Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital

What Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital does

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital is a registered charity (Charity No: 1161546) founded in May 1963 and headquartered at 162 City Road, London, United Kingdom. The organization exists to support patients and staff at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, an NHS centre of excellence for specialist treatment of eye diseases, by funding equipment, supplementing staff posts, and operating a portfolio of patient-facing services across 10 of the 20 Moorfields sites in London. Core service lines include a volunteer programme of approximately 350 active volunteers delivering over 1,000 hours of support per month, a Health Information Hub at City Road that signposts patients to peer organizations (RNIB, Macular Society, Glaucoma Association, Retina UK, Diabetes UK, Nystagmus Network, Blind in Business, Keratoconus Group), play-specialist and family accommodation support through the FriendZ programme, and a Hospital Grants Programme that has funded items such as supine YAG lasers, cameras, and part-funded clinical posts including a glaucoma consultant role.

The charity's underlying technology stack is deliberately lightweight and not a source of differentiation. It operates an e-commerce shop on Shopify (friends-of-moorfields.myshopify.com), uses the JustGiving platform for online fundraising, runs a WordPress-based website, and relies on direct phone (020 7251 1240), email ([email protected]), and post channels. It maintains no proprietary technology, no AI/ML systems, no API surface, and no patents or trademarks. The core operational asset is its volunteer coordination capability: 350 active volunteers, a handholding service that delivers over 200 hours of patient emotional support weekly across 9 sites, and a Volunteer to Career programme that has transitioned 67 volunteers into NHS roles or further education. The charity holds GDPR compliance certification (last reviewed 12 August 2024) and has been shortlisted for the Charity Awards 2025 in the Healthcare and Medical Research category.

Friends of Moorfields operates a diversified but small-scale charity revenue model. Funding sources include membership subscriptions (£10/year minimum, ~750-800 subscribing members), the Peacock Lottery (£20/year sign-up with quarterly prize draws), one-off and regular donations (JustGiving, workplace collecting boxes, Give As You Earn corporate partnerships), retail profits from the physical and online Friends Shop, legacies and bequests (described as a significant proportion of annual income), and corporate collections at London Underground stations and local businesses. The largest discretionary commitment on record is a £1 million contribution to the Oriel project for the new Moorfields and UCL Centre for Eye Health (centre named 25 March 2026), with all hospital services due to relocate from City Road to St Pancras in summer 2027. Annual revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the small paid staff base (~15 FTEs) and London-only operating geography constrain absolute scale but do not materially limit relevance to its single institutional beneficiary, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Name

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital

Legal name

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital

Website

https://friendsofmoorfields.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital is a London-based registered charity founded in 1963 that supports Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust through volunteer services, a Health Information Hub, retail operations, and a hospital grants programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Charity Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG)

Keywords

• Hospital charity support
• Volunteer coordination
• Patient support services
• Health information services
• Grant funding programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership subscriptions starting at £10 per year, providing members voting rights at AGM and input into strategy
2. Donations and Fundraising: One-time and regular donations from individuals, families, and supporters. Fundraising activities including events, sponsored activities, and collections at stations.
3. Retail Shop Operations: Physical shop at Moorfields City Road and online shop selling items including eye drop travel wallets, post-operative pillows, sunglasses, books, and branded merchandise. Trolley service to wards.
4. Peacock Lottery: Quarterly lottery draws with prizes of 60%, 25%, and 15% distribution. Sign-up fee of £20 per year. Half of income goes to charity fund.
5. Legacies and Bequests: Gifts in wills providing significant proportion of annual income. Legacy giving program with solicitor guidance recommended.
6. Corporate Giving: Give As You Earn (GAYE) scheme partnerships with employers. Corporate collections and workplace fundraising.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital is an independent, member-led registered charity that raises funds and delivers volunteer-led services to support patients and staff at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. It provides volunteer services (patient guidance, theatre handholding, clinic and pharmacy support), a hospital-based Health Information Hub, grants for equipment and staff posts, retail via a hospital shop and an online Shopify store, the Peacock Lottery, and youth engagement programmes. Funding comes from individual donations, legacies, memberships, retail profits, and workplace giving.

Product overview

Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital is a member-led charity offering a portfolio of patient support services centered around volunteer programmes and hospital grants. The core offerings include: (1) Volunteer Services - a team of ~300+ volunteers providing patient guidance, clinic support, theatre handholding, pharmacy support, and phone reminder calls; (2) Health Information Hub - providing eye health information, signposting, and support for patients and carers; (3) Friends Shop - both physical and online retail; (4) Membership Programme - annual subscriptions guiding organizational strategy; (5) Hospital Grants Programme - funding equipment and staff posts; (6) Young Patients Services - play specialists and support for children; (7) Fundraising and Donation Processing - facilitating public donations and fundraising events. The organization does not operate as a technology platform with products in the traditional SaaS sense; rather, it delivers charitable services supporting Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peacock Lottery: A quarterly lottery programme where participants pay £20 per year, with half of income supporting the charity and half going to a prize pot with three quarterly prizes.
• Health Information Hub
• FriendZ

