About Us
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities.
We are headquartered in New York City with offices and affiliates in Cambodia, China, France, India, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Since 1965, our global team of experts has preserved the world's diverse cultural heritage using the highest international standards at more than 700 sites in 112 countries.
In 2025, we are celebrating 60 years of protecting cultural heritage around the globe.
Mission & Values
Our Mission
World Monuments Fund works with local communities around the world to safeguard irreplaceable cultural heritage.
Our Values
A Sense of Wonder
The extraordinary achievements of humankind fill us with awe and admiration. We celebrate the world’s remarkable built heritage, highlighting its diversity and amplifying the voices less often heard, while protecting it against the natural and human forces that threaten to destroy it.
A People-First Approach
The world’s irreplaceable and unique places were shaped by human hands and have sustained people for generations. The link between place and community is essential and collaboration is the foundation of our work. We embrace humility, listening, and learning as the basis to develop projects that support long- term social and economic benefits for local communities.
A Can-Do Attitude
We approach all we do with passion, an openness to challenges, and a readiness to intervene rapidly in the most demanding environments—all while employing the highest international standards in cultural heritage preservation and continuing to expand the field.
Global Offices
WMF Headquarters
Rockefeller Center
6oo Fifth Avenue, 25th Floor
New York, NY 10020
United States
+1 646 424-9594
WMF in China
Wuta Temple Village, Haidian District
Beijing, China
china@wmf.org
WMF in India
Birla Centurion, 3rd Floor, Century Mills Compound
Pandurang Budhkar Marg, Worli, Mumbai – 400 030, Maharashtra, India
india.office@wmf.org
WMF in Portugal
1250-138 Lisbon, Portugal
+(351) 21 384 1120
portugal@wmf.org
Our History
The founding of World Monuments Fund can be traced to James A. Gray (1909–1994), a man consumed in his determination to arrest the precarious lean of the Tower of Pisa. Following his retirement from a military career in 1960, Gray traveled throughout Europe and to UNESCO in Paris in his pursuit of stabilizing his architectural wonder.
During his expedition, Gray discovered that there was no independent organization supporting the conservation of art and architecture on a global scale. Gray filled this critical void on March 15, 1965, when he established the International Fund for Monuments (IFM), forever changing the field with a flexible and innovative approach to addressing international conservation challenges. In 1985, this organization would become World Monuments Fund, recognized today as a leading voice in safeguarding sites of universal and local importance.
2025 marks our 60th anniversary safeguarding some of the world's most treasured places.
Press Room
Visit our press room for our latest press releases, media kits, and more.
For additional information, please contact Keaton Ramjit, Media Relations Manager, at kramjit@wmf.org.
As a 501(c)(3) public charity, we seek to operate under the highest standards of financial accountability and excellence.
WMF is audited by an independent accounting firm each year and governed by a Board of Trustees. We have made our latest annual reports and Form 990 freely available by download, as well as our most recent audited financial statements.
Contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Please consider your gift to World Monuments Fund for your company’s employee matching gift program.
Financial statements may be obtained from the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271, or by contacting us directly.
Staff & Board
Our team has been recognized as some of the brightest and most capable minds in the field of heritage preservation.
Partners
WMF’s work depends on the generous support of our Institutional partners, who make possible a wide range of projects and initiatives around the globe.
Careers
Help us protect the world’s architectural heritage of significant monuments, buildings, and sites. Explore open positions at World Monuments Fund.