Letter: Paying for world monuments
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Paying for world monuments
Sir: In his article ("Clinging to the Wreckage", 10 May) about the World Monuments Watch - a programme of the World Monuments Fund in New York launched with support of $5m over five years from American Express - Adrian Dannatt is mistaken about how this grant is being used. He writes that the sum "must have been eaten up by organisational and marketing costs" and by "hungry journalists ".
In fact, of American Express's grant of $5m, 90 per cent ($4.5m) is designated for and restricted to grants to historic sites. Only the balance will be used by the World Monuments Fund for administrative expenses, including those of public relations.
The World Monuments Watch was designed to identify one hundred historic sites each year as the most imperilled in the world and make possible new funding for as many of these sites as possible. The list has been envisioned to serve as a call to action to encourage corporations, government agencies and foundations worldwide to come to the aid of imperilled historic sites. No single organisation can save the world's cultural heritage, but the response we have witnessed so far to the World Monuments Watch programme gives us every reason to move ahead with optimism.
BONNIE BURNHAM
Executive Director
World Monuments Fund
New York
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments