An overwhelming majority (90%) of French people believe heritage is key to the country’s reputation, according to a poll by the Fondation du patrimoine published last March in Le Figaro.
This sentiment is reflected in a record €168million the Fondation received in funding in 2025 from more than 105,000 private donors and 3,000 companies.
However, this still pales in comparison to the £766.2million raised by its UK heritage equivalent, the National Trust, in its 2024/2025 season, as well as 403,000 new membership sign-ups.
The Fondation du patrimoine makes no secret of its desire to emulate this success and become the ‘National Trust à la française’.
It was founded and modelled on the National Trust in 1996. “It’s us,” its director general, Alexandre Giuglaris, told The Connexion.
Now pressure is on to shift the spotlight to the thousands of other heritage sites – including 5,000 churches – across France which also need urgent funding to safeguard their future.
Connexion: The Notre-Dame fire boosted the Fondation’s visibility. Was there a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ moment?
Alexandre Giuglaris: Unquestionably. It was a collective shock that made everyone aware of the fragility of our heritage, including the most prestigious sites.
Alexandre GiuglarisApolline Cornuet
We launched a fundraising campaign on the evening of the fire and raised an unprecedented €225million from 236,000 donors.
By closing it after one month, the Fondation sought to highlight the significant resources required to preserve all forms of heritage, particularly small-scale rural heritage: wash houses, dovecotes, and other structures to which the French people feel a strong attachment but for which funding is lacking.
Notre-Dame is also telling of how willing people are to act when they understand the urgency and value of heritage.
Connexion: Does the future of heritage funding lie in private finance?
AG: Private funding is essential. Companies and national and regional sponsors provided more than €15million in 2025. Some 88% of the projects the Fondation focused on in 2024 were sites not listed as historic monuments.
The following year, donations increased by 27%, reaching €32.7million from 105,526 donors. The state cannot do everything.
Connexion: You have since expanded your scope to include forests, ships and natural heritage. How do you define ‘heritage’ in 2026?
AG: For a long time, heritage mainly referred to stone structures: a castle, a mill, a church tower.
They remain a key aspect, but heritage is not limited to that. France is a country of landscapes and traditions that attracts millions of visitors each year.
Our mission is to preserve everything that contributes to the beauty and fragility of this living environment, and the skills required to restore it.
To that end, we launched a Natural Heritage and Biodiversity programme. Since 2009, it has supported more than 410 projects to preserve natural environments across France.
Connexion: You call the Fondation a ‘French National Trust’, but the National Trust owns and manages sites directly while the Fondation owns nothing.
AG: This is the key difference. The National Trust emerged in a context where British owners faced heavy taxation and could no longer maintain their properties, so they transferred them to the Trust.
French owners, both public and private, do not want to give up their heritage. They want support, not replacement. Our role is to provide that support.
Connexion: Heritage volunteering is much more popular in the UK. How can it be developed in French culture?
AG: France already has a very rich network of associations. There were more than 1.5 million active associations in 2024 and over 12.5 million volunteers engaged each year, including in heritage.
The Fondation strengthens, recognises and values this culture. Our 1,400 volunteers get various benefits. We look to attract a wide range of profiles. No expertise is required to get involved and help save heritage.
Connexion: “The greatest difference with the UK is that France decapitated its kings. This tells you how French people perceive private property. The state dreams of the English model where locals serve as proud guides, but it is incompatible with our history. We separate the chateau owner from villagers,” said Marie-Georges Pagel-Brousse, president of the cultural association Union Rempart. Do you share her view?
AG: I understand her point. However, everything shows that heritage brings people together across generations, regions and political or social differences. The Fondation has supported more than 43,000 projects, roughly one every four kilometres. It does not only connect us to the past; it is something we pass on to future generations.
‘Heritage belongs to its owners, but its beauty belongs to everyone,’ said Victor Hugo.
Connexion: Many of our readers own old houses or even small chateaux. How can they get involved with the Fondation?
AG: They can become volunteers. One of the Fondation’s strengths is its nationwide network of volunteers.
They allow us to operate in areas with low populations where the state is less present and where local authorities lack resources. They also act as intermediaries with owners and help monitor project progress.
Connexion: What projects appeal most to British donors: romantic ruins, medieval abbeys or village churches?
AG: We do not collect detailed data on donors. However, the Fondation is aware that Périgord, Brittany and Normandy are particularly popular with British residents.
The royalties from British author Ken Follett’s 2019 book Notre-Dame were donated to the Fondation’s campaign for Dol-de-Bretagne cathedral in Brittany.
Connexion: Do you plan to open an office in the US, given its strong culture of philanthropy?
AG: We are considering it but no decision has been made yet. The Notre-Dame fire showed how much Americans care about this issue. We received €2.9million in donations from US donors, and many US companies also contributed.
Connexion: What challenges do mayors or private owners face when restoring a monument?
AG: The main challenge is the high cost of restoration, combined with complex administrative procedures such as permits, heritage constraints and co-financing requirements.
The Fondation has 21 regional offices and 1,400 volunteers to tailor support in organising and managing fundraising campaigns, assist with funding applications by connecting owners with heritage professionals and explore cost-cutting options. This remains a great challenge.
Connexion: What is your vision for the Fondation in 10 years?
AG: I want every town or village to know they can rely on the Fondation to protect the heritage they value. Ideally, everyone would know someone working as a volunteer for us.
The Fondation du patrimoine should become what the National Trust is for Britons: a familiar, emblematic organisation that people instinctively value, and a symbol of collective commitment to preserving the beauty and memory of our landscapes.
