The British Council has opened a new round of funding for international cultural heritage projects, offering grants of up to £500,000 to organisations in Pakistan and other countries — as the organisation simultaneously grapples with a £197 million Covid-era loan and significant cuts to its own operations.
The Cultural Protection Fund, launched in 2016 by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in partnership with the British Council, has awarded more than £50 million to around 178 projects across 20 countries since its inception. Funded through UK Overseas Development Assistance, the programme aims to protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage at risk from conflict and climate change. The latest funding round, with a deadline of around 20 July 2026, is open to eligible organisations in Pakistan and other regions.
Pakistan, a relatively recent addition to the fund’s eligible countries, received more than £800,000 across six projects in a 2024 funding round. Those projects included the restoration of traditional houseboats used by the Mohana people on Manchar Lake in Sindh, threatened by severe drought and flooding; the digital documentation and conservation of Buddhist rock carvings in Swat Valley; the revitalisation of one of Karachi’s last remaining historic reading rooms; documentation of endangered maritime archaeological sites in the Indus Delta; preservation of Hazara community intangible heritage in Balochistan; and conservation work on an 18th-century palace in Yasin Valley threatened by climate-driven weather events.
Supporters of the fund argue it advances UK soft power, supports diplomatic relationships and contributes to long-term stability in fragile regions. Critics have questioned the return on investment for British taxpayers, particularly given the British Council’s own financial difficulties. The organisation took on a £197 million government loan during the Covid pandemic, which it has struggled to repay, and has implemented significant job cuts and country closures in recent years. The Care Quality Commission last week described the Trust — in an unrelated context — but the British Council’s own National Audit Office review highlighted the tension between continued international programme delivery and its precarious financial position.
The programme is subject to parliamentary oversight. Decisions about funding are made by DCMS with the British Council acting as delivery partner.
