Grant Application Guidelines 2025
Call for projects for Cultural Heritage Protection in Central Asia
This document provides guidance for potential applicants. It outlines the areas of intervention and the purpose of the grant.
The deadline of this Call for projects is set to Thursday, 31 July 2025, 15:00 CET. The projects will be evaluated in the course of the following months and the final decision will be communicated to applicants by December 2025 at the latest.
This call for projects is funded by the European Union (Foreign Policy Instrument).
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What is ALIPH?
Based in Geneva, ALIPH is a non-profit foundation with the status of an international organization. A unique global initiative gathering public and private funders, ALIPH offers support to projects that protect and rehabilitate cultural heritage at risk, including from the effects of climate change
To learn more about our mission, please visit our website
ALIPH offers support to projects worldwide, wherever applicants can document that heritage is at risk. ALIPH supports tangible and intangible heritage.
In 2024, the ALIPH Foundation has widened its scope to tackle the issue of the impact of climate change on cultural heritage. The objective is to address the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on cultural heritage (built, mobile, and intangible, as well as the intersection of cultural/natural heritage) and to consider the role of cultural heritage, traditional knowledge systems, and indigenous communities in the fight against climate change.
Call for Projects for Cultural Heritage Protection in Central Asia 2025-2026
This special call for projects, launched in partnership with European Union, supports initiatives in Central Asia to safeguard cultural heritage in the face of climate change and disasters (fire, flooding), and in support of social inclusion and economic growth
It pays particular attention to projects in Central Asia, covering the following countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan and addressing four priorities:
1. Protecting built heritage impacted by climate change and disasters;
2. Supporting heritage institutions and their collections;
3. Safeguarding and transmitting intangible heritage practices;
4. Revitalizing and supporting traditional crafts / creative industries
Successful proposals address at least one of these priorities
The impact of these projects in terms of training, jobs, effective contribution to sustainable development, intercultural dialogue, gender equality, youth and social inclusion will be prioritized.
Categories of Projects
1. Protecting built heritage impacted by climate change and disasters
These projects can include the following type of actions:
• Conservation plans to ensure the long-term preservation of built heritage at risk.
• Emergency response and stabilization measures, such as documentation, structural consolidation, and first-aid interventions for heritage sites affected by (climate) disasters (e.g. floods, landslides, wildfires, desertification)
• Restoration, rehabilitation, and structural stabilization of damaged historic buildings and monuments.
• On-the-job training and capacity-building for heritage professionals and local artisans to enhance conservation skills.
• Preventive conservation to mitigate climate-related deterioration of historic structures.
• Multi-country cooperation initiatives that foster knowledge exchange and strengthen local capacities for heritage protection.
2. Supporting heritage institutions and their collections
These projects can include the following type of actions:
• Implementation of disaster risk reduction plan, including emergency preparedness and climate adaptation measures for museums, archives, and cultural institutions.
• Emergency response and first-aid measures, such as documentation, inventorying, stabilization, and preventive consolidation of collections at risk.
• Protection and sheltering of cultural goods, including the safe relocation of at-risk objects and in situ protective measures.
• Preventive conservation initiatives to reduce deterioration and extend the lifespan of collections, including improved storage conditions and collection condition monitoring.
• Restoration and conservation of damaged objects.
• On-the-job training and capacity-building for museum professionals, conservators, and collections managers.
• Multi-country cooperation initiatives that strengthen institutional capacities and collaboration for safeguarding collections.
3. Safeguarding and transmitting intangible heritage practices (ICH)
These projects can include the following type of actions:
• Support for local cultural institutions and community events that facilitate the practice, preservation, and teaching of ICH.
• Emergency safeguarding measures for ICH under immediate threat due to migration, displacement, or disasters.
• Capacity-building and documentation to support the safeguarding and transmission of ICH.
• Multi-country cooperation initiatives that strengthen shared ICH traditions, fostering intercultural dialogue and collaboration.
