U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)

Program Objectives:

The Department of State established the AFCP at the request of Congress in Conference Report 106-1005 accompanying H.R. 4942 (October 26, 2000). The Senate report on this bill noted that the preservation of cultural heritage “offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military.” 

The AFCP Large Grants Program supports the preservation of major ancient archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, and major museum collections that are accessible to the public and protected by law in the host country. Appropriate project activities may include:

·     Preventive conservation (addressing conditions that damage or threaten the site)

·     Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance [settling, collapse, etc.] of a site)

·     Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to a collection or sites)

·     Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of a site)

·     Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts)

·     Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of a site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings)