Building Capacity in Fundraising for Syrian Heritage Organisations
Ettijahat – Independent Culture has launched a capacity-building programme in fundraising for Syrian heritage organisations, aimed at empowering practitioners working in the field of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in Syria, within the framework of the Douroub programme.
This training programme seeks to strengthen the capacities of Syrian organisations working in the safeguarding of cultural heritage by supporting them in developing fundraising strategies, writing funding proposals, and building sustainable relationships with donors. It aims to enhance the fundraising skills of 16 practitioners (two representatives from each organisation) from organisations active in the heritage sector across different regions of Syria, enabling them to develop compelling funding proposals and sustainable resource mobilisation strategies. The programme also supports the practical development of eight organisations by enabling their teams to refine project concepts, prepare budgets, and submit funding applications through applied learning. In addition, it includes the development of a comprehensive training manual in Arabic on fundraising for heritage, which will be made available digitally and free of charge to practitioners across Syria, ensuring that the programme’s benefits extend beyond the direct participants.
Selected Entities
Syrian House for Arts Collective
A non-profit cultural and artistic collective active in the city of Masyaf, working to activate cultural life and strengthen community engagement through the arts. It organises a range of activities, including visual art exhibitions, theatre performances, a film club, and heritage bazaars, alongside choir programmes for both adults and children. The collective seeks to raise cultural awareness and safeguard both tangible and intangible heritage through diverse artistic and community-based initiatives. It also organises an annual festival that highlights local heritage as a means of strengthening social cohesion.
Al Adiat Association in Latakia
A civil society organisation dedicated to safeguarding Syria’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. It works to promote archaeological awareness and encourage visits to historical sites, alongside preserving customs and traditions as key components of intangible heritage. It also organises the annual “Ramita” competition for heritage, archaeology, literature, and the arts, and delivers specialised training courses in excavation, documentation, and restoration.
Syrians for Built Heritage (SFBHA)
Syrians for Built Heritage Association (SFBHA) is an independent, non-profit non-governmental organisation established in 2021, operating across Syria through a participatory and volunteer-based approach. It works to safeguard Syrian built heritage as a cultural whole that reflects the diversity of society, in the face of challenges resulting from conflict and unregulated urban expansion. It seeks to reintegrate this heritage into sustainable urban environments that contribute to economic development and cultural tourism, working through specialised committees and local and international partnerships to nationally promote its role in safeguarding heritage.
A development organisation active in the Daraa Governorate, working with rural communities to promote reverse migration and empower young people. The foundation has developed a model centred on investing in local resources as well as architectural and cultural heritage, with a focus on studying village identity and traditional building methods. It aims to preserve local specificity and strengthen belonging by linking development to heritage and identity, while expanding this model to other areas through training programmes and innovation and sustainability-driven initiatives.
A non-governmental organisation working in culture, arts, and local development, based in Sahnaya in Rural Damascus. It seeks to strengthen social cohesion and citizenship by activating cultural life, empowering youth and women, and supporting community initiatives. The organisation works on organising cultural events, documenting local identity, and safeguarding both tangible and intangible heritage, including oral memory and folk arts, while linking cultural work with community development to enhance civic engagement and dialogue.
A cultural initiative founded in 2016 as a print magazine dedicated to translating Kurdish heritage into Arabic, later evolving in 2018 into a digital platform active in North and East Syria. The platform works to collect and archive the intangible cultural heritage of the region’s diverse communities and make it accessible to Arabic-speaking audiences. It has also contributed to several documentation projects, including the collection, recording, translation, and interpretation of traditional folk stories. The platform aims to highlight the rich human value of this heritage and strengthen its digital presence.
Vision Organisation for Community Development
A civil initiative established in the city of Raqqa with the aim of supporting the local community and contributing to recovery after years of war. The organisation implements development and cultural initiatives that promote the protection of identity and heritage and support youth participation in public life. It focuses on safeguarding both tangible and intangible heritage and strengthening cultural memory, alongside supporting community dialogue and local initiatives. Its vision is grounded in the belief in the role of communities in building a more stable and cohesive future.
An independent artistic initiative launched in 2016 in the city of Damascus as an open space aimed at making art part of people’s everyday lives, with a particular focus on children and young people in marginalised areas. It works to enable participants to engage with contemporary art while remaining connected to local heritage, fostering a deeper understanding of identity and self-expression. The initiative implements programmes and workshops to build the capacities of emerging artists and develop their skills in artistic production and facilitation. It also seeks to document visual heritage and connect it to communities, while promoting social cohesion and dialogue through the arts.
Selection Committee Statement
The committee convened on 13 April 2026 to review the submitted applications following their individual assessment. After a collective and in-depth discussion of all submissions, the committee is pleased to select eight organisations and entities based in Syria to benefit from the Capacity Building in Fundraising for Syrian Heritage Organisations programme during 2026.
The selection process considered a number of key factors, including geographical diversity, the range of project themes, the clarity of the submitted proposals, the applicants’ need for training, and the expected impact of the projects on their communities. In addition to the announced criteria, efforts were made to ensure geographical balance and fair representation across different regions.
The committee was pleased to review a rich and varied set of applications that approached heritage from different perspectives, reflecting a growing interest in working on intangible cultural heritage as an entry point for community development and the strengthening of social ties. A diversity of approaches and tools was also evident, highlighting the vitality of this sector and its capacity for renewal.
At the same time, the committee noted that some proposals could have benefited from greater clarity and specificity, particularly in defining the type of heritage being addressed and in formulating expected outputs in a more precise and measurable way, thereby enhancing the feasibility of implementation and the assessment of impact.
The committee commends the considerable efforts made by all applicants and expresses its appreciation for the overall quality of the submissions, wishing all entities continued success in their future endeavours.
Basma El Husseini
Waseem Al-Bahri
This programme is designed with the support of the Cultural Protection Fund of the British Council and in collaboration with Cultural Emergency Response.
For enquiries related to the Douroub programme, please contact: douroub@ettijahat.org
