What Multiple Sclerosis Trust does

The Multiple Sclerosis Trust (MS Trust) is a UK-registered charity founded in 1993 by Chris and Jill, headquartered in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire. It is structured as a company limited by guarantee (no. 4247766) with registered charity status (no. 1088353) and operates two wholly owned subsidiaries — Multiple Sclerosis Trust (Education) Ltd and Multiple Sclerosis Trust (Trading) Ltd — both of which gift-aid profits back to the charity. The organization is funded entirely through voluntary income: it receives no government or NHS funding. In FY2023/24 it raised £2,426,192 against expenditure of £2,532,869, a marginal operating deficit.

The charity's core offering is an integrated information and support platform for the more than 150,000 people in the UK living with multiple sclerosis, their families, and the health professionals who treat them. The platform centers on the mstrust.org.uk website (an A-Z of MS, symptom and diagnosis content, drug and treatment information), a free MS Helpline operating Monday–Friday 10am–4pm, an email support channel, and decision-support tools including MS Decisions (disease modifying therapy comparison), Treatment Finder, MS Services Near Me, and a "What's Causing My Symptoms" directory. These are complemented by printed and digital publications sold through an online shop, a podcast series, an active Facebook community group, and an awareness calendar anchored on World MS Day, MS Awareness Week, and a "Bring Your MS to Work" initiative.

For health professionals, the MS Trust runs professional development courses, the annual MS Trust Conference, the Foundation Training Development Module, the Advanced MS Champions Programme (placing specialist MS Champions in underserved UK regions), the Therapists in MS (TiMS) professional network, and the MS Forward View service development initiative. Revenue streams span individual donations (£714,423), fundraising events (£592,336), legacies (£548,468), charitable activities including publication sales (£367,232), interest and other income (£149,319), and a trading subsidiary (£54,414). Distribution is entirely UK-domestic and the organization maintains active social media presence across Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Name

Multiple Sclerosis Trust

Legal name

Multiple Sclerosis Trust

Website

https://mstrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK charity founded in 1993 that delivers free expert information, a national helpline, decision-support tools, professional education, and research funding for people with multiple sclerosis, their families, and MS health professionals across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hereford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and gifts: Individual donations from supporters providing direct financial contributions. In 2023/24 this generated £714,423.
2. Fundraising events: Revenue from organized events such as runs, cycles, treks, and other fundraising activities. In 2023/24 this generated £592,336.
3. Legacies: Gifts left to MS Trust in supporters' wills. In 2023/24 this generated £548,468.
4. Charitable activities: Revenue from charitable activities including sales of publications and resources. In 2023/24 this generated £367,232.
5. Interest and other income: Interest and other miscellaneous income sources. In 2023/24 this generated £149,319.
6. Trading activities: Revenue from MS Trust's wholly owned trading subsidiary. In 2023/24 this generated £54,414.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Multiple Sclerosis Trust is a UK charity that provides free, evidence-based information, support, and education services for people affected by multiple sclerosis. Its core offerings are a confidential MS Helpline, a comprehensive information website (A-Z of MS plus decision aids such as MS Decisions and Treatment Finder), printed and digital publications, podcasts, and a suite of professional development programmes for MS health professionals including the Advanced MS Champions Programme and the Therapists in MS (TiMS) network.

