Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Switzerland

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) focuses on the physical, social, cultural and economic revitalisation of communities in the developing world.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which was founded in 1988, is registered in Geneva, Switzerland, as a private, non-denominational, philanthropic foundation.  It is an integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by His Highness the Aga Khan, with distinct yet complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in countries in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa.

Though their spheres of activity and expertise differ – ranging from social development, to economic development, to culture – AKDN institutions share at least three principles that guide their work.  The first is a dedication to self-sustaining development that can contribute to long-term economic advancement and social harmony. The second is a commitment to the vigorous participation of local communities in all development efforts. Finally, all Network institutions seek shared responsibility for positive change.

In addition to the Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA), the Trust conducts other major programmes: the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme (AKHCP), the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI), the Aga Khan Museum (AKM) in Toronto, Canada and the on-line resource Archnet.org.  It also supports the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture (AKPIA) at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

https://www.akdn.org/our-agencies/aga-khan-trust-culture