Richard Mackay Charitable Trust

The Richard Mackay Charitable Trust, an unincorporated grant-making trust established by deed in September 2016 and registered with the Charity Commission that December, was founded by Richard Mackay with trustees including Andrew Cook and Alicia Mackay. Its mission centers on delivering philanthropic support to personally known causes, aiming for tangible impact across social issues through values of trust, discretion, and prompt deployment of investment returns rather than reserve accumulation. As a generalist funder, it advances broad charitable objects including education and training, health and saving lives, disability support, poverty prevention or relief, economic and community development, and employment, targeting beneficiaries like children and young people, elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and the wider public. Notable grants have backed health and welfare initiatives such as Leicester Hospitals Charity (over £300,000 for children's appeals and staff wellbeing), Teenage Cancer Trust, and repeated funding to the Centre for Social Justice, reflecting trustee connections, with emphasis on high-value projects like hospital expansions, youth mental health, and systemic poverty relief.

Eligible applicants are strictly UK-registered charities, with a preference for medium to large established organizations demonstrating proven track records; there are no formal income thresholds, but grassroots groups are unlikely. Geographically, it funds across England and Wales, with a notable East Midlands focus but no restrictions. Personal connections to trustees are essential, as the trust does not accept unsolicited applications.

Grants typically range from £25,000 to £100,000, occasionally exceeding £300,000 cumulatively for transformative projects, covering project, capital, and potentially unrestricted costs at trustee discretion. There is no open application process, published guidance, deadlines, or funding rounds—decisions occur ad hoc via trustee meetings based on direct evaluations and networks. Distinctively, it eschews competitive programs for a private, selective approach prioritizing discreet, high-impact interventions with trustee involvement, differentiating it from public grant-makers.