TAP INTO 2025

A new blog by Alexander Lamont Bishop, INTO Deputy Secretary-General

I am delighted to be returning to my role at INTO in time to deliver one of our most impactful programmes: TAP INTO. These small grants meet the travel costs for INTO member organisations to collaborate in person. We are very proud of the programme’s track record over the last six years.

We are grateful for the generous support of the Helen Hamlyn Trust in making the TAP INTO programme possible.

In our 2025 round announced today, we will award more than £20,000 in new funding to members in 20+ countries and territories, underscoring the incredible diversity of the INTO membership. This new investment adds to the more than £100,000 that has previously been awarded to members, supporting projects that have had a huge impact on the development of their capacity to care for natural and cultural heritage.

Projects highlights for 2025 include:

• Support for INTO members across South East Asia to collaborate via a regional forum, planned for Bali in June.
• Regional cooperation in the Caribbean between trusts including Barbados, Nevis and Cayman Islands. This will focus on equipping staff with the skills they need to be successful in managing heritage sites in island environments.
• An in-depth look at how software and data underpin membership operations in New Zealand, a theme at the heart of the national trust model.
• Sharing knowledge about conservation priorities and heritage skills for maintenance of historic buildings in Australia, the UK and Norway.

Spending a year on secondment where I was responsible for another international network with significant ambitions, allowed me many opportunities to reflect on the ways that we at INTO support our membership.

This experience has only strengthened my personal belief in the benefit of TAP INTO as a programme, which foregrounds the needs of our members in its focus on their priorities. It also directly builds on the many informal conversations facilitated by the INTO team, providing funding to develop the most promising and builder deeper and enduring connections between the network.

If you would like to talk to us about the TAP INTO programme, please don’t hesitate to contact us.