectors.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Giring Ganesha, emphasized that culture should be the face of Indonesia. “Museums, national galleries, cultural festivals, films, and cinemas must stand at the forefront,” he said on Monday, July 21, 2025.

He stressed the importance of documenting museum collections. “On behalf of the Ministry of Culture, I express my appreciation for the Indonesian Museum Documentation Project,” he added.

A similar sentiment was shared by Linda Enriany, Head of Cultural Protection at the DKI Jakarta Provincial Culture Agency. “This project helps build staff capacity and enables us to present museum collections to a broader public,” she said.

The U.S. Embassy noted that the project unites Jakarta museums under a single collaborative framework. “We are working to bring best practices from the United States to support museum documentation in Indonesia,” said Peter M. Haymond, Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta.

The AFCP has provided support for the preservation of cultural heritage in over 100 countries. Its efforts span a wide range of cultural assets, including historic buildings, archaeological sites, ethnographic objects, paintings, manuscripts, languages, and other forms of traditional cultural expression. ***

Translator: Diffa Sephiawardhani

Editor: Sri Wahyuni