Provision was made for property donations to the IHT to be tax-efficient[3] but this measure did not support operations at the level expected.
By its fifth anniversary, in 2011, the IHT, with just five full-time staff, was the subject of a review by its sponsoring government department, which commented "apart from the donation of the Wood collection “no significant private funding has emerged to support the work of the Trust over its first five years”."
The trust rationalised staffing at the one property, and cut opening times, although it was noted that since it took Fota over, visitor numbers had doubled.
[7] July of the same year, the trust announced it would partner with the ESB Group to create a museum at 12 Lower Fitzwilliam Street on the Georgian mile.
[8] As of 2024, the trust has three heritage properties regularly open to the public: In addition, its headquarters building is a heritage property, at number 11 Parnell Square, and it will be working to develop a museum in a Georgian house at 12 Fitzwilliam Street to replace the closed Number Twenty Nine: Georgian House Museum in Dublin's south inner city.