TAP INTO Covid grants support members through a year of turbulence

The impact of the Covid pandemic has been uniquely challenging for National Trusts around the world. The demand to adapt, rethink and move quickly continues to be felt by INTO members across our five regions.

Responding to this, we ran a focussed TAP INTO funding round, aimed at giving trusts practical support to safely reopen their doors and stay connected.

From Indonesia and Jordan to Saint Lucia and Slovakia, grants provided a critical lifeline to heritage trusts to invest in the things that could keep them operating during a pandemic.

For some Trusts, project continuation relied on the ability of staff to be able to continue to work on-site.

The Indonesian Heritage Trust celebrated the textile heritage of Indonesia, whilst allowing its conservation team to carry out essential restoration works by producing PPE in traditional fabrics.

In the Cayman Islands, protective equipment was purchased to ensure its conservation facility for critically endangered Blue Iguanas could continue to operate. The Trust’s grant also funded the purchase of a laptop to allow their species database to be updated remotely.

The purchase of essential technical equipment and video conferencing software meant trusts were able to strengthen their digital presence and stay in communication.

In Thailand, The Siam Society were able to quickly adapt to remote-working through the purchase of laptops. Finding new methods of collaborating digitally, the Society were able to maintain relationships with members online through enhanced communication materials.

In Italy, using their conferencing subscription, Fondo Ambiente Italiano held their first digital press conferences successfully, with attendance of over 100 journalists.

The National Trust of Slovakia stayed connected with essential volunteers working from home and at heritage sites across Slovakia thanks to regular online meetings. The purchase of professional camera equipment enabled the Trust to capture the magic of Slovakian heritage sites and reach audiences online whilst they were unable to visit.

INTO members globally had to adapt their sites quickly in line with new guidance in order to welcome people back to treasured heritage sites.

Grants supported the purchase of essential equipment to help keep sites open for the public to find respite during challenging times. Personal protective equipment was purchased by many of our grantees, as well as signage and sanitation stations to encourage visitors back safely.

For sites unable to open, grantees used their TAP INTO support to create digital spaces for heritage lovers to engage with.

The National Trust of Korea used their grant to reach out to their members with links to virtual tours and heritage experiences that could be enjoyed at home. Digitisation of experiences even allowed existing heritage academy programmes to widen their access to attract more attendees digitally.

INTO would like to thank the Helen Hamlyn Trust for its generous support, which allows us to continue to deliver TAP INTO grants to our members.

Alongside these TAP INTO grants, our webinar programme in 2020 shared experiences and lessons from the INTO membership in meeting the challenges of the pandemic.