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Cultural Protection Fund is sponsored by British Council and UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Supports projects that protect cultural heritage at risk, particularly in regions affected by conflict, operating across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It also includes a climate change program for heritage in East Africa.
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DCMS's International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme - GOV.UK DCMS's International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme The UK is a world leader and innovator in cultural heritage protection and has taken concrete steps to safeguard some of humanity’s most valued cultural heritage.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport Get emails about this page The UK is a world leader and innovator in cultural heritage protection, both tangible and intangible, and recognises its critical role in tackling some of the most pressing issues facing the global community today.
Following the deliberate looting and destruction of cultural assets by Daesh (Islamic State) as a tool of war in the Middle East and North Africa, the UK has taken concrete steps to safeguard some of humanity’s most valued cultural heritage.
Since 2015 the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has worked with partners including the British Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UNESCO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum to deliver cultural heritage projects in ODA eligible countries across the Middle East, North Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe.
In addition to promoting economic development, culture plays a role in peacebuilding, security and stability, as well as building resilience to crises in fragile and conflict-affected States. This highlights the vital role that protecting culture and cultural heritage plays in the UK’s international development agenda.
Through a portfolio of delivery partners, the International Cultural Heritage Protection (ICHP) Programme works across 4 integrated themes to ensure the protection of cultural heritage: conflict and security, climate change, serious and organised crime, and research.
The conflict and security strand seeks to deliver cultural heritage protection activities that focus on stabilisation efforts, peacebuilding, and sustainable growth in countries affected by conflict. This area also incorporates the UK’s obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property during Armed Conflict and its Two Protocols (1954 and 1999).
Launched in 2019 , the climate change strand delivers groundbreaking programmes on protecting cultural heritage at risk from climate change and/or natural disasters, building climate resilience and disaster-preparedness capacity in ODA-eligible countries. Serious and organised crime The illicit trafficking of cultural objects by serious and organised crime (SOC) actors is intrinsically linked with conflict and climate insecurity.
The ICHP Programme works with delivery partners to build capacities of key stakeholders in ODA eligible countries to help detect and mitigate the trafficking of cultural property, while also contributing to the improvement of investigative capabilities and cross-country communication.
Established in 2020, our research strand focuses specifically on funding exploratory projects which further our understanding of the connection between cultural heritage protection and climate change. The ICHP Programme fosters a strong connection with researchers to enhance DCMS’s policy development in this field.
The UK’s international cultural heritage protection initiatives are delivered primarily through specialist programmes overseen by DCMS. All programmes prioritise engaging with local communities, building capacity and creating opportunities for long-term sustainable growth, ensuring diversity and inclusion remain at the forefront of programming.
All programmes are aligned with the UK’s overseas development objectives and conform to strict guidelines on overseas development aid spending, achieving value for money and ensuring the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries by safeguarding cultural heritage at risk.
The British Council - Cultural Protection Fund 2016-2026 Launched in 2016, DCMS’s flagship Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) is delivered in partnership with the British Council, who oversee programme delivery and development.
The fund aims to help to create sustainable opportunities for economic and social development through building local capacity to foster, safeguard and promote cultural heritage, particularly in regions affected by conflict. It currently operates across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Since 2016, the Cultural Protection Fund has given grants of over £50 million to 159 projects to protect cultural heritage in 19 countries, but the need for our work has never been greater. Last year alone we received funding requests of almost 20 times the budget for our entire current programme.
Stephanie Grant, Director of the Cultural Protection Fund at the British Council (2024) Recognising the urgent need to protect cultural heritage from climate change, in 2020 DCMS and the British Council launched a new climate programme as part of the CPF, the Disaster and Climate Change Mitigation funding round. Funds were awarded to 5 global heritage projects that respond to the risk of climate change to heritage in East Africa.
The projects aimed to advance regional cultural protection by supporting knowledge exchange between experts and empowering local organisations with the skills to protect their cultural heritage. In May 2024, the CPF announced funding of 22 new projects , across 10 countries, with a funding total of over £2 million. The projects will protect cultural heritage at risk from the effects of conflict and/or climate change.
