World Monuments Fund Study Finds Public Funding Shortfalls Now Top Threat to Heritage Sites
On 30 September, the World Monuments Fund published a study revealing that insufficient public funding poses the greatest risk to heritage sites, outpacing climate-related threats. This research, part of the nomination process for the 2027 World Monuments Watch List, analyzed 372 nominations, finding that 65% of respondents highlighted funding issues as a significant obstacle, an increase from 55% in 2024. Bénédicte de Montlaur, director of WMF, attributes this trend to inflation, conflict, and diminished support in the US and Europe. She emphasizes the need to view heritage as essential public resources and urges the exploration of varied funding avenues. The study also indicates that while funding cuts may yield short-term savings, they can incur higher socioeconomic costs, with over 60% of nominators recognizing heritage as a driver for local economic growth.
Key facts
- The World Monuments Fund released a study on 30 September revealing insufficient public funding has surpassed climate hazards as the primary threat to heritage sites globally.
- The research was part of the nomination process for the 2027 World Monuments Watch List, to be announced in February, with 372 nominations—almost double the previous cycle.
- 65% of nominators cited funding shortages and economic development as a primary challenge, up from 55% in 2024.
- Bénédicte de Montlaur, WMF director, says governments, particularly in Europe and the US, are reducing or stopping national and international funding for public resources due to inflation, war, climate-related disasters and competing public needs.
- De Montlaur advocates for broader funding sources through partnerships with individuals, foundations and corporations, and a more creative international fundraising model.
- Over 60% of nominators identified opportunities to leverage heritage for local economies through sustainable tourism, urban revitalisation, and job and skill creation.
- Around 30% of nominators cited extreme weather events like flooding, storms, drought and wildfires as a main challenge, most severe in Sub-Saharan Africa, including damage to the Unesco-listed Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove in Nigeria.
- About 35% of nominators identified a need for technical expertise, highlighting traditional crafts revival and conservation training, such as at Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani in Cairo, an early 16th-century Sufi complex where WMF collaborates with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
Entities
Artists
- Bénédicte de Montlaur
- Antonia Piñeiro
- Henry VIII
- Brinda Somaya
- Victoria Herrmann
- Rohit Jigyasu
- Ishanlosen Odiaua
- John Schofield
- Roger Valencia
- Patiphol Yodsurang
- Amancio Williams
- Delfina Williams
- Ruth Asawa
- Josef Albers
- Anni Albers
- Merce Cunningham
- John Cage
- Anna Fixsen
Institutions
- World Monuments Fund
- Unesco
- Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities
- The Art Newspaper
- UNESCO
- World Monuments Watch
- Cultivating Resilience
- Coastal Connections
- Somaya Sompat
- Preserving Legacies
- SEAMEO-SPAFA
- World Bank
- ICOMOS Nigeria
- University of York
- Kasetsart University
- ArchDaily
- Knoll
- Architectus
- United Nations
- Black Mountain College
- Wallpaper*
- ELLE DECOR
Locations
- Europe
- United States
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Nigeria
- Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove
- Middle East
- Africa
- Cairo
- Egypt
- Hurst Castle
- Hampshire
- England
- United Kingdom
- Rajon ki Baoli
- India
- Black Mountain College Studies Building
- North Carolina
- Takiyyat Ibrahim al-Gulshani
- Casa sobre el Arroyo
- Argentina
- Namibe Cinema-Studio
- Angola
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Stadium
- Addis Ababa
- Ethiopia
- Peru
- France
- Asia
- sub-Saharan Africa
- Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove
- Scotland
- Inner Hebrides
- Fingal's Cave
- Brooklyn