Jul

19

Did You Know

Filed Under Other 

American Express, Partners in Preservation

In June 2006, American Express announced the launch of American Express Partners in Preservation, a $10 million, five-year commitment to historic preservation that renews the company´s focus on securing the use of cultural assets for the future.

The American Express Partners in Preservation program builds upon the company´s decade-long relationship with the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and establishes a partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The new program is dedicated to preserving sites both in the U.S. and around the world.

American Express partnership with the National Trust seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of historic and environmental conservation in the United States, preserve American historic and cultural landmarks and strengthen local communities through preservation efforts.

The National Trust is a U.S. non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring America’s historic landmarks and communities. In the past American Express has supported National Trust for Historic Preservation initiatives, including its Save America´s Treasures and Heritage Tourism programs.

American Express Partners in Preservation extends the company’s decade-long relationship with WMF through a renewed commitment to preservation.

Based in New York, WMF is the foremost private non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the world’s cultural and architectural heritage.

American Express is the founding sponsor of WMF´s World Monuments Watch program,
established in 1995 to call international attention to and ensure the preservation of cultural heritage sites around the world threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed conflict, or natural disaster.

The company has contributed more than $10 million over the past ten years to help preserve 119 historic sites in 59 countries from the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites.

Going forward, sites chosen for grants will be chosen both from the Watch List and from among other projects identified by WMF as particularly in need of funding.

Through the American Express Partners in Preservation program, American Express will provide $5 million for each partner to advance their work in saving and restoring sites.

Following on the heels of the inaugural San Francisco Bay Area program, the Chicago metro area will be the second region to receive $1 million in funding from American Express under the initiative.

The Chicago community will be invited to participate in the program by voting for their favorite landmark to ultimately choose the winning historic site from a list of contenders.

The Chicagoland program will be similar to the San Francisco Bay Area effort. American Express, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will identify historic sites throughout the metro area that reflect the region´s rich and diverse cultural heritage to be candidates for preservation grants.

In September the Partners in Preservation team will reveal the site candidates and the public will be invited to vote online for the landmarks they would like to see win and receive funding for preservation. American Express will also announce the members of a special Advisory Committee comprised of Chicago area dignitaries to help guide American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in selecting the winning sites.

Further details around the Chicago program, timing, dates, sites and online voting will be announced in September.

(American Express and National Trust for Historic Preservation)

Comments

Comments are closed.