National trust

For the organisation serving England, Wales and Northern Ireland, see National Trust. For other uses, see National Trust (disambiguation).

A national trust is an organisation dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of a particular geographic region. Although the focus may vary by region, the principal goals are to ensure the preservation of historically significant items and conserve areas of natural beauty. They generally operate as private non-profit organisations.

The first such trust organisation, The Trustees of Reservations, originated in 1890 as a regional group serving the state of Massachusetts, USA.[1] The first on a national level, the National Trust, was founded in England in 1895 and operates as a charitable organisation serving England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Others were later founded around the world.[1][2][3]

In 2007 the International National Trusts Organisation was established at a gathering in New Delhi, India, with a mandate to support collaboration and best practices among national trusts and similar associations, with member organisations from over 50 countries.[3][4][5]

  1. ^ a b "The National Trust Movement". International National Trusts Organisation. 23 May 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. ^ Max Colwell, David Colwell, Heritage Preserved with the National Trust of South Australia (1985), p. 7.
  3. ^ a b "The National Trust Movement". National Trust for Land & Culture. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  4. ^ "About INTO". International National Trusts Organisation. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
  5. ^ "INTO Members". International National Trusts Organisation. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.