Cancer research vs patient support — where does your money go?
In short: Research charities invest in long-term cures; patient support charities help people facing cancer today — many donors choose both.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
These are complementary, not competing. Research charities often have higher income and longer reserve policies. Support charities may score higher on immediate cause spend.
Key differences
| What to compare | Cancer Research UK | Macmillan Cancer Support |
|---|---|---|
| Primary spend | Grants, labs, clinical trials | Helplines, nurses, grants to patients |
| Results timeline | Years to decades | Immediate to months |
| Typical income scale | Very large (£100m+) | Large to medium |
| Volunteering | Shops, events, fundraising | Direct patient contact (where offered) |
What the latest filings show
Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our methodology.
| Metric | Cancer Research UK | Macmillan Cancer Support |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 95/100 (4★) | 95/100 (4★) |
| Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Spend on charitable activities | 84% of expenditure | 80% of expenditure |
| Fundraising efficiency | £8.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £7.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) |
| Latest income | £681m | £230m |
| Fundraising spend | 13% of expenditure | 14% of expenditure |
| Reserves | 3 months | 4 months |
| Accounts filing | On time | On time |
| Data confidence | high | high |
| Charity number | 1089464 | 261017 |
Cancer Research UK on the register · Macmillan Cancer Support on the register
Cancer Research UK may suit you if…
- You want to fund future treatments
- You are comfortable with research risk
- You prefer evidence-based medical progress
Macmillan Cancer Support may suit you if…
- You want to help people now
- You or someone you know used support services
- You prefer tangible local services
Common questions
Do research charities spend less on the cause?
Research is a charitable activity — but admin and fundraising ratios vary. Compare scores on each profile.
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).