Breast Cancer Now

What Breast Cancer Now does

Breast Cancer Now is the UK's leading breast cancer charity, structured as a company limited by guarantee and registered across England and Wales (1160558), Scotland (SC045584), and the Isle of Man (1200). The organisation combines the funding of world-class scientific research with the direct delivery of life-changing support services for people affected by breast cancer. It serves individuals diagnosed with primary or secondary breast cancer (around 55,000 women and 400 men diagnosed annually in the UK), family members and carers, people at elevated genetic or familial risk, and the wider healthcare professional community. Headcount is small (11–50 employees), with activities centred on a London headquarters and additional operational presence in Aberdeen, Sheffield, and Wales tied to the Biobank.

The charity's core products fall into two categories: a research portfolio and a support-services portfolio. On the research side, Breast Cancer Now operates the Toby Robins Research Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research, a dedicated Research Unit at King's College London focused on triple negative breast cancer, the Breast Cancer Now Biobank (over 148,000 samples, HTA-licensed across four UK centres), and almost £30 million in active research grants. A three-year co-development partnership with the University of York and York Hospital is producing an AI-driven robotic screening system for women with physical disabilities. On the support-services side, the charity runs a free specialist nurse helpline (0808 800 6000), one-to-one peer matching via Someone Like Me, Moving Forward post-treatment courses, Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups, a Becca mobile app, an online forum, and the Breast Cancer Voices lived-experience network.

The business model is donation-funded and free-to-beneficiary. All services are provided at no charge to users, with income generated from individual donations, corporate partnerships (notably the Asda Tickled Pink partnership with Asda, which has raised over £100 million since 1996), other commercial partners (Primark, Omaze, Garfield Weston Foundation, Walk the Walk), a weekly lottery, legacies, and philanthropic trusts. Go-to-market is multi-channel: digital content and email, signature events (Wear It Pink, Afternoon Tea, challenge events), earned media and press, and healthcare-professional engagement via a dedicated HCP hub. In September 2025 the charity launched a refreshed brand and new five-year strategy ('Change Happens Now').

Name

Breast Cancer Now

Legal name

Breast Cancer Now

Website

https://breastcancernow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Breast Cancer Now is the UK's leading breast cancer charity, funding world-class research (including a 148,000-sample Biobank and AI-driven screening collaborations) and delivering free specialist nurse, peer, and digital support services to people affected by breast cancer across all four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Breast Cancer Charity Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Breast cancer charity
• Cancer research funding
• Patient support services
• Cancer helpline services
• Medical research grants

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Breast Cancer Now is the UK's leading breast cancer charity that funds world-class scientific research and provides free support services for people affected by breast cancer. Its offering combines a specialist nurse helpline, peer matching, post-treatment courses, secondary breast cancer support groups, a mobile support app, and an online forum, alongside funding research centres and operating the UK's largest breast cancer Biobank of over 148,000 tissue and blood samples.

Product overview

Breast Cancer Now is the UK's leading breast cancer charity, combining scientific research with support services. The organization operates a portfolio of support services including the Becca mobile app, the Someone Like Me peer matching service, Moving Forward courses, Living with Secondary Breast Cancer support groups, a nurse helpline, and an online forum. The charity funds world-class research through its research centres, research unit, biobank, and individual research projects. Fundraising programs include Afternoon Tea and Wear It Pink campaigns. The organization also engages in policy advocacy and runs the Breast Cancer Voices volunteer program to involve people affected by breast cancer in shaping the charity's work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Becca: Breast cancer support app that provides information and resources for people affected by breast cancer
• Someone Like Me
• Moving Forward
• Breast Cancer Now Biobank
• Breast Cancer Now Research Centre
• Breast Cancer Now Research Unit
• Asda Tickled Pink
• Breast Cancer Voices

Products and services

• Becca mobile app

Quantifiable outcome

• 86% of women survive breast cancer for 5 years or more
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Asda Tickled PinkcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 1996Longest-running partnership since 1996, raising over £100 million. Asda colleagues raise funds through events, tombolas, and pink product sales during October. Funds helpline nurses, Moving Forward courses, Access Fund, King's College London research unit, and the Biobank.
• University of York and York HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree-year partnership to develop an AI-driven robotic screening system for breast cancer designed to improve accessibility for women with physical disabilities. Led by Dr. Jihong Zhu with involvement from York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals.
• Prostate Cancer ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading cancer charities have joined forces to fund six groundbreaking new research projects to tackle the spread of breast and prostate cancers to the bones.
• The Institute of Cancer Research, LondonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre. Scientists from this centre uncovered a new weakness in triple negative breast cancer linked to the HORMAD1 gene.
• King's College LondonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHome to the Breast Cancer Now Research Unit, entirely focused on studying triple negative breast cancer. Supported by the Asda Tickled Pink campaign and Omaze.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Breast Cancer Foundation: US-focused breast cancer charity providing free mammograms and education. Comparable as a breast-cancer-specific support and awareness charity, though primarily a screening-access funder rather than a research-driven organisation.
• Susan G. Komen: The largest US-based breast cancer charity, funding research and community health programmes. Comparable mission and product portfolio (research funding + support + advocacy) but operates at a much larger scale and in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Prevent Breast Cancer: UK charity dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer, funding research at the Manchester Breast Centre. Direct peer in mission, geography and fundraising approach.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Another major UK cancer charity providing information, financial support and specialist services to people affected by cancer. Direct peer in mission (cancer support + fundraising) and operating geography (UK).
• Prostate Cancer Research: UK charity funding research into prostate cancer. Comparable as a disease-specific research funder and campaigning charity; also an active co-funding partner with Breast Cancer Now on bone-metastasis research.
• CoppaFeel!: UK breast cancer awareness charity focused on early detection in younger people. Peer in the same disease vertical; in fact a fellow beneficiary of the Asda Tickled Pink partnership alongside Breast Cancer Now.
• Cancer Research UK: The UK's largest cancer charity, funding research and influencing policy across all cancer types. Directly comparable as a research-funding and campaigning charity competing for the same UK donor base and policy attention.

Regional players

• The Institute of Cancer Research: UK research institution that hosts the Breast Cancer Now Toby Robins Research Centre. Peer as a cancer research organisation, though structured as an academic institution rather than a fundraising charity.
• King's College London: Hosts the Breast Cancer Now Research Unit focused on triple negative breast cancer. Peer as a UK research partner executing the charity's scientific agenda.

Emerging players

• Maggie's Centres: UK charity providing free cancer support and information centres across the country. Comparable as a cancer-support service provider, though operating a physical-centre model rather than Breast Cancer Now's helpline/app/courses stack.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/breastcancernow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Breast Cancer Now