Deadline: 23 December 2019

The Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) is currently accepting Expression of Interests for projects relating to Libya, Syria and Yemen.

The overarching objective of the Fund is to help create sustainable opportunities for social and economic development through building capacity to foster, safeguard and promote cultural heritage in conflict-affected countries. The Fund supports efforts to keep cultural heritage sites and objects safe, as well as supporting the recording, conservation, and restoration of cultural heritage. It also provides opportunities to local communities for training and education, enabling and empowering them in the long term to value, care for and benefit from their cultural heritage.

Funding Information

• Applicants may apply for grants from £5,000 up to £100,000.
• A lead applicant organisation can submit multiple applications under any given round of funding, but a maximum of one award will be made.

Funding available for work targeting the following areas:

• New activities taking place in Libya, Syria or Yemen which contribute to the published outcomes.
• Development work facilitating possible future work in these countries (e.g. research, feasibility studies or knowledge sharing) with strong potential to achieve their outcomes.

Target Countries

• Projects must focus on one or more of the target countries for this round: Libya, Syria, and Yemen.
• The Cultural Protection Fund is for projects focusing on the protection of cultural heritage at risk due to conflict in one or more of these countries.
• By ‘conflict-affected countries’, we refer to geographical areas which are currently in conflict, at risk of future conflict or are suffering the effects of conflict and located in countries eligible to receive Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Project Types

• By project, they mean work or activity that is defined at the outset and will contribute to achieving the outcomes of the Fund.
• Cultural heritage includes many different things from the past that communities value and want to pass on to future generations.
• Applicants will be asked to explain the significance of the cultural heritage their project focuses on and how it is valued by the local population.

Impact Areas

The Cultural Protection Fund has three impact areas

• Heritage
  • Cultural heritage at risk is safeguarded for future generations.
  • Cultural heritage at risk is better managed and prepared for potential threats.
  • Local organisations and communities have increased capacity and/or resilience to care for and protect cultural heritage.
• Society
  • Local people have developed skills, potentially leading to increased professional or other opportunities.
  • The profile of people engaging with cultural heritage is more diverse with respect to gender imbalances, age, ability, sexuality, ethnicity and social/religious background.
  • Local communities have a better understanding of their cultural heritage and value it more.
  • Local communities have played a more active role in protecting their cultural heritage or sharing it with others, potentially leading to increased social cohesion and a greater sense of well-being.
  • The local area is enhanced for the benefit of communities and visitors.
• Economy
  • The local economy has been diversified.

Eligibility Criteria

CPF grants are only available to organisations.

• This round is open to any applicant proposing to work with one or more locally based partners in Libya, Syria or Yemen.
• Lead applicant organisations based outside these target countries must deliver the project in partnership with at least one partner organisation based within the target countries. Organisations based within target countries can apply to the fund with or without partners.
• Sole traders are not eligible to apply.
• All applicants and partners will be required to submit the same level of evidence of legal status and supporting documentation (including Expression of Interest and Application forms) in English in order to enable due diligence to be conducted.
• If private owners or for-profit organisations are involved in a project, they expect the benefit to the social and economic development of the target country to outweigh any private gain.

How to Apply

Interested applicants must first complete the online expression of interest form via given website.

For more information, please visit https://www.britishcouncil.org/arts/culture-development/cultural-protection-fund/apply