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About UCHF

The Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund (UCHF) is a multi-donor platform dedicated to protecting and restoring Ukraine’s cultural heritage and development of Ukrainian culture amid the devastation of war.

February 2025:

The creation of the Fund was outlined in the Uzhhorod Declaration on Strengthening Cultural Sector Resilience in Ukraine, endorsed by 31 countries.

May 2025:

The European Commission reaffirmed that safeguarding Ukraine’s cultural heritage is a high priority and delivered a study by the European Expert Network on Culture (EENC), compiling European case studies on heritage fund management to guide the design of the UCHF.

June 2025:

A stakeholder workshop in Florence, following the RES-POL EU-funded project on cultural and creative industries policies, brought together Ukrainian cultural actors, international institutions, and heritage finance experts to develop a blueprint for the Fund, setting the stage for its launch and early operational steps.

July 2025:

The Fund was officially launched at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025) in Rome.

September 2025:

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine and the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage (ALIPH) was signed, initiating the first steps of the Fund’s implementation.

October 2025:

UCHF has been registered in Brussels as a non-profit association. The Fund then opens a dedicated bank account and starts accepting contributions commited by our partners.

January 2026:

The Board of Directors is appointed by the Fund's General Assembly.

February 2026:

The Board of Directors approves the strategy, the code of ethics and other internal policies, and initiates the selection of the Managing Director of the UCHF.

April 2026:

Following a thorough open & transparent selection process, Oleksandra Kovalchuk is elected the Managing Director from more than 30 candidates. Oleksandra brings more than ten years of experience in museum management, cultural policy, and international partnerships.

Mission and Vision

© UNESCO / Yulia Boyko; graphically elaborated for design purposes

Vision:

To preserve, restore, and promote Ukraine’s cultural heritage and culture as expressions of its identity, resilience, and democratic values, ensuring their renewal for future generations through international solidarity and national commitment.

Mission:

The Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund (UCHF) mobilises international and national resources to protect, restore, and revitalise Ukraine’s cultural heritage damaged by war and develop Ukrainian culture.

UCHF will combine rapid emergency response, structured grant-making, and institutional capacity buildingfor the benefit of the heritage and wider culture sector in Ukraine.

In the pilot grant phase, the UCHF will:
  • Stabilize of a war-damaged historic landmark: a targeted intervention focused on enabling rehabilitation through the emergency stabilization and safeguarding of a selected war-damaged historic site or monument, aimed at preventing further deterioration, enabling safe access where relevant, and subsequent restoration phases.
  • Upgrade storage spaces and provide emergency storage solutions for relocated collections: support the adaptation, equipment, and securing of temporary or permanent storage facilities hosting evacuated museum and archive collections, including climate control, security measures, fire prevention, and basic conservation infrastructure, in order to ensure basic preservation standards under emergency conditions.
  • Emergency digitization, inventory, and documentation actions: rapid documentation and digitization initiatives focusing on museum collections (possibly on libraries and archives) from war-affected areas, including inventories, photographic and technical documentation, and basic digital records, to support risk mitigation, traceability, and future conservation or recovery efforts.
Potential additional areas, subject to the availability of designated funds, include:
  • Intangible cultural heritage initiative: a pilot project aimed at safeguarding endangered intangible cultural heritage practices affected by war, through documentation, transmission, and community-based activities involving practitioners and bearers, with a focus on continuity, intergenerational transmission, and local ownership.
  • Contemporary cultural heritage preservation and representation: an initiative prioritising the preservation and safeguarding of contemporary Ukrainian cultural heritage and artistic production affected by and created in reaction to the war, with funding focused on sustaining creation, documentation, and presentation of works, primarily in situ or through heritage-oriented formats, while selectively enabling international exhibitions and representation of Ukrainian cultural heritage abroad as a means of protection, visibility, and continuity.

Governance

The Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund (UCHF) is a Belgian-registered non-profit association (ASBL) dedicated to protecting, restoring cultural heritage and developing culture in Ukraine.

On behalf of the Ukrainian government, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine (MCSC) has been involved in establishing the Fund and will continue to support it by mapping the needs and priorities of Ukraine’s cultural sector.

The ALIPH Foundation, an internationally recognised leader in protecting cultural heritage in crisis situations, manages the Fund, providing transparent and accountable oversight and contributing in-kind expertise to its operations.

UCHF is governed by a clear
and transparent structure:

  • General Assembly: approves strategy, budgets, and appoints Board members.
  • The Board: Oversees operations, programs, and resources, including representatives from founding members, Ukrainian authorities, and civil society.
  • Committees: Expert, Ethics and Governance, and Audit Committees provide expert guidance, ensure compliance, and support good governance.

Pierre Heilbronn, The Chair of the Board, is the legal representative of the Association, and Oleksandra Kovalchuk, the Managing Director, heads the Secretariat and manages the Fund.

Members:

Members include the 2 founding members as well as countries, organizations, foundations, and private contributors who support UCHF’s mission, contribute financially on a regular basis, and adhere to its statutes.

Transparency & Accountability:

UCHF ensures full financial and operational transparency.

Legal Framework:

UCHF operates under Belgian law as a non-profit with international reach.