Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation provides direct grant support to cultural heritage preservation projects in developing countries.

The program was established by the U.S. Congress in 2001 with $1 million. To date, the Ambassadors Fund has supported more than 500 projects worldwide, totaling more than $13.4 million. Funded projects include technical support for the restoration of historic buildings; assessment and conservation of museum collections; archaeological site preservation; documentation to save threatened traditional crafts; improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts; and documentation of indigenous languages.

Following are the projects Algeria has benefitted since 2001:

• 2001: Museum of Cherchel, Tipaza, Algeria
  $14,473 for the restoration of exposed and hidden Roman mosaics of one of the cherchel museum walls.
  
  
• 2002: National Museum of Arts and Folk Heritage, Algiers, Algeria
  $14,500 for the restoration of three paintings ("Scène de la Kabylie" by Cherifa Hamimoumna, "Enluminure" by Omar Racim, "Vase avec fleurs" by Mohamed Kechkoul)
  
  
• 2003: Zawiyat Ali Bin Umar of Tolga, Biskra, Algeria
  $17,550 to conduct preservation, documentation, and digitization of the manuscripts of Zawiyat Ali Bin Umar library in Tolga, Biskra, Algeria
  
  
• 2004: Saint Augustine Basilica of Annaba, Algeria
  $39,095 to do conservation works on the basilica's cupolas and to replace some stained glass windows.
  
  
• 2005: National Museum of the Bardo, Algiers, Algeria
  $67,773 to conduct a global needs assessment of the Bardo museum, followed by the restoration then the restoration of the Ottoman-era textiles within the Bardo museum's collection, an electrical upgrade of the climate control mechanisms was also accomplished.
  
  
• 2006: El Pacha Mosque, Oran, Algeria
  $106,110 to conduct a restoration of El Pacha Mosque in Oran, Algeria (Project is not accomplished yet)
  
  
• 2007: University Emir Abdelkader of Constantine, Algeria
  $28,845 for digitization and preservation of manuscripts at the Islamic Library. An American specialist will visit Constantine to conduct a needs assessment for the manuscripts and to do an extensive training for the university library staff on manuscripts preservation.

Organizations interested in suggesting projects for consideration may contact the American Embassy in Algiers, Public Affairs Section: Fatma Zohra Souidi by email at: souidifz@state.gov before December 30 of every year.