Kress Foundation European Preservation Program

Following successful collaboration on a dozen preservation projects around Europe, in 1987, the Kress Foundation and World Monuments Fund (WMF) launched a formal partnership in the form of the Kress Foundation European Preservation Program, administered by WMF and sponsored by the Kress Foundation. From 1987 to 1999, this program awarded nearly $3 million in the form of 110 matching grants to preservation projects in thirty one countries, mostly in Europe, with a minority in the Middle East. The projects which received support varied in scope, but generally consisted of planning, documentation, emergency repairs, narrowly-defined phases of work, or on-site training. Occasionally, the program also supported conferences, publications, and preservation advocacy efforts. This program stimulated the growth of WMF’s European affiliates, allowed for both organizations to respond to preservation needs in the former Soviet bloc, and helped WMF to formalize its project selection and management process. This publication includes profiles of all of the projects supported by the program.