Cinema Studio Namibe in Angola. Image © Walter Fernandes / Goethe Institut
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https://www.archdaily.com/1038690/world-monuments-fund-backs-21-locally-led-heritage-projects-addressing-climate-risks-and-indigenous-knowledge-loss
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is an independent organization dedicated to safeguarding treasured places around the world that enrich lives and foster mutual understanding across cultures and communities. On February 10, WMF announced a $7 million commitment to support 21 heritage preservation projects launching in 2026. These investments advance work at sites included on the 2025 World Monuments Watch, WMF’s nomination-based advocacy program, while also supporting new phases of conservation, planning, and training at additional heritage sites across five continents. The selected sites reflect a wide chronological and geographic range, from ancient cultural landscapes to modern architectural landmarks. The projects highlight the diversity of global heritage, spanning Mughal gardens and Ottoman religious complexes to modernist cinemas, industrial mining landscapes, Indigenous cultural routes, and sacred shrines, and point to the long-term cultural knowledge embedded in its preservation.
WMF’s 2026 funding supports locally led preservation initiatives addressing urgent challenges, including climate change, natural disasters, unsustainable tourism, structural deterioration, and the loss of Indigenous knowledge. The projects prioritize community-centered solutions, technical innovation, and long-term academic and institutional partnerships. They are organized into three categories: physical conservation and intervention; heritage management and community engagement; and training-focused initiatives. Physical conservation projects involve on-the-ground restoration in collaboration with regional experts. Heritage management and community engagement initiatives focus on conservation planning, cultural mapping, interpretation, and strengthening local capacity for long-term stewardship. Training-focused projects invest in professional development through hands-on learning, mentorship, and applied conservation experience, expanding access to preservation careers.
“Around the world, communities are confronting profound challenges, from climate-related disasters and environmental change to the long aftermath of conflict and crisis. These new projects reflect the next phase of our work, translating visibility into sustained investment and collaboration. By working alongside local partners, we are advancing preservation efforts that support recovery, adaptation, and long-term stewardship of places that matter deeply to the people connected to them.” — Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund
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Below is an overview of the 21 selected projects to be funded in 2026, organized by category.
Physical Conservation and Intervention ProjectsSafdar Jang’s Tomb, New Delhi, India
Safdar J a ng’s Tomb in India. Current day photographs. Image via World Monuments FundChapel of the Sorbonne, Paris, France
Chapel of the Sorbonne, Paris, France. Image by Adam Rainoff. Image via World Monuments FundTerracotta Sculptures of Alcobaça Monastery, Portugal
Terracotta Sculptures of Alcobaça Monastery in Portugal. Image via World Monuments FundMuseum of Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda
Museum of Antigua and Barbuda in Antigua and Barbuda. Image via World Monuments FundTakiyyat al-Gulshani, Egypt
Takiyyat al-Gulshani, Egypt. Image via World Monuments FundNoto Peninsula Heritage Sites, Japan
Noto Peninsula Heritage Sites in Japan. Image via World Monuments FundNational Palace of Sintra, Portugal
National Palace of Sintra in Portugal. Image © Diego Delso via Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0Church of Saint-Eustache, Paris, France
Church of Saint-Eustache, Paris, France. Image via World Monuments FundAlmada Negreiros Murals, Maritime Station of Alcântara, Lisbon, Portugal
Alcântara and Rocha do Conde d’Óbidos Maritime Stations in Portugal. Image © Simão PernasJewish Heritage of Debdou, Morocco
Jewish Heritage of Debdou in Morocco. Image via World Monuments FundHistoric City of Antakya, Türkiye
Historic City of Antakya in Türkiye. Image via World Monuments FundHeritage Management and Community Engagement ProjectsMonasteries of the Drino Valley, Albania
Monasteries of the Drino Valley, Albania. Image via World Monuments FundQhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru). Image via World Monuments FundCinema Studio Namibe, Angola
Cinema Studio Namibe in Angola. Image © Walter FernandesSand Island, Bears Ears National Monument, United States
Sand Island, Bears Ears National Monument, United States. Image via World Monuments FundSerifos Historic Mining Landscape, Greece
Serifos Historic Mining Landscape, Greece. Image via World Monuments FundHistoric Water Systems of Bhuj, India
Historic Water Systems of Bhuj in India. Image via World Monuments FundBelfast Assembly Rooms, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Belfast Assembly Rooms in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Image via World Monuments FundRapa Nui National Park, Chile
Rapa Nui National Park in Chile. Image © Miguel Cuenca via PexelsTraining-focused ProjectsBridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC), New Orleans Preservation Training Cohort, United States
Bridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC), New Orleans Preservation Training Cohort, United States. Image via World Monuments FundBodwease Shrine, Asante Traditional Buildings, Ghana
Bodwease Shrine, Asante Traditional Buildings, Ghana. Image via World Monuments Fund
In addition to its international initiatives, WMF has launched a national call for nominations for Irreplaceable America, a new program marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ independence. Through this initiative, WMF will partner with 10 heritage sites across the country on preservation projects that reflect the people, events, and ideas that have “shaped the nation.” Nominations are open to a wide range of historic places significant to their communities, with full guidelines available at wmf.org. In other heritage conservation news, WMF recently announced that the Australia-based architecture firm Architectus is the recipient of the 2026 World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize for its conservation of the United Nations’ Historic Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Elsewhere, the City of London Corporation has formally approved the delivery plan for the renewal of the Barbican Centre, and MVRDV has received construction approval for the first phase of renovations at Plum Village Buddhist Monastery in France.