British Council launches pilot funding round for CPF
Celina Ali
Islamabad: The British Council in Pakistan in partnership with the UK Government Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) this week launched its pilot funding round for the Cultural Protection Fund (CPF).
The pilot funding round has opened with a call for expressions of interest from organizations based in Pakistan that are working on projects related to heritage protection involving local communities and climate change. In this round, they are expected to award one project with a value of £500,000 and five projects with a value of £100,000.
The Cultural Protection Fund is driven by the profound objective of cultivating sustainable opportunities for social and economic development. It accomplishes this by nurturing the capacity to foster, safeguard, and promote cultural heritage.
The initiative actively funds projects that ensure the safety of cultural heritage sites and objects while concurrently supporting efforts in recording, conserving, and restoring cultural treasures. Furthermore, it extends its reach to local communities by offering training and educational opportunities, thus enabling, and empowering them for the long term to appreciate, protect, and derive benefits from their cultural heritage.
In alignment with the British Council’s ethos, the Cultural Protection Fund is dedicated to preserving and promoting cultural heritage, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures, and facilitating educational and economic growth in conflict-affected regions.
Deputy Director British in Council Pakistan, Maarya Rehman said: “The British Council shares the Fund’s vision of protecting and promoting cultural heritage. The Cultural Protection Fund stands as a symbol of hope, ensuring that heritage is not only safeguarded, but also creates sustainable opportunities for economic and social development for future generations.”
The Director Arts British Council in Pakistan, Laila Jamil said: “We are very pleased to announce a programme that seeks to protect cultural heritage at risk due to conflict or climate change. This year we ran workshops and engaged with the wider heritage sector to lay the foundations for this work. We now look forward to receiving many compelling applications. With Pakistan at the forefront of climate change impact, this programme offers an opportunity for heritage experts and Pakistani organisations working on cultural preservation to further their important work and to also have the prospect of collaborating internationally.”
This round is open to organizations that are legally registered in Pakistan and proposals must be submitted by a legally registered organization and applications must be submitted by one lead applicant organization with up to eight partner organizations. The lead applicant must be based in Pakistan and will be responsible for all reporting.
The funding is available for projects commencing in April 2024. Projects can run for any duration but at the latest must finish by 31 January 2025.
