Adapt your heritage place with our global cohort program
This three-year climate adaptation program equips an annual cohort of 10 heritage places with tailored training, tools, funding, mentorship, and global connections to adapt the places their communities cherish most. Applications are open now through January 8, 2027.
The places and people taking action
From climate custodians who are just beginning their journey to alumni that are scaling their adaptation actions, the Preserving Legacies' Cohort is making an impact worldwide.
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"Preserving Legacies places communities at the center of heritage protection; hands-on climate assessment translated directly into action on our sites; and a fully funded model that removes barriers, allowing diverse custodians to learn, lead, and grow."
Khaulah Abdulkadir
"I feel a great joy to start this experience with Preserving Legacies, I hope to acquire several tools to address climate change from my jobs, daily work and contribute to my community, as well as build bridges of collaboration to implement projects and measures to conserve cultural and natural heritage."
Diana Bermúdez
"We are standing at a crossroads regarding cultural heritage and climate change - we still have time to act, but we have to do so fast in order to safeguard our valuable heritages. Therefore I jumped at the chance to be a part of Preserving Legacies. Such an opportunity only comes around once in a lifetime!"
Tale Selstad Gjervan
"I can think of no greater mission than to preserve, in my own small way, a piece of the world's heritage from climate change, and the Preserving Legacies community seems like the best place to start doing just that!"
Anke Matthys
"During a time of fear and uncertainty, it is important to work together to tackle big challenges like heat and flooding. There is a leader in all of us if we can be bold and decisive in key moments."
Patrick Ceres
"We are an indigenous group marginalized towards cultural erasure on our ancestral lands and being part of this short to tell our inter relationship with our natural landscapes of cultural heritage value gives us hope in continuity of our indigenous society."
Julie Kondi
A Three Year Program & Beyond
Foundation
In their first year, custodians are enrolled in a comprehensive training program designed to increase their climate literacy and equip them with the technical skills and tools necessary to assess climate risks, implement effective climate actions, and monitor the progress of resilience-building efforts. Through online education modules, discussion sessions, and an in-person experiential learning workshop, custodians are transformed into leaders capable of driving meaningful climate action in their communities.
Framework
Learn
Enhance capacity through climate literacy training and understanding of plural knowledge system approaches.
Activation
In their second year, custodians use their new skills to conduct a climate risk assessment for their community. They start by leading focus groups to identify community values of their heritage. By applying tools and techniques learned during their training, custodians then use localized climate models to visualize potential climate hazards, making climate risk understandable and actionable. Following this, custodians host a workshop to determine which community values are most vulnerable to climate impacts. The process concludes with the creation of a comprehensive Risk Assessment, which is then shared with the community.
Framework
Assess
Develop climate risk assessments and adaptation plans rooted in localized climate data and community values.
Adaptation
In their third year, custodians focus on putting their plans into action. Using their Risk Assessment as a guide, along with their training, custodians design, implement, and monitor climate adaptation solutions that are specifically tailored to their communities. With seed funding, technical advising, and evaluation support from Preserving Legacies, these projects are locally led and emphasize the sustainability of local heritage economies, ensuring that communities can continue to thrive despite the challenges of climate change.
Framework
Adapt
Pilot a locally-led climate adaptation action for testing, monitoring, and evaluating.
Amplification
Long lasting partnerships with custodians and Preserving Legacies.
Framework
Amplify
Scale successful solutions and share insights with a global community of action.
Our Values
These guiding principles are woven into all that we do.
Resilient communities are ones that own their adaptation process, data, and solutions.
Rooting adaptation action in values ensures that solutions are aligned with community priorities.
Democratizing access to climate adaptation is critical for scaling climate solutions, especially for frontline communities.
Integrating cutting edge science into our processes keeps us on the forefront of what's possible.
Featured Risk Assessments & Adaptation Reports
Ready to take action and adapt your heritage?
Apply to the 2027 Cohort Program! And explore Heritage Adapts!, our open-access hub for climate adaptation.
