The Van Deventer-Maas Stichting (VDMS) was founded in 1947 pursuant to a provision in the last and testament will of Mrs. Elisabeth Maas, widow of Mr. Coen van Deventer. Mr. Van Deventer passed away in 1915, Mrs Van Deventer-Maas in 1942. In 1979 the Van Deventer-Maas Stichting merged with the Tjandi Stichting (founded in 1913) and the Van Deventer Stichting (founded in 1917, thereby absorbing the Kartini Foundation, which had been founded in 1913). Mr. Van Deventer, who was critical of the unequal financial relationship between the Netherlands and its colony, wrote an article 'Debt of Honor' and initiated “ethical policy”, focusing on the development and edification of the Indonesian people. The couple was wealthy and childless. They decided to make their wealth available for the personal development of the of Indonesian people. The VDMS Board in The Netherlands Board sees to the good management of the Foundation’s assets and income, decides on any changes in the Foundation’s strategy and policy, and approves the annual budget and accounts. The Indonesia office has the task to implement the Foundation’s policies (the scholarships programme, capacity-building projects and training courses, alumni relations, etc.) in Indonesia. September 12, 2017 marks the establishment of a new Indonesian Foundation, the Yayasan Van Deventer-Maas Indonesia, with its own Executive and Advisory Boards.