The Fund is aimed at preservation and restoration projects of tangible and intangible cultural property with budgets between $10,000 and $500,000. This year, priority will be given to cultural heritage proposals with a focus on national or regional security.
The deadline for submitting proposals is December 29, 2023.
Quito, November 6, 2023. The Government of the United States invites applications for the U.S. Department of State’s Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Heritage Preservation (AFCP) until December 29 at 11:59 p.m.
The Fund is directed to projects between $10,000 and $500,000 for the preservation and restoration of tangible and intangible cultural properties such as cultural sites, cultural artifacts and collections, and forms of cultural and traditional expressions at risk of being lost. Projects may include proposals to preserve ancestral languages, music or intangible cultural heritage. This year, priority will be given to cultural heritage proposals with a focus on national or regional security, such as projects to improve security for museums or archeological sites, or to protect collections, or the involvement of local communities in the protection of cultural heritage, or similar.
AFCP was created to help other countries conserve their cultural heritage and demonstrate the respect the United States has for other cultures.
Since 2002, the U.S. government has awarded the Fund 12 times to Ecuador, totaling nearly $1.1 million in grants to preserve archaeological sites, restore historic buildings and preserve collections and artifacts from pre-Hispanic times. Among the most recent projects are:
- 2023: Preservation and conservation of the archaeological site Montaña Sagrada de Cerro de Hojas Jaboncillo, in Manabí, presented by Fundación ConservarteEcuador.
- 2021: Safeguarding Caranqui Cultural Heritage, a project in collaboration with the local community of Urcuquí where technical exchanges with U.S. and Ecuadorian organizations took place to preserve cultural property and prevent the theft of Caranqui archaeological artifacts.
The United States considers the cultural heritage of nations to be a fundamental part of their identity. U.S. Government global programs such as the Ambassador’s Fund demonstrate its consideration for diverse peoples and their ancestral legacies.
For more information about the Ambassador’s Fund for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage, click here.
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