Sussex Cancer Fund

What Sussex Cancer Fund does

Sussex Cancer Fund is a UK registered charity (Charity No. 1147195) founded in 1981 and headquartered at the Sussex Cancer Centre in Brighton. It exists to enhance cancer care for patients in Sussex by funding equipment, refurbishment projects, complementary therapies, and cancer research that complement NHS provision. The organisation operates as a hybrid grant-maker and service-delivery entity, working in close partnership with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and co-funding the Macmillan Horizon Centre (opened November 2016) alongside Macmillan Cancer Care. A small team of 11–50 staff, led by Fund Manager David Witham and Relationship Manager Peter Finnigan, manages operations across patient services, community fundraising, and research allocation.

The charity generates revenue through four primary streams: individual donations (one-off and monthly recurring via JustGiving), community fundraising events (Brighton Marathon, Great South Run, quiz nights, corporate Sussex Business Charity League), a charity lottery with prizes up to £25,000, and online merchandise sales (Christmas cards, cookbooks, branded apparel, event registrations) processed through a Shopify storefront with PayPal and Royal Mail fulfilment. Pricing for donations is structured at £5/£10/£25/£50/£120 tiers mapped to tangible patient benefits (tea, dignity gowns, parking, equipment), and merchandise is priced £3–£25. Customer-facing services include acupuncture, massage, life coaching, vocal therapy, mindful meditation, and a physical activity programme (Active Outlook), plus a free patient car park opposite the Sussex Cancer Centre.

The charity also acts as a research funder, most recently committing £60,000 in April 2025 to the BRAINCELL liquid biopsy project at the University of Sussex, jointly with Action Against Cancer and collaborating with Royal Marsden Hospital, University of Manchester, and Teesside University. Operating geographies are confined to Southeast England, with global distribution limited to merchandise shipping. The tech stack is intentionally minimal: standard third-party platforms (Shopify, PayPal, JustGiving, Royal Mail) with no proprietary engineering or AI capability.

Name

Sussex Cancer Fund

Legal name

Sussex Cancer Fund Limited

Website

https://sussexcancerfund.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sussex Cancer Fund is a UK registered charity founded in 1981 that enhances cancer care for Sussex patients by funding equipment, complementary therapies, patient services, and research through NHS partnerships, donations, community fundraising, and a charity lottery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Care Charity Services

NAICS

Health and Welfare Funds (52512), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care, Hospice & Serious Illness Support (BPAGACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Health & Prevention Program Funding (HLAJALAF)

Keywords

• Cancer patient support
• Charity fundraising services
• Complementary cancer therapy
• Cancer research funding
• Medical equipment funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual one-off and regular monthly donations through JustGiving platform and direct giving. Community fundraising events, tribute donations, and gifts in wills.
2. Online Shop Sales: Sale of merchandise including Christmas cards, cookbooks, t-shirts, pin badges, water bottles, and running vests. Products sold at various price points (£3-£25).
3. Charity Lottery: Weekly lottery with potential prize up to £25,000. Players support cancer care locally with chance to win cash prizes.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Business fundraising league, corporate sponsors for events, and business ambassadors supporting the charity.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sussex Cancer Fund is a registered charity that funds and delivers cancer care support services for NHS patients in Sussex, UK. It provides free complementary therapies (acupuncture, massage, life coaching, vocal therapy, physical activity programmes, mindfulness), patient comfort services (car parking, dignity items), equipment and refurbishment funding for cancer treatment facilities, and grants for cancer research. Revenue is generated through individual donations, community fundraising, corporate partnerships, a weekly charity lottery, and an online merchandise shop.

Product overview

Sussex Cancer Fund is a charitable organization that operates primarily as a platform providing cancer patient care services, equipment funding, and cancer research support in Sussex. The organization offers a unified portfolio of patient-facing services including acupuncture, massage, life coaching, vocal therapy, physical activity programmes (Active Outlook), and mindfulness/meditation sessions. Additionally, they operate an e-commerce merchandise store selling products including cookbooks (Not So Porridge Cookbook, Whizz it Up, Every Mouthful Counts), charity Christmas cards, branded merchandise (t-shirts, running vests, water bottles, pin badges), books (We Love Sussex Poetry Book, B is for Breast Cancer), and fundraising event registrations (Brighton Marathon). The organization also provides practical patient support through car parking facilities and funds equipment and refurbishments for cancer treatment centres. Cancer research funding and volunteer/donation programmes round out the service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCF: Abbreviated name for Sussex Cancer Fund used in marketing materials and merchandise

