World Monuments Fund Receives U.S. Department of State Award for Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Ayutthaya, Thailand
World Monuments Fund (WMF) and the Thai Ministry of Culture’s Fine Arts Department (FAD) are undertaking a two-year project of documentation, conservation, and site-management at Wat Chaiwatthanaram in Ayutthaya, Thailand, to continue its work at the seventeenth-century Buddhist temple, which was affected by the disastrous 2011 floods.
The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) and the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok awarded $700,000 to this project. It is the largest AFCP grant received by any country in 2013. The award is being presented at a ceremony held at the National Museum in Bangkok 2 (more) today. WMF has also secured support of $347,000 from the Robert W. Wilson Challenge to Conserve Our Heritage for ongoing on-site conservation activities, matching significant commitments from the Thai government.