Find your cause · Make an informed choice
Cancer charities fund research, treatment support, hospices and information services for the millions of people affected each year.
Quick answer
Cancer charities can fund research, provide practical and emotional support, campaign or deliver care. Choose the type of work and cancer focus first, then compare organisations providing similar programmes and read their evidence alongside financial information.
Start with the work
The same cause can involve very different services. Use these distinctions to choose what you want to support, then compare organisations doing similar work.
01
Research funders may support laboratory science, clinical studies or population research, each with different timescales.
Evidence to look forLook for published research, grant selection and progress against a defined research question.
02
Services can include information, practical help and support for families during or after treatment.
Evidence to look forCheck cancer type, age group, location, referral and service-user experience.
03
Direct care and efforts to change policy have different activities, costs and ways to assess progress.
Evidence to look forAsk for programme-specific results and distinguish service delivery from advocacy reach.
Begin with the difference you want your donation to make. A useful shortlist brings together your priorities, the charity’s actual programme and evidence you can check.
Check the registered name, charity number and official contact details on the profile and regulator link. Confirm that the appeal and payment destination belong to that organisation. Similar names, local branches and international affiliates can represent different legal entities.
Look for a defined goal, the people or places reached, the reporting period and what changed. Ask whether the figures count unique people, repeated contacts or activities. Read limitations and follow-up, and distinguish a charity’s own report from an independent evaluation.
Check the accounts year, income, expenditure, reserves where disclosed and current registration context. Research grants, direct services and campaigning have different cost structures. Missing data does not mean zero spending, and a low overhead ratio does not prove stronger results.
Establish whether a donation supports general work or a named appeal. Check restrictions, what happens if plans change and any ongoing commitment before giving. Follow a trusted official link and keep the confirmation so you can refer back to the stated terms.
Organisation descriptions below support the attributed examples and provider information. The comparison questions are CharityCompare’s editorial guidance. Financial data comes from the dated filings identified on each profile. Read our editorial responsibilities and interests and request a sourced correction.
Financial evidence
159 currently rated matches, showing the 12 highest Clarity Scores. Ordered by financial and disclosure score, with equal scores listed alphabetically. This is not a ranking of impact. Payment never changes scores. Matches use registered names and reported activities; confirm the particular programme on each profile.
| Charity | Score | Cause spend | Income | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIGHTING ALL CANCERS TOGETHER | 100 | 96% | £554k | UK-wide |
| THE MARY HOW TRUST FOR CANCER PREVENTION | 100 | 90% | £1.7m | Local |
| THE APLASTIC ANAEMIA TRUST | 99 | 94% | £647k | UK-wide |
| BATH CANCER UNIT SUPPORT GROUP | 98 | 96% | £523k | Local |
| THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS | 97 | 79% | £1.1m | UK-wide |
| Melanoma Focus | 96 | 92% | £502k | UK-wide |
| THE COUNTESS OF BRECKNOCK HOSPICE TRUST | 96 | 85% | £1.3m | Local |
| BRAINSTRUST | 95 | 87% | £779k | UK-wide |
| Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust | 95 | 86% | £868k | UK-wide |
| NEUROENDOCRINE CANCER UK | 95 | 99% | £696k | UK-wide |
| MEDICAL DETECTION DOGS | 94 | 86% | £2.1m | UK-wide |
| MOVEMBER EUROPE | 94 | 77% | £27m | UK-wide |
Explore further
593 additional basic profiles match our registered-name search, with up to 12 shown alphabetically. These profiles do not have a Clarity Score. A name match alone does not establish relevance, service availability or effectiveness.
Choose the scope that fits your priorities, then read what is actually funded. A general charity may fund work on many cancers, while a specialist charity may concentrate on one disease or service. Neither structure by itself establishes greater effectiveness.
CharityCompare Clarity Scores summarise financial and disclosure measures from the dated filings shown on each profile. They do not establish programme effectiveness, clinical quality or the suitability of a service for an individual. Read the accounts period, missing-data notes and regulatory context before using a score.
Rated profiles are matched against registered names and activities reported on the register; basic profiles are matched by registered name. These automated matches can miss relevant work or include a different focus. Our 159 rated matches and 593 additional basic matches are not an official UK-wide count. Check each charity’s actual activities.