U.S. Embassy in Guatemala

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) supports the preservation of cultural sites, cultural objects, and forms of traditional cultural expression in more than 100 developing countries around the world. AFCP-supported projects include the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation and protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages.

Since 2001, 13 projects in Guatemala have received and implemented AFCP grants to help support the preservation of important cultural sites:

• Conservation of Classic Period Maya Cave Paintings in Naj Tunich Archaeological Park in Petén (2018)
• Preventive Conservation of the Cortes Textile Collection at the Ixchel Museum (2013)
• Conservation of the 3rd-Century Maya Site of Kaminaljuyú (2012)
  
• Conservation of the Santo Tomás Temple and Convent (2011)
• Restoration of the High Altar and Cloister of the Late 18th-Century Convent of La Merced in Guatemala City (2010)
• Preservation of the Ancient Maya Tomb #12 and Stele #2 in El Mirador-Río Azul National Park (2010)
  
• Conservation of the Late Pre-Classic Murals at San Bartolo and the Temple of the Hieroglyphic Staircase at Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, Ancient Maya Sites in Eastern Petén (2008)
  
• Conservation of Artifacts from the Pre-Classic and Classic Maya Site of El Perú-Waka’ (2007)
  
• Conservation of Late Pre-Classic Mayan Murals at San Bartolo (2006)
  
• Preventive Conservation of the Collections of the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (2005)
  
• Preventive Conservation of the Collections of the National Museum of Archeology and Ethnology(2002)
  
• Preventive Conservation of the Collections of the National Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology (2001) 

Selection Process:

There are two stages in the AFCP selection process:

1. Each year, the Cultural Heritage Center (CHC) of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) invites U.S. ambassadors serving in eligible countries to submit project proposals for cultural heritage preservation projects on behalf of museums, NGOs, and other qualified entities. Through its Cultural Affairs section, the U.S. Embassy opens a call for applications for a specified time period at some point the last quarter of the year.
2. The project selected by the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala is then sent to the CHC in Washington, D.C., which coordinates review of all proposals from participating countries and selects the projects that may ultimately be approved.

The 2023 AFCP call for applications will be open from December 5, 2022, to January 5, 2023.

All information necessary to apply will be posted here: 2023 U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP)