Two charities that received 1.1m from Sackler Trust kept anonymous to prevent serious prejudice'

"Two charities that received a combined total of more than 1.1m from the British charitable trust run by the Sackler family were kept out of its latest accounts to protect their reputations from serious prejudice. The trust, which draws on the Sackler fortune that came out of the US opioid crisis, gave 3.8m to arts, eduction and science bodies in 2024, according to its latest accounts, filed on New Year's Eve."

"The largest named recipients each receiving 250,000 were Veterans Aid, which tackles homelessness in the ex-service community, and the Belvoir Cricket and Countryside Trust, which works to develop an appreciation for the British countryside and promotes a love of sport, especially cricket. The Sackler Trust is shunned by major arts bodies and others who have refused donations or stopped accepting them over the Sackler family's links to the US opioid crisis and the controversial painkiller OxyContin."

"The National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Opera House, Shakespeare's Globe and Tate are were among institutions to cut ties or drop grants in the face of pressure over the family's ownership and control of Purdue Pharma, the company that developed and aggressively marketed the addictive painkiller OxyContin. The trust announced in 2019 that it was pausing all new giving, but quietly resumed giving donations in 2020."

The Sackler Trust is run by the Sackler family and draws on a fortune tied to the US opioid crisis. The trust donated £3.8m to arts, education and science bodies in 2024. The largest named recipients, each receiving £250,000, were Veterans Aid and the Belvoir Cricket and Countryside Trust. Major arts institutions have shunned the trust because of the family's links to Purdue Pharma and OxyContin. The trust paused new giving in 2019 and resumed donations in 2020. The trust's accounts exempted the names of certain grant recipients, stating further reporting would expose them to serious prejudice. Two recipients receiving £1,150,000 were withheld from disclosure.

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