Emergency fund

Museums, libraries, archives, public heritage services, protection associations and communities whose heritage is threatened by armed conflict or a related disaster may apply for funding. Member States have priority, but institutions in non-member States may be supported by decision of the committee.

The application must show the urgency, the heritage value of the property, the impossibility of financing the action from one's own means and the applicant's capacity to carry out the action.

The fund finances protective equipment (crates, geotextiles, temporary security systems), secure transport, the work of experts, the digitisation of collections and archives, and, in some cases, allowances for mobilised local staff. It does not finance long-term reconstruction, which falls to the Protection Fund.

Amounts range from a few thousand to three hundred thousand euros. They are paid in instalments, according to progress, and justified by invoices and reports.

The application is made through a short form on the Desk or by telephone in an emergency. A decision is given within seventy-two hours by a committee of three people, which may grant an advance. A complete file is then examined within thirty days.

At the end of the action, the beneficiary submits a narrative and financial report. Reports are published in an annual summary that guarantees transparency in the use of funds.

The emergency fund responds to acute situations. For reconstruction and restoration, OIMAP relies on the Protection Fund and on partnerships with organisations such as UNESCO, foundations and donor States.

This funding runs over several years and includes training of local staff, restoration of buildings and lasting digitisation of collections, which ensure that heritage will be better protected in future.