Projects supported by the Development Fund

Projects which will be supported by the development fund are grouped together in the below five categories.

Education

Our vision is for the archive of The Tablet - dating back to 1840, and now fully digitised and available online - to be seen as the go-to tool within the field of Catholic social teaching. We plan to develop tailored teaching aids and lesson packs, to be easily accessed by educators in any English-speaking school in the world, which will render the data appropriate to current religious education curriculums across the globe.

To achieve this The Tablet aims to fund a new, year long, teaching post. The role will include engaging with schools and colleges to spread awareness and promote its use in the classroom.

Digital

We are delighted that generous donations to date have enabled a complete overhaul of our online platform, which is now experiencing visitors in greater numbers than ever; over 100,000 unique browsers each month.

Yet we know that the demand for online products is continually evolving and further investment in our digital offering is needed in order attract a younger ‘digital native’ audience. Some key projects that will be supported by the fund include smart phone & tablet version of website, customization of content to reader preferences and live streaming of events.

Outreach

For many The Tablet provides a lifeline which helps them stay in touch with contemporary Catholic news, thought and opinion. It is important that The Tablet continues to develop as an authentically international product, one which provides a resonant voice for every Catholic wherever they may live. The establishment of international offices will give contributors closer access to the global stories which are shaping Catholic life today. Pressing issues such as female priests, homosexuality, and creating community amid declining congregations will be considered in greater depth from international perspectives, and a presence in local markets abroad will develop our foreign readership. In the first instance, we will assess feasibility in the following countries; Italy, Ireland, the USA, Australia and Germany.

We also want to spend more time working with parishes to develop closer communities. We serve over 500 Catholic parishes throughout the UK and we need to serve more – giving parishioners access to The Tablet at the back of their churches week in week out.  We are looking to establish short term subsidy schemes as a soft introduction into previously hard to access parishes.

The archive

The archive is a vital heritage asset and investment in it constitutes investment in past and future Catholic social history. It provides a greater knowledge of the context of Catholic thinking and an unparalleled understanding of the moral, ethical and religious viewpoints over a period of nearly 180 years.  With this in mind, we want to continue working with our friends at the British Library to curate the archive into areas of interest, and develop new products such as themed books which will appeal to Catholic communities and individuals at every stage on their faith journey.  We need to continue with the grouping of data contained in the archive to enable more refined search by specific areas such as; topic, theme, diocese, parish, building, town, country, date, people, family, organisation, business. Importantly, we want to continue adding to the archive as we produce every new copy.

Internship scheme

We have plans to develop The Tablet Internship scheme where each year we bring a budding young Catholic journalist into our tight-knit and diverse editorial department to provide invaluable insight into the workings of a modern, publishing environment. Each intern will also spend time in Rome working with Christopher Lamb, our Vatican-based correspondent.  At the end of the year, the interns will be given the opportunity to research and write one or more feature length articles.

Interns will be provided with living accommodation and financial support. Our intention to establish the scheme on a three year basis and extend indefinitely thereafter.

A message from our fundraising manager, Sarah Beattie

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/15987/a-message-from-our-fundraising-manager-sarah-beattie

The Tablet is inspired by a vision of the Church ‘as a house with open doors’

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/15925/the-tablet-is-inspired-by-a-vision-of-the-church-as-a-house-with-open-doors-

The future of The Tablet

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/15891/the-future-of-the-tablet

Keeping the conversation going: how The Tablet is developing its audience

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/15861/keeping-the-conversation-going-how-the-tablet-is-developing-its-audience

A quiet word about The Tablet

https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/15860/a-quiet-word-about-the-tablet