Product overview

The Multiple Sclerosis Trust operates a comprehensive information and support platform for people affected by multiple sclerosis. The core offering consists of the MS Trust Website (featuring an A-Z of MS information, symptom checkers, and support service locators), the MS Helpline (telephone and email support), and MS Trust Publications (printed and digital resources). These are complemented by decision-support tools including MS Decisions (a disease modifying therapy comparison tool) and Treatment Finder. The organization also provides professional development services for healthcare providers through Professional Development Courses, the Advanced MS Champions Programme, Therapists in MS (TiMS) network, and MS Forward View. Additional offerings include podcasts, a Facebook community group, MS Services Near Me locator, and an online shop. The platform does not operate as a traditional SaaS product but rather as a charity-provided information and support service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MS Helpline Free, confidential telephone and email helpline providing information and emotional support for people affected by multiple sclerosis in the UK.
• MS Trust Website Primary digital platform providing evidence-based information and support resources for people with multiple sclerosis, families, and health professionals, including the A-Z of MS and service locators.
• MS Decisions Interactive decision-aid tool enabling people with MS to compare disease modifying therapies (DMTs), filter by personal criteria, and access in-depth drug information.
• MS Trust Publications Printed and digital information resources covering disease modifying drugs, living well with MS, and specific MS symptoms, distributed via the online shop with many titles available free of charge.
• MS Trust Podcast Audio podcast series covering MS topics including brain health, fatigue management, mental health for the newly diagnosed, and expert interviews on treatments such as stem cell therapy.
• MS Trust Online Shop E-commerce platform selling MS Trust publications, books, and merchandise to distribute information resources and raise funds for the charity.
• Professional Development Courses for Health Professionals Educational programmes for MS health professionals including the Foundation Training Development Module, study days, MS Trust conference, and learning funding to improve MS care.
• Advanced MS Champions Programme Charitable programme that establishes specialist MS Champions in areas of the UK to care for people with the most severe forms of MS, funded through charitable trusts and donations.
• Therapists in MS (TiMS) Professional network for therapists working in MS care, providing clinical resources, newsletters, and a community for allied health professionals to connect and share expertise.
• MS Forward View Service development initiative focused on improving MS care pathways and services across the UK.
• MS Trust Research Research activities funding and supporting MS research that matters to the community, including funding for MS specialist nurses, clinical trials support, and collaboration with researchers to translate discoveries into practical improvements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 150,000 people in UK affected by MS served through information and support
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sheffield Teaching HospitalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSheffield Teaching Hospitals is one of the main NHS centers offering AHSCT (autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) for MS in the UK. MS Trust collaborates with the hospital on research and is conducting the first ever audit of a real-world UK MS stem cell service.
• London MS-AHSCT Collaborative GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon-based collaborative group providing AHSCT treatment for MS patients. MS Trust is working with this group to conduct the first UK audit of MS stem cell services outside clinical trials.
• South West Transplant Centre, PlymouthminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA small number of MS patients have been treated at this center. MS Trust supports and monitors NHS AHSCT provision across UK centers.
• EuroStemCellminorOthersIndependent organization funded by the European Union providing balanced, evidence-based information about stem cell therapies. Recommended as a trusted resource for people considering stem cell treatment.
• International Society for Stem Cell ResearchminorOthersProfessional body providing information about stem cell research and treatments. Recommended as a trusted resource for independent information on stem cell therapies.
• European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional society that has developed guidelines for AHSCT treatment and provides accreditation for transplant centers through JACIE. MS Trust references EBMT guidelines and standards.
• Health professionals and MS specialistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMS Trust works in partnership with health professionals to improve MS services. This includes MS specialist nurses, neurologists, and therapists who help deliver and improve MS care across the UK.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MS Society: The UK's largest dedicated multiple sclerosis charity, providing information, support, research funding and campaigning. Directly comparable to MS Trust on mission, beneficiary base (UK MS patients) and reliance on donations and legacies.
• Shift.ms: UK-based social network and information platform for people with MS. Closely comparable as a digitally-led MS information and peer-support community targeting the same patient population as MS Trust.
• Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis: UK and international charity promoting lifestyle-based self-management of MS. Comparable in being an MS-specific information and advocacy charity, though with a distinct lifestyle-modification focus.
• Parkinson's UK: UK charity serving people with Parkinson's through information, helpline, research funding and professional education. Highly comparable specialist neurological-charity operating model, revenue mix and stakeholder structure.
• Motor Neurone Disease Association: UK charity supporting people with MND via care services, information, research and advocacy. Closely comparable specialist-condition charity with similar helpline, regional-care and research-funding activities.
• Stroke Association: UK charity funding research and providing information and support for stroke survivors. Comparable as a condition-specialist UK health charity with helpline, online information and professional engagement.
• Epilepsy Society: UK charity providing information, research and specialist services for people with epilepsy. Comparable specialist neurological charity with similar information, helpline and research funding pillars.

Broad incumbents

• National Multiple Sclerosis Society: The largest US MS charity, funding research, professional training and patient services. Comparable as a global benchmark for MS charity scale, programme mix and professional education infrastructure.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Major UK health charity delivering information, support and professional services. Comparable as a benchmark for large UK health-charity operating model, fundraising sophistication and professional programme design.
• Alzheimer's Society: Large UK dementia charity providing information, helpline, research funding and campaigning. Comparable as a broader-condition incumbent with overlapping information, helpline and research funding activities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MSTrust
• YouTubeyoutube.com/mstrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/mstrustuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ms-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/ms_trust
• TikToktiktok.com/@mstrustuk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 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 Multiple Sclerosis Trust