Products and services

• Volunteer Services A team of over 300 active volunteers providing support to patients and staff across Moorfields sites in London, including welcoming, guiding, clinic support, theatre handholding, pharmacy support, and phone reminder calls. Available to Moorfields Eye Hospital patients and clinical staff.
• Health Information Hub A dedicated information area in the main entrance of Moorfields City Road offering accessible, non-medical Moorfields-approved information, signposting, and support for patients and carers on eye conditions, equipment, assistive technology, and support services. Represents Moorfields, RNIB, Macular Society, International Glaucoma Association, Keratoconus Group, Blind In Business, Diabetes UK, Nystagmus Network, and Retina UK.
• Friends Shop (In-Hospital and Online) A shop on the ground floor of the City Road hospital providing food, snacks, drinks, newspapers, magazines, gifts, and eye care accessories including eye drop travel wallets, post-operative pillows, and sunglasses, plus a trolley service to wards. Also operates an online shop via Shopify (friends-of-moorfields.myshopify.com) selling Christmas cards, branded products, and eye care accessories. Serves Moorfields patients, visitors, and staff.
• Membership Programme Annual membership subscription starting at £10 per year, allowing members to guide organisational strategy and priorities, vote at the AGM, and receive the quarterly Peacock newsletter. Open to anyone supporting Moorfields Eye Hospital. Gift Aid available for UK taxpayers.
• Hospital Grants Programme Awards grants to Moorfields Eye Hospital departments for equipment, staff posts, and projects that improve patient experience, including supine YAG lasers, cameras, play specialists, and other enhancements beyond NHS core funding. Available to Moorfields hospital departments.
• Young Patients Services (FriendZ) Support services for children and young patients at Moorfields including play specialists, toys, equipment, family accommodation support via Ronald McDonald House Moorfields (Friends contributed over £300,000 to its build), youth engagement programmes, and child-friendly procedures. For children and families receiving eye care at Moorfields.
• Fundraising Services Facilitates donations, fundraising events, sponsored activities, partner fundraising, and awareness campaigns (including collections at London Underground stations), primarily through the JustGiving platform. Available to individual and community fundraisers supporting Moorfields.
• Peacock Lottery Subscription-based lottery with quarterly prize draws. Sign-up fee of £20 per year via email or phone, with three quarterly cash prizes. Half of income goes to the charity fund. Available to UK supporters who register directly with Friends of Moorfields.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350 volunteers providing over 1000 hours of support monthly
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaborating on Future of Eye Care Essay Competition for students considering careers in eye care, clinical research, or ophthalmology. Partnership supports research roadshows and engagement activities.
• The Moorfields AssociationminorOthers · 1 March 2014Formed by amalgamation of Moorfields Alumni Association and Moorfields Surgeons Association. Encourages community among past and present healthcare professionals. Provides bursaries for training and supports social events.
• Moorfields Eye CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain fundraising and grant-making charity for Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. Together they treat around 750,000 patients annually and produce more research than any other eye hospital globally. Friends collaborate on projects and events.
• UCL Institute of OphthalmologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in new world-class centre for eye care, research and education opening 2027 (The Moorfields and UCL Centre for Eye Health). Friends contributed £1 million to the Oriel project.
• Ronald McDonald House CharitiesminorOthersFriends paid over £300,000 towards building of Ronald McDonald House Moorfields providing free accommodation to families when children need treatment. Have representatives on Moorfields House Board of Governors.
• Eye Health Organizations at Health HubminorOthersHealth Information Hub represents Moorfields Eye Hospital, RNIB, Macular Society, International Glaucoma Association, Keratoconus Group, Blind In Business, Diabetes UK, Nystagmus Network, Retina UK. Provides coordinated information and support services.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): Major UK sight-loss charity providing information, advocacy, and services. Overlaps with Friends' patient support and information mission but operates at national scale and across all eye conditions.
• Barts Charity: Health-focused charity supporting Barts Health NHS Trust hospitals in London. Comparable model of grants, research support, and patient experience investments at London NHS trusts.
• Royal Marsden Cancer Charity: UK specialist hospital charity supporting The Royal Marsden. Similar single-hospital focus with grants, volunteer programmes, and fundraising infrastructure.
• King's College Hospital Charity: London NHS hospital charity supporting King's College Hospital, with similar volunteer coordination, grant programmes, and shop operations. Closely comparable operating model for a single-hospital charity.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity: One of the UK's largest NHS hospital charities, supporting a specialist paediatric hospital. Comparable in mission (volunteers, grants, retail) but at significantly larger scale, providing a relevant benchmark for what a hospital charity can achieve.
• Guy's & St Thomas' Charity: Major NHS hospital charity in London supporting two large teaching hospitals. Similar London-based volunteer-driven charity model with grants, retail, and patient support services.

Direct peers

• Moorfields Eye Charity: The principal fundraising and grantmaking charity for Moorfields Eye Hospital, focused on research and capital campaigns. Most direct peer — both organisations support the same hospital, share trustee-level coordination, and collaborate on Oriel and other initiatives.

Emerging players

• Fight for Sight: UK charity funding eye research. Partners with Moorfields and shares a sight-related mission, but focused on research rather than direct hospital patient support services.
• Macular Society: UK charity focused on macular disease support and research. Operates a Health Information Hub-style service and is a partner of Friends at Moorfields; serves a narrower but related eye health mission.

Others

• Helpforce: National charity promoting volunteering in health services. Direct programme funder and partner of Friends (£75,000 grant), enabling the Volunteer to Career and handholding programmes at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/moorfieldfriend
• Facebookfacebook.com/FriendsofMoorfields
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moorfields-alumni-association

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Friends of Moorfields Eye Hospital