Deadline: July 20, 2026
Applications are open for the British Council Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) 2026-2029. Established in 2016, the Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) is led by the British Council in partnership with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). CPF’s role is to safeguard cultural heritage at risk primarily due to conflict and/or climate change and to contribute to sustainable social stability and economic prosperity.
This funding round will support projects which will protect cultural heritage at risk, not merely to preserve the past. Cultural heritage is everything we inherit from past generations that determines our traditions, rituals, and values and form our sense of place and identity. CPF perceives the most urgent threats to be related to:
- Conflict: Cultural heritage is increasingly deliberately targeted during conflict including through destruction of sacred places, by removing people’s rights to their identity and traditions and through attempted suppression or erasure of narratives.
- Climate change: Extreme weather and geological events can destroy buildings and sites; temperature spikes threaten ancient objects and records; scarcity of resources can force communities from where they live, restricting them from passing on skills, traditions, recipes and languages to the next generation.
Funding
- 7 awards for projects with grant values between £100,000 and £500,000; and
- 20 awards to projects with grant values under £100,000.
Eligibility
- They are looking for projects protecting cultural heritage at risk in: Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, and Yemen.
- Projects must be submitted by one lead organisation. While organisations can be registered anywhere in the world, your project must include partners registered in CPF’s target countries. All projects must demonstrate evidence of local demand and support for proposed activities.
Application
Expressions of interest deadline: Monday 20 July 2026, 23:59 BST. Full application deadline: Friday 28 August 2026, 23:59 BST.
For more information, visit British Council Cultural Protection Fund.
