There are a lot of private funding initiatives of different calibers in the country, both of an individual and collective nature. Local and Diaspora benefactors may fund different education and cultural events, initiatives, projects such as equipping schools and kindergartens, supporting cultural events, helping creative individuals, etc. Usually, making cultural or educational donations is prestigious among affluent migrants and local businessmen. Besides, there are private institutionalized funds supporting educational and cultural initiatives. It is worth mentioning several Armenian or Armenia-oriented Funds that purposely support education and culture in Armenia. Examples are:
- Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
The programme of cultural support for Armenia for 2019-2023 includes contemporary creation in the fields of Literature, Performing Arts, and Cinema and the ongoing education of professionals and the public in Arts and Culture. The foundation also supports individual and collective research initiatives and book translation and publishing projects.
- Tufenkian Foundation[1]
The foundation supports development projects in different spheres aimed at combating poverty, community empowerment, and education. Currently there are several projects addressing culture and education such as “Martuni schools”, “Civil society development”, “Family and Community NGOs” which are under implementation.
- AGBU (Armenian General Benevolent Union)[2]
The Union has culture support initiatives. As it states: “Armenian culture thrives across the world as a key marker of our unique national identity. Music and the arts, literature and architecture, as well as ancient, folk and religious traditions help drive the AGBU mission to uplift Armenian lives through creative expression.” Over the decades, AGBU has launched an array of cultural initiatives that connect Armenians in every generation across the world. It prioritizes the following directions: promoting Armenian heritage; sustaining cultural gems (masterpieces of Armenian architecture, art, literature, writing culture, etc.); developing talents; and supporting cultural connections. In the sphere of education, AGBU gives priority to innovative learning platforms and programmes, classroom experience; and providing accessible resources. AGBU’s prominent projects such as TUMO, Children Centres, interschool Chess tournaments, Atlas platform, ebooks and apps, Armenian Virtual College courses, Artsakh heritage pages and WebTalks are notable. AGBU offers a vast array of scholarship opportunities to students internationally. It also funds research grants for individuals and institutions in various fields of Armenian studies. In Armenia, AGBU provides substantial support to the country’s universities, namely the American University of Armenia (AUA), Yerevan State University (YSU), and the French University in Armenia (UFAR).
- The Jinishian Foundation[3]
According to its mission statement, the Jinishian Memorial Foundation enables Armenians in need to move from poverty and despair to self-sufficiency and hope – through relief, development and spiritual uplift. It supports different projects in education, community development, culture and economics. Among its projects the educational initiatives aimed at activation of student councils, cultural projects like “Mshakutamet” (“Culture-oriented”), or summer camps for children from Evangelist communities may be mentioned. With the frameworks of the “Mshakutamet” project, e.g. About 100 volunteer professionals provide cultural education opportunities for around 420 children and adolescents from targeted villages by introduction and teaching of 9 different musical instruments, vocal and choir lessons, art and IT classes.
- Smithsonian Institution “My Armenia” Programme[4]
“My Armenia” strengthens cultural heritage sustainability through community-based tourism development. This collaborative project between the people of Armenia, the Smithsonian, and USAID started in 2016 with work concentrated in five focus regions. Intensive research provided by the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography in Yerevan guides the selection and curation of all My Armenia experiences.
The My Armenia Programme is funded by USAID and implemented by the Smithsonian Institution.
[1] https://www.tufenkian.org
[2] https://agbu.org/
[3] https://www.jinishian.org/
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