Tribhumikit Foundation

Tribhumikit Foundation
Name	Tribhumikit Foundation
Formation	2010
Type	Nonprofit foundation
Headquarters	Kathmandu, Nepal
Area served	South Asia, Southeast Asia
Focus	Cultural heritage, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, arts preservation
Leader title	Executive Director
Leader name	Ramesh Koirala

Tribhumikit Foundation is a non-governmental philanthropic institution based in Kathmandu, Nepal, active in cultural heritage preservation, disaster response, and community development across South Asia and Southeast Asia. The foundation collaborates with regional and international bodies to support restoration projects, emergency relief, and creative industries while engaging academic partners and multilateral agencies. Its programs are notable for combining traditional arts conservation with contemporary humanitarian initiatives, linking historic preservation with post-disaster reconstruction and social resilience.

History

Founded in 2010 by a consortium of Nepali cultural advocates and diaspora philanthropists, the foundation emerged after consultations with figures associated with the Kathmandu Valley conservation movement, outreach from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and funding advice from trustees connected to the Asia Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation. Early activities referenced precedents set by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and networks including the British Council and Smithsonian Institution for museology and conservation methods. In the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the foundation scaled operations to coordinate with responders such as Nepal Army, Red Cross Society (Nepal), and international actors like Médecins Sans Frontières and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to deliver relief and heritage salvage. Subsequent years saw partnerships with academic institutions such as Tribhuvan University, Harvard University, and University of Cambridge for research on seismic retrofitting and intangible heritage documentation.

Mission and Programs

The foundation's stated mission emphasizes safeguarding tangible and intangible traditions while providing crisis response; program areas have included conservation of monasteries and stupas, revival of performing arts, and livelihood support for artisans. Cultural heritage projects reference methods promoted by ICOMOS and training exchanges with museums including the National Museum, Kathmandu and Asian Art Museum (San Francisco), while artist residencies have involved collaborations with Srinagar Arts Trust, Goethe-Institut, and British Council Nepal. Disaster relief programming aligns with standards from Sphere Project and has delivered cash assistance, shelter kits, and mobile health clinics in coordination with organizations such as CARE International, Oxfam, and World Food Programme. Skills-development initiatives have linked master's programs at Jawaharlal Nehru University and vocational curricula at National Skills Development Corporation (India) to community-based conservation apprenticeships.

Organizational Structure

Governance is provided by a board of trustees comprising cultural historians, development practitioners, and former civil servants, with advisory panels including specialists from UNESCO World Heritage Centre, IUCN, and university departments at SOAS University of London and University of Hong Kong. An executive team manages programmatic, finance, and communications units with field offices in regional hubs such as Lalitpur District, Pokhara, and Chitwan National Park per project needs. The operational model uses project directors, conservation architects trained under curricula influenced by the Getty Conservation Institute, and community liaisons seconded from local municipalities like Bhaktapur Municipality and Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Monitoring and evaluation roles are fulfilled by partnerships with think tanks including Centre for Policy Research (India) and research centers at University of Chicago and Australian National University.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams reportedly combine private philanthropy, grants from multilateral institutions, and corporate social responsibility contributions. Major donors and partners have included philanthropic entities modeled on the Ford Foundation, collaborative grants from European Commission cultural funds, and project-level sponsorship from corporations with regional offices such as Standard Chartered and Ncell. Multilateral engagement has involved project agreements with World Bank cultural programs and technical cooperation with Asian Development Bank on heritage-sensitive reconstruction. Programmatic partnerships extend to NGOs and civil society groups like Practical Action, Helvetas, and regional cultural networks including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation cultural initiatives.

Impact and Evaluation

Reported achievements cite restoration of multiple temples and monasteries in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding districts, revival programs for performing traditions such as Newar music ensembles, and distribution of emergency relief to tens of thousands after seismic events. Independent evaluations and field studies conducted with partners such as Oxford University and Columbia University have examined resilience outcomes, livelihoods recovery, and conservation quality, referencing metrics used by Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. Documentation outputs include digitized archives contributed to repositories like the International Image Interoperability Framework-based platforms and exhibition collaborations with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum.

Criticism and Controversies

The foundation has faced scrutiny over donor transparency, prioritization of high-profile heritage projects over prolonged grassroots development, and alleged elitism in program selection, drawing criticism from local advocacy groups and community organizers in Bhaktapur and parts of Lalitpur District. Debates involved comparisons to practices critiqued in literature from Human Rights Watch and analyses by regional commentators in outlets affiliated with The Kathmandu Post and Nepali Times. Accusations included concerns about contractor selection processes linked to firms registered in Kathmandu and project evaluation protocols, prompting calls for stronger community consent mechanisms advocated by organizations like Abhiyan Nepal and academics at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Category:Cultural heritage organizations