Two Charities Receiving £1.15m from Sackler Trust in 2024 Kept Anonymous to Prevent Serious Prejudice
In 2024, the Sackler Trust awarded £3.8 million to various arts, education, and science organizations through 98 grants, an increase from 69 grants in the previous year. Among these, two charities received a combined total of £1.15 million but were anonymized in the trust's accounts to protect them from what was described as serious prejudice that could hinder their charitable activities.
The largest named grants were £250,000 each to Veterans Aid and the Belvoir Cricket and Countryside Trust. Other named grants exceeding £60,000 were given to Happy Day Ministries, Peterborough Asylum and Refugee Community Association, Waterlife Recovery Trust, Cliftonville Community Centre, Inside Job/Beating Time, Living Room, Mustard Tree, and Not Beyond Redemption.
Dame Theresa Sackler chairs the Sackler Trust. She is the widow of Mortimer Sackler, co-founder of Purdue Pharma, the company linked to the opioid crisis. Due to the Purdue Pharma opioid controversy, many UK arts bodies have increasingly rejected donations linked to the Sackler name and have cut or paused ties.
The Trust had paused new giving in 2019 and resumed in 2020 under trustee oversight. Meanwhile, a U.S. judge is moving toward settlement terms with Purdue Pharma that may require up to $7 billion from the Sackler family and a surrender of ownership of the company.
