--- title: "Cancer research vs patient support — where does your money…" description: "Research charities fund labs and trials; support charities fund nurses, helplines and practical help." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/cancer-research-vs-patient-support retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:20:46.592Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [CR](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/cancer-research-uk) [CANCER RESEARCH UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/cancer-research-uk) 83/100 4★ Reg. 1089464 compared with [MC](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/macmillan-cancer-support) [MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/macmillan-cancer-support) 75/100 4★ Reg. 261017 # 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 12 August 2026. 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](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). | Metric | CANCER RESEARCH UK | MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 83/100 (4★) | 75/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 64% of expenditure | 69% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £5.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £3.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | | Latest income | £735m | £246m | | Fundraising spend | 18% of expenditure | 31% of expenditure | | Reserves | 6 months | 2 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 1089464 | 261017 | [CANCER RESEARCH UK on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1089464) · [MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/261017) ## 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 [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/cancer-research-uk) ## 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 [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/macmillan-cancer-support) ## Common questions ### Do research charities spend less on the cause? Research is a charitable activity — but admin and fundraising ratios vary. Compare Clarity Scores and cause spend on each profile. 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=cancer-research-uk,macmillan-cancer-support) [Back to compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities)