Five European Countries Pledge Nearly €4 Million to Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage Fund

Five European countries are investing nearly €4 million in the newly established Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund.

The Gaze reports on this, referring to Ukrinform.

The participation of European countries in supporting Ukraine’s culture was announced by Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna during the conference “Culture and investment: public-private partnerships, patronage, investment projects”, which brought together representatives of the government, parliament, international organizations, business, and cultural institutions.

As Berezhna informed, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Spain have confirmed their intention to provide financial support to the Fund by the end of the year. The total investment amounts to approximately €4 million, which, according to her, will serve as a starting capital for the restoration of Ukraine’s cultural institutions.

Although the amount is relatively small compared to the overall damage, its use will be transparent and overseen by specially established management bodies.

“We are currently investing a lot of effort into ensuring the transparency of this process. Management bodies will be created: a supervisory board and a director democratically elected to decide where the funds should be directed and which projects to support,” said Berezhna.

According to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, numerous cultural heritage sites have been affected by Russian aggression. As a result of Russian attacks, 1,630 heritage sites and 2,437 cultural infrastructure objects have been destroyed or damaged, with losses exceeding $24.4 billion.

In response, Ukraine is systematically building modern mechanisms for cultural recovery. Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Culture presented the Ministry’s initiatives to strengthen the institutional capacity of the cultural sector, including the development of philanthropy, and attracting international support.

Berezhna emphasized that culture is a cornerstone of national security, while state funding is insufficient to cover the scale of needs. Therefore, alternative sources of support are being created, including the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund for international investments, the “Own Business” program for creative entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and public-private partnerships.

The Minister also presented legislative and organizational tools for philanthropy, including financial incentives for businesses and supervisory boards to ensure transparency. Separately, an educational program for cultural managers was announced, which will help develop institutions, build partnerships with businesses and donors, and support sustainable cultural initiatives.

In May 2025, Ukraine established the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund in partnership with ALIPH to channel international financial aid for the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage damaged or threatened by Russia’s war. 

The fund, headquartered in an EU member state with a representative office in Ukraine, will attract donor contributions, run competitive project tenders, support digital transformation, and strengthen professional expertise in the heritage sector. 

As The Gaze reported earlier, Denmark announced that it would support the restoration of Ukrainian cultural heritage destroyed as a result of Russian aggression by allocating €1.3 million to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund.

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