The funding will support projects across Syria, Iraq, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Uganda, Tanzania and for the first time, Pakistan and Nepal, with the latter 2 being new additions to the CPF’s country portfolio. UNESCO Cultural Protection Funds The ICHP Programme has an annual contingency to contribute directly to emergency support for at-risk/damaged cultural heritage during humanitarian crises.
Over the last four years, The ICHP Programme has made a significant contribution of £1,500,000 to UNESCO cultural protection funds.
These are the Heritage Emergency Funds, the UNESCO Fund for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and Response activities for Gaza, the UNESCO Special Account for Post Crisis Situations to respond to the crisis in Ukraine, the UNESCO Special Account for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the Fund for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
UNESCO is responsible for the delivery of said emergency response projects.
Historic England: UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership: Cultural Heritage Project In 2025, ICHP partnered with Historic England to provide funding up to £800,000 for a four year project to facilitate training and educational exchanges for cultural professionals for the protection, preservation and restoration of Ukrainian cultural heritage that has been endangered by Russian aggression.
This project will be delivered in consultation with key Ukrainian stakeholders to ensure it aligns with the needs of the sector. Arts and Humanities Research Council: Cultural Heritage and Climate Programme 2020-2026 In 2020, DCMS partnered with the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Global Challenges Fund to run a pilot urgency grants scheme.
The groundbreaking scheme centred on projects exploring how developing countries respond to the challenges for cultural heritage resulting from environmental disasters and climate change. Originating from a cohort of 9 projects, the programme has generated research outputs and policy impacts, through 30 partners, for communities across 12 ODA countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Yemen, Zimbabwe, India, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Brazil.
A future expansive phase will create a global Research Observatory, coordinating cultural heritage voices in international climate discussions. In 2024, the Cultural Heritage and Climate Programme funded five research projects to mitigate climate change and build capacity for climate action.
The projects will examine cultural heritage and environmental policies in countries including: This programme is continuing in 2025 and 2026 to fund new networks of UK institutions working with European partners, in-country partners in ODA countries, community practitioners, researchers, and policymakers for 12 months.
These grants will help researchers and policymakers to explore opportunities to enhance cultural heritage and climate change engagement and policy development. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe: Heritage Crime Task Force Since 2024, the ICHP programme has contributed £500,000 to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) towards the establishment of a Heritage Crime Task Force in Ukraine.
This has enhanced the capacities of law enforcement organisations to combat illicit trafficking of cultural property and its direct linkages to organised crime and terrorism financing, money laundering and corruption networks.
In 2025, this work expanded into the Mediterranean region in response to the increase in the risk of cultural property destruction and higher volumes of trafficking across the Mediterranean due to conflict in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen, as well as the recent events in Syria. ICHP support for this work continues in 2026.
Blue Shield International (BSI) support for the development and strengthening of the Blue Shield Over the next four years, the ICHP Programme is providing a small grant to Blue Shield International (BSI) to support the organisation’s capacity building and development. It will help BSI to strengthen its operational program to protect cultural heritage globally, especially in Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipient countries.
The project aims to enhance BSI’s ability to respond to crises, promote the 1954 Hague Convention, and foster a multi-donor funding platform for. This grant is critical for enabling BSI to grow its central team, support national committees, and deliver fast, effective responses to heritage-related crises worldwide.
Blue Shield International (BSI) Ukraine Prosecutorial Support for Cultural Heritage Investigations The ICHP Programme has contributed to Blue Shield International (BSI)’s 12-month initiative aimed at bolstering Ukrainian prosecutorial efforts in the crimes committed against Ukrainian cultural heritage during the ongoing conflict with Russia.
This project is enhancing the capacity of Ukrainian Offices of the Prosecutor General at national and oblast levels by providing specialised training in organisational planning, developing analytical capabilities for cultural heritage destruction events, and offering assistance with site exploitation and evidence collection.
Ultimately, this support will strengthen investigations and prosecutions of heritage-related crimes within Ukraine and other jurisdictions. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) In September 2024, the ICHP launched a programme with UNODC to strengthen investigation and prosecution capacities against cultural heritage trafficking linked to conflict zones in the Middle East. This project will conclude in March 2026.
The project serves to: increase understanding and awareness among key Egyptian and Lebanese stakeholders to prevent and counter the dynamic of trafficking in cultural heritage linked to regional conflicts; improve follow-up investigation and prosecution capacities when it comes to cultural heritage trafficking in Egypt and Lebanon; and facilitate international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting cultural heritage trafficking with Egyptian and Lebanese stakeholders.
Culture conventions ratified by the UK 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Two Protocols (1954 & 1999) - Ratified in 2017 The UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property - Accepted in 2002 The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage - Ratified in 1984 The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage - Ratified in 2024 The 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions - Ratified in 2007 Guidance on the implementation of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict Global Britain in a Competitive Age: the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy UK Approach to Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Wilton Park, Cultural Heritage Protection, Development and Diplomacy: International Approaches Institute of Development Studies.
Lessons learned on cultural heritage protection in conflict and protracted crisis . Kelly, L. (2021).
K4D Helpdesk Report. DOI: 10. 19088/K4D.
2021.
068 The UK’s Adaptation Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 2020 1st Report: Biocultural Heritage: Linking Nature and Culture 2nd Report: Bridging the Gaps: Cultural Heritage for Climate Action - the Brief Report Last updated 4 March 2026 data-module="ga4-event-tracker" data-ga4-event='{"event_name":"select_content","type":"content history","section":"Footer"}' data-ga4-expandable> + show all updates Updated delivery partners.
Added information on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UNESCO Civil-Military Regional Workshops on the Protection of Cultural Property. Updated and refreshed page. Get emails about this page No this page is not useful Thank you for your feedback Report a problem with this page Do not include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.
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Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Organisations working to protect cultural heritage in target countries including Syria, Iraq, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, and others. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates £50 million+ total; 22 new projects worth over £2 million announced May 2024 Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
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Internet Freedom Programs is sponsored by U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). DRL announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest (SOI) for programs that support Internet Freedom. The goal is to protect the open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet by promoting fundamental freedoms, human rights, and the free flow of information online through integrated support to civil society for technology, digital safety, policy and advocacy, and applied research programs.
The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL, or the Department), announces the availability of approximately $9 million total costs (subject to the availability of Federal funds) for 2 cooperative agreements aimed at securing fair and reliable critical mineral supply chains free of child labor (CL) and forced labor (FL). ILAB intends to fund one cooperative agreement of up to $5 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and one cooperative agreement of up to $4 million in Indonesia. The duration of each project will be 54 months from the award date. Applicants may propose a shorter period of performance in line with their proposed strategy. Applicants may choose to apply for one or both cooperative agreements. Applicants that wish to apply for both Cooperative Agreements must submit two distinct applications.The cooperative agreements will be focused on the supply chains of critical minerals identified in the List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, published by the Department of Labor as required under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 and subsequent reauthorizations (TVPRA List). Applications must propose a strategy to address CL and/or FL in the supply chains of at least one (1) of the following minerals in one (1) of the following countries:• DRC: Cobalt, copper, tantalum, tin, and/or tungsten.• Indonesia: Nickel, with the option to also include tin.Applicants must propose to work with key stakeholders to identify and address child labor and/or forced labor, and related labor abuses in their proposed country of implementation. Applicants must propose a strategy to conduct activities under each of the following two focus areas:Focus Area 1: Policy and Legal Frameworks. Applicants will propose a strategy to assist partner governments and supply chain actors to bring their mining, labor, procurement, trade rules, and other relevant policy frameworks into full alignment with international standards, particularly U.S. forced-labor import requirements, International Labor Organization conventions, and other due diligence guidelines and best practices.0F1Focus Area 2: Capacity Building for Monitoring, Identification, Enforcement, and Remediation. Applicants will propose a strategy to improve national and local systems for monitoring and identifying child labor and/or forced labor in critical mineral supply chains. Applicants must also propose a strategy to strengthen public and private sector entities responsible for addressing child labor and/or forced labor in critical mineral supply chains through enforcement actions and through remediation measures for children and individuals placed in conditions of child labor and/or forced labor.In addition to work under the two Focus Areas outlined above, applicants must propose a strategy to conduct a supply chain research study and produce a final report in close coordination with ILAB. Applicants should plan to produce a final research product within the first three years of the project period of performance. Funding Opportunity Number: FOA-ILAB-25-15. Assistance Listing: 17.401. Funding Instrument: CA. Category: O. Award Amount: $4M – $5M per award.