What we do

Shetland Charitable Trust provides funding to organisations that improve life for people across Shetland today, tomorrow and beyond.

Our role is to invest funds responsibly and use the earnings to support local charities, groups and voluntary organisations not just now, but for future generations.

While the Trust runs a small number of charitable projects directly, we principally provide grant funding to other organisations, particularly those which:

operate community and cultural facilities
deliver services to improve wellbeing
reduce disadvantage or hardship
enrich life in Shetland’s islands

Since 1976, the Trust has distributed over £370 million across Shetland, enabling the creation and ongoing operation of leisure centres, care homes, museums, arts organisations and dozens of frontline charities across the islands.

Our trustees manage the fund in line with the governing Trust Deed and Scottish charity law. Our investments include publicly traded assets and commercial subsidiaries, such as Shetland Heat Energy and Power Ltd and SCT Renewables Ltd which generate income to secure the fund for the future.

Our Investments

Who we fund

Testimonials

The funding COPE Ltd receives from the Shetland Charitable Trust supports us in many ways. It allows us to develop and maintain a strong foundation to our core business and assists us to provide on-going employment skill development opportunities to people with disabilities living within Shetland. COPE Ltd highly values the support provided to our organisation by The Shetland Charitable Trust.

“The substantial grant made to us by Shetland Charitable Trust every year allows us to provide first-class facilities and dedicated staff to underpin sporting success among people of all ages and abilities in the islands.”

Having this core funding from the Charitable Trust means that we can use that money where we need it at any given time. It's multi-year funding which really takes the pressure off. To have the funding to keep going is really important as it is improving the lives of disabled folk in Shetland.

The funding that we get from the Charitable Trust pays for part of staff support and matching with other funders. Without local funders we wouldn't have national funders, and without either of those funders, we wouldn't be able to do this, so funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust is incredibly important.

The funding Shetland Arts gets from Shetland Charitable Trust is about making sure the organisation can thrive, access other funds, and deliver on behalf of the community of Shetland. Our funding from the Shetland Charitable Trust really helps us with our conversations with national funders because it shows that we're working on behalf of what the local objectives and priorities are.

The Access to Leisure scheme was introduced to allow folk to be able to get access to classes and activities for a lower cost. I feel that the SRT play a critical role in every community across Shetland and that's all down to the funding of the Shetland Charitable Trust that we're able to maintain that.

Unpaid carers do an amazing job looking after people 24/7 in their own homes, keeping them living at home safely, and they really need help to do that. Thanks to the funding from Shetland Charitable Trust, we've been able to employ a deputy manager, recruit more care attendants, and provide overnights. We're also really grateful for the funding because it means that everybody can get the service for free.