Products and services

• Acupuncture Service Free acupuncture service that helps relieve some of the symptoms of cancer treatment for Sussex cancer patients.
• Active Outlook Physical Activity Programme Physical activity programme designed to help cancer patients stay active and support their recovery.
• Massage Service Free massage service offering relaxation and healing for cancer patients at Sussex Cancer Centre.
• Life Coaching Service helping individuals navigate post-treatment life changes through structured coaching support.
• Vocal Therapy Vocal psychotherapy enabling participants to connect with their emotional strength and resilience through working with their voice.
• Mindful Meditation & Forest Bathing Sessions Mindfulness, meditation and forest bathing sessions for cancer patients' wellbeing.
• Patient Car Park Free patient car park located opposite the Sussex Cancer Centre providing convenient parking for patients attending treatment and outpatient appointments.
• Equipment Funding Funding essential equipment to enhance cancer care in Sussex NHS facilities.
• Refurbishments Transforming spaces through vital refurbishment projects to enhance cancer care environments in Sussex.
• Macmillan Horizon Centre Support Ongoing financial support for the Macmillan Horizon Centre, which provides holistic cancer care for Sussex patients.
• Cancer Research Funding Funding and supporting innovative cancer research projects and programmes in Sussex for better patient outcomes.
• Cancer Charity Lottery Charity lottery where players can win up to £25,000 while supporting cancer care locally in Sussex.
• Sussex Cancer Fund Charity Shop (Merchandise) Online merchandise shop selling charity-branded goods including Christmas cards, cookbooks, apparel, books, and event registrations, with proceeds supporting Sussex cancer patients.
• Regular Monthly Giving Programme Recurring monthly donation programme enabling sustained financial support for Sussex cancer care services.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Action Against CancermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Jointly funding the BRAINCELL research project with £60,000 each (£120,000 total). Project aims to develop a liquid biopsy for brain metastases detection at University of Sussex.
• Macmillan Cancer CarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2016Sussex Cancer Fund co-built and co-funds the Macmillan Horizon Centre which opened in November 2016. The centre provides holistic cancer support and is used by hundreds of patients regularly. SCF continues to support running costs alongside Macmillan.
• University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary NHS partner operating cancer services at Sussex Cancer Centre (Royal Sussex County Hospital), Princess Royal Hospital, and other sites. SCF provides equipment, refurbishments, complementary therapies, and research funding to enhance NHS cancer care.
• University of SussexmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for cancer research including BRAINCELL project (Professor Georgios Giamas), and other research initiatives. Hosts research fellows and coordinates academic research efforts.
• Full Circle Fund TherapiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides clinical massage therapy services to cancer patients at Royal Sussex County Hospital, funded through Sussex Cancer Fund support.
• Royal Marsden HospitalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey collaborator in BRAINCELL research project, supporting patient recruitment and treatment for the liquid biopsy study.
• Phoenix Marketing, Rising Above Cancer, Consortium More Than Marketing, Richard Soan Roofing Services, yespromo products, Mansell McTaggartminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsors who covered production costs of Christmas cards, allowing 100% of proceeds to go directly to supporting local cancer patients.
• Albion in the CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for 'Brighter Outlook' project providing free specialist exercise support to help cancer patients stay active across Sussex.
• Brighton and Sussex Medical SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner hosting blood cancer research lab open days and supporting research education initiatives.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Young Lives vs Cancer: UK charity (formerly CLIC Sargent) supporting children and young people with cancer through clinical, financial, and emotional support services. Similar charity-sector structure and NHS partnership model.
• Maggie's Centres: Charity operating cancer-support centres across the UK with NHS co-location. Closely mirrors SCF's model of funding patient wellbeing services alongside NHS cancer care delivery.
• Action Against Cancer: Smaller UK cancer research funding charity, currently co-funding the BRAINCELL project with SCF. Closely comparable in scale and mission focus on funding research for cancer patients.

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: UK's largest cancer charity providing information, support, and financial aid to cancer patients. Directly comparable service portfolio (information, complementary therapies, financial grants) but operates nationally with substantially larger fundraising scale than SCF's Sussex-only focus.
• Marie Curie: UK charity providing palliative and end-of-life care for cancer and other terminal illness patients. Overlaps with SCF on patient wellbeing and complementary therapy, but operates hospice infrastructure nationally.
• Cancer Research UK: UK's largest cancer research charity with broad public fundraising. Comparable on research funding and mass-event fundraising (Race for Life, etc.), but operates at national scale rather than regional.
• Breast Cancer Now: UK charity focused specifically on breast cancer research and support. Relevant peer given SCF's funding of breast-cancer-related life coaching and patient support services.

Regional players

• Cancer Focus Northern Ireland: Regional cancer charity offering patient support, counselling, and research funding in Northern Ireland. Comparable to SCF in service mix and regional NHS partnership approach.
• Tenovus Cancer Care: Wales-based regional cancer charity providing support, research funding, and a mobile chemotherapy unit. Structurally analogous to SCF's Sussex-only focus but serving a different UK region.
• Friends of the Cancer Centre: Northern Ireland cancer charity funding equipment, research, and patient comfort services at the Cancer Centre in Belfast. Mirrors SCF's regional NHS-embedded model in a different UK geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sussexcancerfund
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/sussexcancerfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/sussex.cancerfund
• Xx.com/SxCancerFund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sussex Cancer Fund