Cyril Shack Trust

The Cyril Shack Trust is a discreet, family-led grant-making charity established in 1972, governed by three long-serving trustees from the Shack family, including Cyril Charles Shack and Jonathan Shack. Operating as a lean private trust with no paid staff, it advances a broad, generalist mission to support charitable causes worldwide through unrestricted grants to established charities, emphasizing reliable stewardship, financial prudence, and enabling the work of others rather than direct service delivery. Its multi-decade continuity reflects a low-profile, relationship-driven philanthropic approach rooted in family vision and network recommendations.

The Trust funds a wide array of charitable activities without thematic restrictions, including health causes like cancer support and medical research (e.g., grants to the US-based CLL Society for blood cancer), as well as UK and international organizations. It prioritizes core or project support for charities demonstrating a track record of delivery, showing flexibility across sectors but no focus on specific programs, beneficiaries, or communities.

Eligible entities face no formal restrictions on legal status, income size, or geography—supporting small grassroots groups to larger charities globally—but success hinges on pre-existing connections, as unsolicited applications are not accepted. With no published income thresholds, the Trust operates invite-only via trustee networks.

Grants are modest and variable, drawn from annual expenditures around £89,000, with no specified ranges, types beyond unrestricted support, or deadlines; decisions occur ad hoc without public rounds or application processes. Distinctively, it excludes open calls, capital projects, emergencies, or speculative proposals, differentiating as a dependable, discreet resource for vetted partners seeking flexible, non-transformative funding.