Call for Projects: Cultural Heritage Protection Program in Central Asia

Priorities

• It pays particular attention to projects in Central Asia, covering the following countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan and addressing four priorities:
  • Protecting built heritage impacted by climate change and disasters;
  • Supporting heritage institutions and their collections;
  • Safeguarding and transmitting intangible heritage practices;
  • Revitalizing and supporting traditional crafts/creative industries.

Funding Information

• Small grants (between USD 5,000 to USD 30,000) involving safeguarding, protection, conservation, rehabilitation or revitalization initiatives. As with previous ALIPH calls for projects, this category will seek to support sustainable and relevant projects fostering deep collaboration between or with local institutions and/or actors;
• Medium-sized projects (between USD 75,000 to USD 200,000) targeting safeguarding, protection, conservation, rehabilitation or revitalization initiatives of heritage, including at high-visibility heritage sites. This will also include in-situ/on-the-job training with concrete outcomes for built heritage and professionals. Multi-country initiatives are encouraged.

Duration 

• The project duration can be 3 to 12 months, and should be finalized at the latest in January 2027.

Categories of Projects

• Protecting built heritage impacted by climate change and disasters
  • These projects can include the following type of actions:
    • Conservation plans to ensure the long-term preservation of built heritage at risk.
    • Emergency response and stabilization measures, such as documentation, structural consolidation, and first-aid interventions for heritage sites affected by (climate) disasters (e.g. floods, landslides, wildfires, desertification).
    • Restoration, rehabilitation, and structural stabilization of damaged historic buildings and monuments.
    • On-the-job training and capacity-building for heritage professionals and local artisans to enhance conservation skills.
    • Preventive conservation to mitigate climate-related deterioration of historic structures.
    • Multi-country cooperation initiatives that foster knowledge exchange and strengthen local capacities for heritage protection.
• Supporting heritage institutions and their collections
  • These projects can include the following type of actions:
    • Implementation of disaster risk reduction plan, including emergency preparedness and climate adaptation measures for museums, archives, and cultural institutions.
    • Emergency response and first-aid measures, such as documentation, inventorying, stabilization, and preventive consolidation of collections at risk.
    • Protection and sheltering of cultural goods, including the safe relocation of at-risk objects and in situ protective measures.
    • Preventive conservation initiatives to reduce deterioration and extend the lifespan of collections, including improved storage conditions and collection condition monitoring.
    • Restoration and conservation of damaged objects.
    • On-the-job training and capacity-building for museum professionals, conservators, and collections managers.
    • Multi-country cooperation initiatives that strengthen institutional capacities and collaboration for safeguarding collections.
• Safeguarding and transmitting intangible heritage practices (ICH)
  • These projects can include the following type of actions:
    • Support for local cultural institutions and community events that facilitate the practice, preservation, and teaching of ICH.
    • Emergency safeguarding measures for ICH under immediate threat due to migration, displacement, or disasters.
    • Capacity-building and documentation to support the safeguarding and transmission of ICH.
    • Multi-country cooperation initiatives that strengthen shared ICH traditions, fostering intercultural dialogue and collaboration.
• Revitalizing and supporting traditional crafts creative industries
  • These projects can include the following type of actions:
    • Preservation and documentation of traditional craft techniques, ensuring their sustainability and transmission through research, publications, and audiovisual materials.
    • On-the-job training programs for artisans and cultural entrepreneurs to enhance technical skills, innovation, and business development.
    • Support to community-based craft hubs and cultural spaces for production, learning, knowledge exchange and promotion initiatives, such as fair-trade networks, branding strategies, and participation in international craft fairs and exhibitions.
    • Multi-country cooperation initiatives that strengthen collaborative production among artisans and creative industries.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible operators and institutions:
  • Institutions in charge of the protection, conservation, and promotion of cultural heritage;
  • Private organizations (foundations, NGO, non-profit, charity, associations, etc.);
  • Universities and research centers;
  • Private, for-profit organizations can be considered based on the overall interest of the project and the lack of availability of non-profit alternatives.
• The applicants must demonstrate that they have:
  • Previous relevant experience (including management of projects of comparable size);
  • Relevant expertise (including capacity for research project as applicable);
  • Financial stability;
  • Capacity to deliver the project and ensure its lasting impact;
  • The necessary agreements with local/national authorities.

For more information, visit ALIPH Foundation.