NEW YORK, NY.- World Monuments Fund (WMF) today announces more than $7 million in support of 21 new projects launching in 2026. These investments advance work at sites included on the 2025 World Monuments Watch list — its nomination-based advocacy program — while supporting new phases of conservation, planning, and training at additional heritage places across five continents.

WMF’s 2026 financing supports locally led preservation efforts that address urgent challenges, ranging from climate change and natural disasters to unsustainable tourism and the loss of Indigenous knowledge. The projects reflect WMF’s commitment to solutions that strengthen communities, cutting-edge technology, and long-term academic partnerships.

“Around the world, communities are confronting profound challenges, from climate-related disasters and environmental change to the long aftermath of conflict and crisis,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund. “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.”

These commitments are supported in part by contributions from the AXA Foundation for Human Progress, Lead Partner for the World Monuments Watch; Accor, WMF’s Sustainable Tourism Partner for the 2025 World Monuments Watch; The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust; the Gerard B. Lambert Foundation; The Freeman Foundation; and many other generous donors.

Physical Conservation & Intervention

These new projects reflect the most visible part of WMF’s work: preserving and rebuilding structures. Such efforts entail on-the-ground preservation work and collaboration with regional experts, whose dedication and technical knowledge ensure long-term involvement in these projects in the decades to come.

• Safdar Jang’s Tomb, New Delhi, India: Safdar Jang’s Tomb is an 18th‑century Mughal mausoleum set within one of Delhi’s few spatially intact charbagh gardens. Altered layouts, environmental pressures, and climate risks threaten the historic garden design and water systems. WMF is supporting restoration of the garden’s pathways, fountains, and plantings while integrating archival research, climate‑suitability analysis, and community engagement to strengthen long‑term resilience.

• Chapel of the Sorbonne, Paris, France: The Chapel of the Sorbonne is a major work of French classical architecture in the historic Latin Quarter. Long-standing structural issues and deteriorating artworks have restricted public access for decades. WMF is working on conservation in partnership with the City of Paris, the owner of the monument, and the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris, addressing structural conditions and safeguarding key artworks to reopen the site to the public for cultural venues. The monumental doors were restored in 2025 and the first phase of conservation work, focused on mural paintings including masterpieces by Philippe de Champaigne, started in January 2026.

• Terracotta Sculptures of Alcobaça Monastery, Portugal: The terracotta sculptures of Alcobaça Monastery date back to the 17th century and are rare examples of large-scale sculptural work within a UNESCO-listed complex. Material fragility and environmental exposure pose ongoing risks. WMF is fundraising to ensure preservation, knowledge transfer and training.

• Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, Antigua and Barbuda: The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda is a key institution for interpreting the nation’s history. Structural and environmental challenges threaten the building and its collections. WMF is undertaking a condition assessment and priority interventions to address urgent needs and support long-term resilience.

• Takiyyat al-Gulshani, Egypt: This rare early Ottoman religious complex faces extensive deterioration after decades of instability. WMF is advancing conservation of the mausoleum, courtyard, and entrance elements while continuing documentation, research, and training for Egyptian conservation professionals.

• Noto Peninsula Heritage Sites, Japan: The 2024 earthquake caused widespread damage across the Noto Peninsula to historic districts, shrines, and vernacular architecture central to local identity. WMF is supporting restoration of damaged buildings and shrines while strengthening community-led recovery rooted in heritage- based revitalization.

• National Palace of Sintra, Portugal: The National Palace of Sintra is a major Portuguese monument known for its exceptional glazed tiles and layered architecture. WMF is supporting multi‑phase conservation of historic tilework, floors, and finishes in partnership with Parques de Sintra, alongside training and public engagement.

• Church of Saint-Eustache, Paris, France: Saint-Eustache is one of Paris’s most significant historic churches, known for its monumental scale and rich artistic program. Structural movement, material decay, and environmental stresses have placed the building and its artworks at risk. WMF supported the restoration of the Saint-Joseph Chapel (finished in 2023), worked with the City of Paris and the parish of Saint- Eustache on an interpretive pathway designed to highlight for visitors the church’s rich architectural, artistic, and social history (installed 2025) and is working with the City of Paris on the restoration of the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Chapel where a triptych by Keith Haring is installed.

• Almada Negreiros Murals, Maritime Station of Alcântara, Lisbon, Portugal: The Maritime Stations of Lisbon house one of the most important ensembles of twentieth- century mural painting in Portugal, created by modernist artist Almada Negreiros. WMF Portugal is advancing a new phase of conservation at the Maritime Station of Alcântara, focused on treating eight monumental murals and associated architectural finishes to ensure their long-term preservation and public access, in partnership with Porto de Lisboa.

• Jewish Heritage of Debdou, Morocco: Debdou preserves synagogues, cemeteries, and a historic mellah reflecting centuries of Sephardic life. WMF is supporting documentation and planning with Moroccan and international partners to guide long‑term conservation and future adaptive reuse.

• Historic City of Antakya, Türkiye: Antakya is a historic city shaped by centuries of cultural and religious exchange, home to many churches, synagogues, and mosques. The 2023 earthquake devastated large portions of the city and its historic fabric. WMF is advancing conservation planning and coordination to support long-term recovery and protect historic structures.

Heritage Management & Community Engagement

These projects work directly with local communities to strengthen their ability to care for and manage their heritage sites over the long term. Through conservation planning, cultural mapping, interpretation, and community-driven engagement, this work builds local capacity while guiding future preservation decisions. By centering local knowledge and participation, these initiatives ensure that heritage management strategies are practical, sustainable, and grounded in the priorities of the people who know these places best.

• Monasteries of the Drino Valley, Albania: The monasteries of the Drino Valley are a significant concentration of religious and cultural landmarks that anchor rural communities in southern Albania. Structural instability and limited local resources place many sites at risk. WMF is supporting emergency conservation at Dhuvjan Monastery and advancing planning for a heritage-led cultural route that links sites across the valley while strengthening stewardship and sustainable tourism.

• Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru): The Qhapaq Ñan is a vast transnational cultural landscape that continues to connect Indigenous communities across the Andes. Development pressures and environmental change threaten both the road system and traditional management practices. WMF is supporting community-centered conservation through documentation and cultural mapping, strengthening local stewardship while advancing sustainable tourism rooted in Indigenous knowledge.

• Cinema Studio Namibe, Angola: Cinema Studio Namibe is a landmark of Angolan modernist architecture and an important center of cultural life. Years of deterioration have left the building vulnerable and underused. WMF is undertaking a comprehensive condition assessment and conservation planning process to guide phased restoration and adaptive reuse, supporting its long-term preservation and renewed public role.

• Sand Island, Bears Ears National Monument, United States: Sand Island contains one of the most significant concentrations of rock art by the region’s Tribal Nations dating as far back as 13,000 years. Increased visitation and environmental exposure pose risks to these fragile resources. WMF builds on its longstanding relationship with the Greater Bears Ears Partnership and supports visitor infrastructure and interpretation that balance access, protection, and Indigenous-informed stewardship.

• Serifos Historic Mining Landscape, Greece: The historic mining landscape of Serifos reflects the island’s industrial heritage and social history, having played a key part in Greece’s labor movement. Key structures, including the Mega Livadi loading bridge, face advanced deterioration. WMF is supporting urgent stabilization to preserve industrial heritage and strengthen interpretation as part of a long-term vision for an open-air mining museum on the island.

• Historic Water Systems of Bhuj, India: Bhuj’s historic water systems have shaped the city’s development and remain central to daily life. Urban growth and climate pressures have placed these systems at increasing risk. WMF is documenting and analyzing historic water infrastructure to inform climate adaptation strategies and support long- term stewardship.

• Belfast Assembly Rooms, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom: The Belfast Assembly Rooms is a significant civic building that has long been central to the city’s cultural life. Years of vacancy and deterioration have left the structure at risk. WMF is supporting documentation, planning, and stabilization to prepare the building for restoration and renewed public use.

• Rapa Nui National Park, Chile: WMF has worked with local stakeholders at Rapa Nui since 1967, supporting the conservation of moai, ceremonial sites, and archaeological landscapes. Current efforts with the Ma’u Henua Community advance integrated conservation, documentation, training, and sustainable visitor management.

Training

Training-focused projects invest in building skills and professional pathways that support the future of preservation work. Through hands-on learning, mentorship, and applied conservation experience, these initiatives strengthen local capacity and expand access to preservation careers. This category reflects WMF’s commitment to ensuring that expertise, knowledge, and stewardship are sustained across generations.

• Bridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC), New Orleans Preservation Training Cohort, United States: Historic cemeteries in New Orleans face growing threats from climate impacts and deferred maintenance. Limited access to training has constrained local preservation capacity. WMF is launching a workforce training cohort centered at .St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, aligning workforce development with active conservation needs.

• Bodwease Shrine, Asante Traditional Buildings, Ghana: The Bodwease Shrine is part of the Asante Traditional Buildings, a group of earthen structures reflecting cultural traditions and craftsmanship. Climate impacts and loss of traditional knowledge have increased vulnerability at the site. WMF is advancing a new phase of conservation and training to strengthen resilience and local stewardship.