Starling Family Charitable Trust

The Starling Family Charitable Trust is a family-founded grant-making charity, chaired by founder R P Starling, dedicated to advancing charitable purposes exclusively in East Anglia, with a strong emphasis on Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Rooted in familial stewardship and intergenerational endowment preservation, its mission centers on prudent support for regional heritage and community, guided by core values of discretion, public benefit, and continuity for local institutions like Ely Cathedral and Culford School.

Primarily, it funds the upkeep, repair, and maintenance of Ely Cathedral's fabric, contents, and services, alongside educational advancement—including social and physical training—for pupils at Culford School in Suffolk. Trustees also make smaller discretionary grants to other established East Anglian causes benefiting people, communities, culture, or heritage, favoring core funding and capital grants over project-specific or innovative initiatives.

Eligibility is limited to significant, track-record-holding organizations in East Anglia; no income thresholds apply, but support targets established institutions rather than grassroots or new entities. Unsolicited applications are not accepted—beneficiaries are trustee-selected with no public process, forms, or deadlines. Typical grants range from £5,000 upward, with tens of thousands to principal beneficiaries like Ely Cathedral and Culford School, and £1,000–£10,000 for others.

Distinctively conservative and place-based, the Trust avoids thematic diversification, external solicitations, or non-regional causes, prioritizing legacy obligations and endowment growth to ensure sustained regional impact over broad philanthropy.