Ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation
The past projects:
The program was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001 with $ 1 million. Congress has noted:
"Cultural Preservation offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military. By taking a leading role in efforts to preserve cultural heritage, we show our respect for other cultures."
The AFCP permits U.S. Ambassadors to submit proposals for one-time or recurring projects that assist countries in preserving their cultural heritage.
Grants have typically ranged from US $15,000 to US $30,000 and higher, which can usually sustain a project for 12-18 months. Since its inception, the Fund has awarded 500 preservation grants in more than 100 countries, totaling more than $16 million.
AFCP supports preservation projects in the following three categories:
(A) CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS from a museum, site, or
similar institution;
(B) CULTURAL SITES;
(C) FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION.
The CULTURAL OBJECTS AND COLLECTIONS category (A) includes
archaeological and ethnographic objects, paintings, sculpture, manuscripts, photographic and film collections, and general museum conservation activities. Proposals in this category may involve, for example, conservation treatment for an object or collection of objects; needs assessment of a collection with respect to its condition and strategies for improving its state of conservation; inventory of a
collection for conservation purposes; the creation of safe environments for storage or display of collections; or specialized training in the care and preservation of collections.
The CULTURAL SITES category (B) includes (but is not limited to) historic buildings and sites, sacred places, monuments, and archaeological sites. Proposals in this category may involve, for example, restoration of an historic building, an archaeological survey as a component of a preservation plan, preservation management planning for a site, or documentation of sites in a region for preservation purposes.
The FORMS OF TRADITIONAL CULTURAL EXPRESSION category (C)
includes traditional music, rituals, knowledge, languages, dance, drama, and crafts. Proposals in this category may involve documenting and audiovisual recording of traditional music and dance forms as part of a traditional expression and making the information and recordings available, or support for training in the preservation of traditional arts or
crafts that are threatened by extinction.
PHASED AND PILOT PROJECTS: The Cultural Heritage Center (ECA/P/C) invites proposals for phased and pilot cultural preservation projects whose methods and outcomes will advance long-term cultural preservation objectives, lay the groundwork for subsequent AFCP-supported activities, or encourage the continued or expanded
application of proven methods at the project site or elsewhere.
EXCLUSIONS:
AFCP does not support the following:
(A) Preservation or purchase of privately or commercially owned cultural objects, collections, or real property
(B) Conservation of natural heritage (physical, biological, and geological formations, paleontological collections, habitats of threatened species of animals and plants, fossils, etc.)
(C) Preservation of news media (newspaper, newsreels, etc.)
(D) Archaeological excavations or surveys for research purposes
(E) Historical research, except in cases where historical research is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project
(F) Construction of new buildings
(G) Commissions of new works of art or performances for commemorative or economic development purposes
(H) Acquisition or creation of new collections for new or existing museums
(I) Creation of replicas or re-creation of cultural objects or sites that no longer exist
(J) Relocation of cultural sites from one physical location to another
(K) Digitization of cultural objects or collections, unless part of a larger, clearly defined conservation effort
(L) Removal of cultural objects or elements of cultural sites from the country for any reason
(M) Cash reserves, endowments or revolving funds; funds must be expended within the award period and may not be used to create an endowment or revolving fund or otherwise spent over many years
(N) Costs of fund-raising campaigns for preservation
(O) Costs for administrative time or materials not directly related to performing project work
(P) Costs of work performed prior to announcement of the award
(Q) Contingency or miscellaneous fees
(R) Administrative staff or administrative fees greater than 5% of the overall project costs
(S) International travel, except in cases where travel for outside specialists is justifiable and integral to the success of the proposed project (international travel will be considered on a case-by-case basis)
(T) Projects totaling less than US $10,000
(U) Awards to individuals.
- Strong encouragement is given to local non-U.S. government source cost-sharing (including in-kind) from sources such as governments, international organizations, and the private sector.