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World Monuments Fund Commits $7M to 21 Heritage Sites Globally
The World Monuments Fund allocates $7 million to 21 sites globally, including Belfast's Assembly Rooms, vacant since 2000 and listed as at-risk for urgent conservation.
The World Monuments Fund will commit $7 million in 2026 to support 21 new preservation projects across five continents, aiming to turn urgency into workable preservation action.
Last year, WMF placed the Assembly Rooms on its at-risk list, prompting follow-up action in the 2026 funding round, responding to threats like climate change and conflict.
The Assembly Rooms, Belfast, built 1769, has been vacant since 2000 and suffered vandalism; WMF will support planning for restoration and reuse.
Belfast City Council bought the building last year, and officials welcomed WMF's backing for documentation, emergency conservation, and sustainable reuse to return the Assembly Rooms to public life.
Across the portfolio, WMF groups efforts into three tracks—conservation, management, and training—supporting sites on Japan's Noto Peninsula, Antakya in Türkiye, and the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, funded by multiple donors including AXA and Accor.