--- title: "Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK" description: "Alzheimer" source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/alzheimers-society-vs-alzheimers-research-uk retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:48:00.072Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [AS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/alzheimer-s-society) [ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/alzheimer-s-society) 83/100 4★ Reg. 296645 compared with [AR](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/alzheimer-s-research-uk) [ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/alzheimer-s-research-uk) 84/100 4★ Reg. 1077089 # Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK — charity comparison **In short:** Alzheimer's Society is built around support, information and services for people living with dementia; Alzheimer's Research UK funds research — complementary models, not interchangeable brands. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 12 August 2026. Searches for Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK usually mean a donor wants to help with dementia and recognises both names. Treat it as a model choice first: support for people living with dementia now versus investment in future treatments. Then compare Clarity Score beacons and filings. Information only. ## Key differences | What to compare | ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY | ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK | | --- | --- | --- | | Primary model | Support, information and services for people affected by dementia | Research into causes, diagnosis, prevention and treatment | | Results timeline | Help for people and families now | Longer-term scientific progress | | What “cause spend” includes | Support programmes and related charitable activities | Research grants and charitable research activity | | Best if you want | Practical support for people living with dementia | Investment in dementia research | ## What the latest filings show Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). | Metric | ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY | ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 83/100 (4★) | 84/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 67% of expenditure | 68% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £2.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £3.6 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | | Latest income | £144m | £62m | | Fundraising spend | 33% of expenditure | 32% of expenditure | | Reserves | 3 months | 6 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 296645 | 1077089 | [ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/296645) · [ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1077089) ## ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY may suit you if… - You want donations to fund support for people living with dementia today - You or someone you know has used Society-style services - You prefer tangible help over lab research [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/alzheimer-s-society) ## ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH UK may suit you if… - You want to fund research into better treatments - You are comfortable with longer research timelines - You want a research-led national dementia charity [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/alzheimer-s-research-uk) ## Common questions ### Alzheimer's Society vs Alzheimer's Research UK — which is better to donate to? Neither is universally better. One is oriented to support; the other to research. Compare Clarity Scores and cause spend, then give to the model that matches your intention — many donors support both over time. ### Are Alzheimer's Society and Alzheimer's Research UK both legitimate UK charities? Yes — both are long-established registered charities. Still verify the charity number on any unfamiliar appeal, because scammers borrow well-known names. ### What about Dementia UK? Dementia UK is another support-led charity, known for specialist nursing. Use the compare tool to put any two rated profiles side by side. 100 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. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) 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. [Compare these charities side-by-side](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=alzheimer-s-society,alzheimer-s-research-uk) [Back to compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities)