Cancer · Reg 261017
Macmillan Cancer Support
Charity rating & review
75/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Good
Quick answer
Is Macmillan Cancer Support a good charity?
Macmillan Cancer Support scores 75/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£246m total income, 69% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
Donate
How can you give to MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT?
You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.
What does Macmillan Cancer Support do?
Macmillan Cancer Support is a registered charity (no. 261017) working in cancer across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 69% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈6% a year). CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.
Summarised from public filings — Macmillan Cancer Support hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT scores 75 out of 100 (4 stars). 69% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.
What is Macmillan Cancer Support?
Macmillan Cancer Support has a Clarity Score of 75 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 261017. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Cancer. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £246m, with 69% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 2 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Overall score
75/100
4★ · Good
Cause spend
69%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£246m
Latest year 2024
Reserves
2 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£3.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 31% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How does MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT scores higher than.
Scores higher than 40% of 943 charities in its income band · 75/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 40% of 93 charities in this cause · 75/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Macmillan Cancer Support's data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing date
- Profile reviewed
High confidence — complete filing data
Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .
What is Macmillan Cancer Support's Beacon report?
Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 100% | 15/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 11 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 100% | 10/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
57/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 67% | 2 months · 10/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 70% | 7/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 79% · 0/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
40/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 50% | 69% · 5/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 30% | 32p per £1 income · 3/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 11,634 volunteers / 1782 staff · 10/10 pts |
What is Macmillan Cancer Support's Clarity Score?
75/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
100/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
57/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
40/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
How much does Macmillan Cancer Support raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £246m | — |
| Total expenditure | £226m | — |
| Charitable activities | £150m | 67% |
| Fundraising | £75m | 33% |
| Governance & admin | £1.5m | 1% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2024) · £226m spent
- Charitable activities67% · £150m
- Fundraising33% · £75m
- Governance1% · £1.5m
What trust indicators does Macmillan Cancer Support have?
Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.
-
Accounts filed on time
up to date · last filing
-
Trustee board size (3–12)
11 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
1782 employees · 11,634 volunteers (7:1 volunteer-to-staff)
Fundraising Regulator
Status not yet checked
Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Check Fundraising Regulator →Official register
Reg 261017
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Mark Morrell Ware since 2021
- Catherine Susannah Howe since 2021
- Nicholas Robson Owen since 2021
- Rachel Higham since 2021
- Dr Jean Elizabeth Abraham since 2021
- Felicia Nyanin since 2023
- Dr Minal Bakhai since 2025
- Dr Anas Nader since 2025
- SIR RONALD JAMES KERR since 2025
- David Jonathan Bennett Chair · since 2025
- Anne-Francoise Michele Nesmes since 2025
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.
How have Macmillan Cancer Support's finances changed over five years?
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts
What are the key facts about Macmillan Cancer Support?
- Overall score
- 75/100 (4★)
- Income
- £246m
- Cause spend
- 69% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 261017
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 2 months
- Trustees
- 11
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing
- up to date
How does MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT compare, and where else can you look?
Where MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar cancer charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- THE MARY HOW TRUST FOR CANCER PREVENTION 100/100 · £1.7m
- FIGHTING ALL CANCERS TOGETHER 100/100 · £554k
- THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS 97/100 · £1.1m
- NEWBURY CANCER CARE 97/100 · £762k
How can you share Macmillan Cancer Support's rating?
Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Macmillan Cancer Support.
For this charity
How do you add Macmillan Cancer Support's rating to your site?
Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.
What red flags does Macmillan Cancer Support have?
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Macmillan Cancer Support's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Macmillan Cancer Support a good charity? +
Macmillan Cancer Support scores 75 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 69% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.
Is Macmillan Cancer Support a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Macmillan Cancer Support is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 261017). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/261017. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Macmillan Cancer Support's charity number? +
Macmillan Cancer Support's charity number is 261017. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.
What is Macmillan Cancer Support's charity rating? +
Macmillan Cancer Support scores 75 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.
Does Macmillan Cancer Support have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Macmillan Cancer Support. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.
How much of my donation reaches Macmillan Cancer Support? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, 69% of Macmillan Cancer Support's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.
What are Macmillan Cancer Support's overheads? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 31% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 31% of total expenditure at Macmillan Cancer Support. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Macmillan Cancer Support's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.
How much income does Macmillan Cancer Support receive? +
Macmillan Cancer Support reported £246m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.
Are Macmillan Cancer Support's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is Macmillan Cancer Support based? +
Macmillan Cancer Support is listed at United Kingdom and operates UK-wide, focused on cancer.
How does CharityCompare score Macmillan Cancer Support? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Macmillan Cancer Support's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.
How often is this page updated? +
This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Macmillan Cancer Support's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.