Preserving Indigenous Ethiopian History & Artifacts
The Living Legacy from the Cradle of Civilization
The Ethiopian Arts and Humanities Fund is a charitable fund administered by the National Philanthropic Trust that highlights and nurtures indigenous efforts to sustain Ethiopian history, culture, religion, and language. As the only African nation to have successfully resisted western colonization, Ethiopia has the distinct honor of being the only African country to have evolved free of colonial influence.
It has maintained its indigenous writing and numerical system and through its ancient language of Ge’ez, Ethiopia has maintained the largest archive of ancient first-temple Jewish texts in the world. Ethiopia is known as the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, the nation who’s three kings greeted Jesus Christ in the manger, and the nation to whom the Prophet Mohammed sent his family and followers when Islam was in its nascence and being threatened by the Quraysh. These ties have made Ethiopian culture, language and history central to the 3 Abrahamic faiths of the world, explaining its vast repositories of scrolls, crowns, battle armor, jewelry, swords, and shields held within the bosom of their ancient religious institutions.
St. George’s Gala
Modeled in the likeness of the grandeur and nobility of traditional Ethiopian formal events, the Annual St. George’s Gala is an exclusive and elegant black-tie/white-shawl formal that raises funds to provide vital technical and financial support to the monasteries and cultural institutions in Ethiopia who have safeguarded artifacts that represent pivotal moments in history and world heritage.
Religious Heritage Endowment
The Religious Heritage Endowment is a funding initiative to provide the Smithsonian Museum of African Art with the means to support select religious institutions in Ethiopia with funding, technological support and subject matter expertise in the areas of preservation, archiving, exhibit design, and educational programming.
Artifact Preservation & Education Initiative
The preservation and education initiative focuses on providing short-term resources to support local efforts to preserve and increase opportunities for local community members to receive education on artifacts and texts being maintained by religious institutions in Ethiopia.
Indigenous Language Libraries
Indigenous Language Libraries focus on providing children in grades K-8 access to engaging and interactive libraries that specialize in the promotion of their indigenous language.
“Understanding who we are and where we are from ties us to a foundation that shapes our view of the world around us.”
— Commissioner Yodit N. Gedamu, Founder
Contact
Please use our online form to connect with our staff so that we can best meet your needs.
Though we appreciate all communications with our partners, potential grantees, and public, due to the large number of messages received, we may be unable to respond directly to your inquiry.