Skip to content
CharityCompare

Health charities in the UK — how to compare before you donate

In short: Health giving is usually disease-specific (heart, stroke, dementia, diabetes) rather than one generic “health charity.” Pick the condition first, then compare Clarity Scores and cause spend on CharityCompare.

Data from CharityCompare editorial, last updated .

What health charities do

This sector includes medical research, patient information, equipment, hospitals and condition-specific support. “Health” on a register classification is broader than most donors mean — you will usually want a topic hub (dementia, diabetes, cancer) rather than the whole list.

Which health charity is best to donate to?

No single charity wins. Use this order:

  1. Check the charity number.
  2. Pick the condition or service (research vs support vs hospice).
  3. Compare like with like on CharityCompare.
  4. For cancer specifically, use the cancer cause review.

Head-to-head starting point

Heart vs stroke is a common split: British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association.

Dementia support vs research: Alzheimer’s Society vs Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Efficiency and overheads

Charity shops and research grants both distort simple overhead slogans. See charity admin costs UK and how to read accounts.

Browse

This page is how to choose within the cause. The rated list is /browse/health. Disease-specific hubs live under /charities.