4. Revitalizing and supporting traditional crafts / creative industries
These projects can include the following type of actions:
• Preservation and documentation of traditional craft techniques, ensuring their sustainability and transmission through research, publications, and audiovisual materials.
• On-the-job training programs for artisans and cultural entrepreneurs to enhance technical skills, innovation, and business development.
• Support to community-based craft hubs and cultural spaces for production, learning, knowledge exchange and promotion initiatives, such as fair-trade networks, branding strategies, and participation in international craft fairs and exhibitions.
• Multi-country cooperation initiatives that strengthen collaborative production among artisans and creative industries.
Particular attention will be given to projects providing concrete protection measures and insitu conservation outcomes, involving on-the-job training for local heritage professionals. Regional or multi-country initiatives are encouraged
Two scales of initiatives
• Small grants (between USD 5,000 to USD 30,000) involving safeguarding, protection, conservation, rehabilitation or revitalization initiatives. As with previous ALIPH calls for projects, this category will seek to support sustainable and relevant projects fostering deep collaboration between or with local institutions and/or actors;
• Medium-sized projects (between USD 75,000 to USD 200,000) targeting safeguarding, protection, conservation, rehabilitation or revitalization initiatives of heritage, including at high-visibility heritage sites. This will also include in-situ/on-the-job training with concrete outcomes for built heritage and professionals. Multi-country initiatives are encouraged.
Duration
The project duration can be 3 to 12 months, and should be finalized at the latest in January 2027.
Selection Process and Timeline:
The deadline for this Call is Thursday, 31 July 2025, 15:00 CET The projects will be evaluated in the course of the following months and the final decision will be communicated to applicants by December 2025 at the latest.
ALIPH will select projects that best meet the selection criteria, and most significantly contribute to ALIPH’s mission.
All submitted projects will be notified of the decision by ALIPH as soon as it is taken.
Selection Criteria:
To be successful, projects should meet the following overarching criteria: relevance, quality, feasibility & sustainability, and impact, as further detailed below.
Relevance:
• Level of threat or damage: Applicants must demonstrate that the heritage is at risk or threatened or damaged by climate change or another crisis The nature of the impact should be clearly described. In cases of existing damages, applicants are asked to submit photographic documentation. For imminent threats, applicants are asked to submit a description of the situation, press articles or a local statement to illustrate the situation and conditions on the ground.
• Complementarity with other initiatives: Projects cannot duplicate existing initiatives. If similar projects already exist or are in development, applicants must demonstrate that the proposed project is complementary to these initiatives. Applicants are also strongly encouraged to include references to complementary initiatives, if these exist, in their application.
Quality:
• Scientific rationale: Project must be driven by rigorous and up-to-date scientific methodology and rely on credible evidence.
• Monitoring and evaluation quality: Projects need to integrate a strategy for monitoring and evaluation in order to keep track of the relevance and efficiency of the solutions implemented and they should identify clear lessons learned.
• Technical appraisal: The proposed solution must be built on an expert assessment and must present high-quality and technically-sound solutions.
• Cost-efficiency: Projects must be cost-efficient. For work carried out by third parties or contractors ALIPH may require quotes. ALIPH may request reference price lists and procurement policies to ensure the realism and cost-efficiency of the budget. The salaries should be in line with equivalent local or international positions. Subcontracting for amounts in excess of USD 10,000 should be based on bidding between a minimum of two suppliers, to ensure the best value for the money.
Feasibility & sustainability:
• Financial capacity:
o The applicant organization must have the financial capacity to lead and implement the project. It must have financial provisions to complete the project before receiving the final payment, which will be retained until the work has been completed and ALIPH approves the final report. Exceptions to this policy can be made only in extreme situations.
o The project should be financially sustainable, and the long-term results should not rely on further funding from ALIPH. If funds are needed for the long-term support of the outcomes, the proposal should outline options for future funding.
