The British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund has published their 2024-25 Annual Report, concluding the latest three-year funding cycle. This report reflects CPF’s continued commitment to putting people at the heart of cultural heritage protection.
'What is shared in this annual report is that despite barriers, people strive to protect what is valuable to them. The Cultural Protection Fund exists to protect more than just the past,' states Stephanie Grant, Director of the Cultural Protection Fund. 'Cultural heritage is a living thing and part of how we understand and define ourselves. Through protecting it, we make sense of the world as it is now, address global challenges and improve livelihoods for the future.'
The annual report details the impact of 46 collaborative projects working with 127 partners in 18 countries. While 48% of projects funded in 2024-25 focused on heritage at risk due to conflict, the rest focused on the threat caused by climate change. A major highlight of 2024-25 was the launch of CPF’s South Asia pilot where 150 Expressions of Interests were received. Funding was awarded to 11 projects in Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan where 82% focused on climate change as the primary risk facing heritage. These range from extreme weather events and climate-induced migration leading to a loss of connection to a range of heritage such as the houseboat culture of the Mohana communities at Lake Manchar, Pakistan.
The report also offers deep dives into six projects in Iraq, Kenya, Palestine, Pakistan, Sudan, and Syria - each illustrating the breadth and depth of protecting intangible and tangible heritage. The case studies include:
- 'Digital Heritage Trails Project' led by MaritimEA Research
- 'Heritage Challenging Fragmented Geographies' led by RIWAQ Centre for Architectural Conservation
- 'Insitu Preservation of 1.5-Million-Year-Old Footprints at Ileret' led by National Museums of Kenya
- 'Mosul Maqam' led by the University of Exeter's Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies
- 'Protection and Participation: IAAS Archive of Sudanese Intangible Cultural Heritage' led by Transformedia
- 'Syrian Cassette Archives' led by SCA Initiative.
Across the board, CPF support has seen to the conservation of 58 buildings and monuments and over 10,000 objects and intangible practices. The economic benefits of these projects generated 480 paid roles and the leveraging of £400,000 in additional funding and income to maximise impact.
In addition to project funding, CPF was able to allocate some of the annual budget to support heritage in urgent need of protection. These funds were dedicated to emergency response activities in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.
To find out more information, download the full report.
