Save Venice Inc. is the largest private committee dedicated to preserving the artistic and cultural treasures of Venice, the world's most fragile city. Founded in Massachusetts, Save Venice has undertaken restorations of hundreds of works of art in nearly forty years of activity. Working in cooperation with the head office in New York, the Boston Chapter of Save Venice itself each year raises sufficient funds to sponsor the restoration of several major works of art in Venice. Through lectures and other programs as well as publications, Save Venice educates the wider public about the importance of Venetian culture and why this heritage belongs to us all. Save Venice is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and relies upon volunteers and the generosity of those who love Venice.

The organization was founded in 1971 in Massachusetts by a group of concerned citizens, led by Wellesley College Professor John McAndrew and his wife Betty, and Harvard Professor Sydney J. Freedberg. They took action in response to the terrible damage caused by the flood of November 1966. Originally, this organization was part of the Venice Committee of the International Fund for Monuments, but in 1971, board members formed a new tax-exempt organization, Save Venice Inc.

Each year, the Superintendents for the Artistic and Historic Heritage of Venice and for the Architectural Heritage of Venice, along with church leaders, museum curators, interested citizens, and friends of Save Venice suggest works of art and buildings in need of restoration. The board of Save Venice then chooses which projects to sponsor according to artistic merit and urgency of need. The conservation treatments are carried out by carefully selected restorers in Venice, and the restorers' work is supervised both by the Superintendency and by Save Venice representatives. This attention to detail assures that donations are tracked at each step of the restoration process and are used wisely.

Save Venice Boston raises funds through events in and around Boston and through an annual appeal. These moneys go to stabilize and restore paintings, sculptures, rare books, and indeed entire buildings, rescuing them from the ravages of time, the Venetian lagoon climate, and modern threats like pollution. Restorations have been completed on works from a broad chronological scope, dating from the early Middle Ages through the nineteenth century, and have often resulted in major art-historical discoveries.