• Sustainability: The applicant must demonstrate a clear commitment to structural, cultural, and ecological sustainability in the proposal The applicant must explain how the project prioritizes sustainable practices, stakeholder involvements and the continuity of the initiative and the heritage restored beyond the project’s lifespan.
• Understanding of local reality: Projects including fieldwork must be based on realistic knowledge of the situation on the ground including knowledge of security and logistical issues and other risks. Applicants must be based in the country/region of the project or be able to rely on a strong partnership with local experts and institutions.
• Realism: Applicants must be aware of the local context of the heritage that they propose to work on, consider the risks and propose appropriate mitigation measures.
• Involvement of local actors and/or communities: Local actors and/or communities must be involved in the project. The project must be approved by the relevant national and/or local authorities (e.g., letter of support).
Impact:
ALIPH pays particular attention to the concrete impact of its projects and will attach particular importance to this criterion when selecting projects.
• Social and cultural impact: The project should directly address and demonstrate its social and cultural impact at the local, regional, or national level, including the potential for dialogue between different communities or groups.
• Environmental impact: The project should aim to have an as low as possible carbon footprint and contribute to sustainable and positive ecological development.
• Economic impact (where relevant): The project should seek to produce economic impact for the communities where the initiative is implemented (number of jobs, of trained people, of local activities, etc.). Operators should be able to demonstrate the direct economic impact of the project in the short and long term
Language:
Proposals should be submitted in English, with an optional executive summary in French If necessary, automatic translation systems can be used.
Eligibility:
Eligible operators and institutions:
• Institutions in charge of the protection, conservation, and promotion of cultural heritage;
• Private organizations (foundations, NGO, non-profit, charity, associations, etc.);
• Universities and research centers;
• Private, for-profit organizations can be considered based on the overall interest of the project and the lack of availability of non-profit alternatives.
The applicants must demonstrate that they have:
• Previous relevant experience (including management of projects of comparable size);
• Relevant expertise (including capacity for research project as applicable);
• Financial stability;
• Capacity to deliver the project and ensure its lasting impact;
• The necessary agreements with local/national authorities
For applicants from outside the country of implementation, the application must demonstrate the ability to implement in the selected environment and collaborate with local partners (local registration) The necessary authorizations will be requested. Applicants must also be able to financially operate in the proposed country, including the ability to transfer funds to local partners, etc.
ALIPH reserves the right to perform background checks and screenings throughout the review process.
Multiple Applications
Applicants are allowed to submit multiple applications.
Eligible Costs
• Research designed in support of project implementation or to provide actionable data;
• Purchase of equipment and material for the project (including laboratory equipment);
• Security and risk mitigation costs;
• Professional and expert fees;
• Wages, stipends, consulting fees for implementation personnel;
• Project-related travel costs including transportation and housing fees;
• Communication about the project;
• Dissemination of knowledge, publication of documents;
• On-the-job training.
Administration costs should not exceed 10% of the total budget for the project. When possible, purchased equipment should be transferred to the main local beneficiary of the project.
Reporting:
ALIPH requests periodical reports on the progress of the project, as well as a final narrative and financial report, with all necessary receipts. The reporting schedule will be determined in the Grant Agreement. The reports must describe activities carried out by the projects and demonstrate that the funds are spent in accordance with the project proposal.
The reports must include the following elements:
Progress report
Activities undertaken, outcomes achieved, progress towards the agreed objectives
Modifications of the timeline or expenditure
Newly identified risks
Current state of expenditure
Final report
Summary of activities and outcomes, overall achievements of the project, comparing to the agreed objectives
Evidence of completion & impact
Assessment, summary of challenges and solutions, lessons learned and recommendations for future similar actions.
Detailed financial report including receipts
The reports must be as thorough as possible, show the progress made, highlight the accomplishments but also identify the aspects that were less successful.
Reports must include photographic, technical, and financial evidence of activities and progress towards agreed objectives.