The board of directors of international non-profit organisation Architecture for Humanity has confirmed it will file for bankruptcy, but 57 chapters have pledged to continue working under the umbrella network, including the Architecture for Humanity’s Auckland chapter.

In a statement made on the organisation’s website on 22 January, board chairperson Matt Charney said that Architecture for Humanity will be filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. 

“This decision was made after serious consideration and review of all options. All staff was laid off as of 1 January 2015 and the physical office in San Francisco has been closed. As of 1 January 1 2015, the organisation also stopped accepting donations,” Charney said.

“Architecture for Humanity has had incredible partners and funders that made our work possible over the last 15 years but, like many charity organisations, we have had serious funding challenges. Our leadership worked to overcome the funding gaps to the best of their ability, but the deficit combined with budget overruns and an overall decrease in donations finally became an insurmountable situation.”

However, Architecture for Humanity’s Auckland chapter will continue business as usual, co-director Bobby Shen said.

“We have been viewing this change in a positive light as it gives our organisation space to move and grow on our terms. The suddenness of the news forced us to reevaluate where we are and what we wanted to do in the future, keeping in mind that we all do this in our own time as volunteers,” Shen said.

The international umbrella organisation was founded in 1999 in San Fransisco and raised money to fund architectural solutions for humanitarian crises around the world. Its work was carried out internationally by independent chapters, coordinated by the parent organisation.

Despite the bankruptcy, the 57 international chapters have pledged to continue to work under the new umbrella title, Architecture for Humanity Chapter Network.