Worldwide Cancer Research

What Worldwide Cancer Research does

Worldwide Cancer Research is a UK-based charitable foundation, founded in 1979 (originally as AICR) and headquartered in Edinburgh, that funds early-stage ("discovery") cancer research globally. Its core product is a portfolio of competitive research grants awarded to scientists working on the fundamental biological mechanisms of cancer, with the strategic position that discovery research is under-funded by both public agencies and industry. Since inception, the charity has committed more than £220m across 2,000+ projects at 450+ research institutes in 35+ countries spanning five continents, and currently deploys roughly £6m per year into new grants.

The organisation's beneficiary base is the scientific community — primarily principal investigators and postdoctoral teams at universities and research institutes — while its customers, in fundraising terms, are individual donors organised under the "Curestarter" community of 90,000+ supporters, supplemented by legacy gifts, corporate partnerships, charity lottery players, and co-funding arrangements with peer cancer charities. Grant applications are vetted through a peer-review process, and grants are awarded on a project basis rather than as endowment or capital funding.

The revenue model is diversified across mass-market individual giving (regular giving, appeals, lotteries), high-value philanthropy (major donors, legacies), and institutional co-funding. The charity does not sell products or services; its income is donation-driven and reinvested into research grants and the overhead of running the granting programme. Governance is provided by a board of trustees, refreshed in March 2026 with four new appointments alongside the transition from outgoing CEO Dr Helen Rippon to Laura Brady.

Name

Worldwide Cancer Research

Legal name

Worldwide Cancer Research

Website

https://worldwidecancerresearch.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Worldwide Cancer Research is an Edinburgh-based charity, founded 1979, that funds early-stage cancer discovery research globally, having committed over £220m across 2,000+ projects at 450+ institutes in 35+ countries, supported by 90,000+ Curestarter donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer research charitable funding

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI), International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Cancer research funding
• Discovery research grants
• Charitable donations
• Lottery fundraising
• Curestarter community

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters (Curestarters). Monthly donors provide predictable revenue stream. Single donations range from £5 to £100+.
2. Weekly Lottery: Weekly lottery program priced at £1 per entry with prizes up to £10,000. Generates recurring revenue while providing gamified engagement.
3. Event Fundraising: Revenue from participants in challenge events (marathons, skydives, cycle challenges) who fundraise on behalf of the charity.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Business partnerships including corporate donations, matched funding, payroll giving schemes, and collaborative campaigns with companies like Ubisoft, DHL, Blackstone, and others.
5. Legacies and Bequests: Gifts in Wills - supporters leave legacy bequests to fund future research. These gifts advance breakthroughs and represent significant long-term revenue source.
6. Major Donor/Philanthropy: Significant donations from philanthropists and major donors, often with exclusive engagement opportunities like lab visits and project updates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Worldwide Cancer Research is a Scottish-registered charity that raises funds from individual donors, lottery players, event participants, corporate partners, and legacy bequests, and redistributes them as discovery research project grants awarded to cancer scientists at universities and institutes worldwide. Its core donor engagement vehicle is the Curestarter community, supported by single donations, monthly giving, a regulated weekly lottery, an annual grand prize draw, challenge events, and corporate partnerships; on the grant side, it operates an open grant round plus a co-funding programme run jointly with peer charities across multiple countries.

Product overview

Worldwide Cancer Research operates as a charitable organization offering a portfolio of donor engagement and research funding programs. The core offering consists of the Curestarter donation program, which includes single and monthly giving options, legacy giving through Wills, lottery products, and event-based fundraising. The organization funds discovery cancer research globally through project grants and co-funding partnerships, currently investing approximately £6 million annually. The portfolio also includes travel fellowships in partnership with EACR, annual prize draws, and community fundraising tools. The products work together to create a supporter journey from initial donation through to long-term legacy giving, while enabling researchers to access funding for innovative cancer research projects worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Curestarter Program Community programme for individual supporters donating single or monthly amounts to fund discovery cancer research; brand identity for the charity's donor base of 90,000+.
• Donation Platform Online donation system allowing UK and global supporters to make one-time or monthly donations via card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Direct Debit, text-to-donate, phone, cheque, and bank transfer, with Gift Aid support for UK taxpayers.
• Weekly Lottery Weekly lottery prize draw priced at £1 per entry with potential prizes up to £10,000, providing recurring engagement and fundraising for cancer research projects.
• Grand Prize Draw Annual grand prize draw offering larger prize incentives to drive donations and broader supporter fundraising for cancer research.
• Gifts in Wills Service Legacy giving programme enabling supporters to leave bequests to fund future cancer research, including a free Will-writing service through partner providers.
• Event Participation Platform Registration and management platform for fundraising challenge events (Great North Run, Hackney Half Marathon, Cardiff Half Marathon, skydives, cycle challenges) where participants fundraise on behalf of the charity.
• Research Project Grants Discovery research project grant programme awarding competitive grants (around £6m annually) to cancer researchers at universities and institutes worldwide, peer-reviewed by the Scientific Advisory Committee.
• Co-Funding Partnerships Co-funded research grant programme run jointly with peer cancer charities (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer, La Fondation ARC, Irish Cancer Society, Cancer Research Society, The Brain Tumour Charity, Kidney Research UK, Prostate Cancer Research) to maximise research investment and expand global reach.

Quantifiable outcome

• 140,000+ cancer patients treated with olaparib, a drug developed from Worldwide Cancer Research-funded discovery research
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Asociación Española Contra el CáncercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpanish cancer charity partnering for 2026 Grant Round co-funding. Jointly funds research projects to maximize impact and expand reach.
• The Brain Tumour CharitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-based brain tumour charity co-funding research in 2026 Grant Round partnership.
• Cancer Research SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanadian cancer research organization partnering for 2026 Grant Round to co-fund research projects.
• Irish Cancer SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIreland's leading cancer charity co-funding research. Head of Research Dr Claire Kilty: 'By working together, we can make our funding go further and importantly start more cancer cures.'
• Kidney Research UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK kidney research charity partnering for 2026 Grant Round co-funding opportunity.
• La Fondation ARCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench cancer foundation partnering for 2026 Grant Round to jointly fund cancer research projects.
• Prostate Cancer ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK prostate cancer research charity co-funding research in 2026 Grant Round partnership.
• UbisoftcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGaming company partnership through Rainbow Six Siege 'Sixth Guardian' project. Gaming community supports ground-breaking research. 'Together, we are not only gamers, we are also Curestarters.'
• DHLminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting cancer research through business donations and employee engagement.
• BlackstoneminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting cancer research through business donations and employee engagement.
• Third BridgeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting cancer research through business donations and employee engagement.
• Air PartnerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner. In 2023, 60 colleagues cycled from Gatwick to Paris over 4 days, raising funds split between three cancer charities including Worldwide Cancer Research. 'Chose Worldwide Cancer Research because of the wonderful advances being made in the field of research.'
• TemenosminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting cancer research through business donations and employee engagement.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Cancer Society: The largest US voluntary health organisation, funding cancer research, patient support, advocacy, and education. Comparable in cancer mission and donor-funded research model, but vastly larger and broader in scope, with a US rather than UK donor base.

Direct peers

• Blood Cancer UK: UK charity dedicated to beating blood cancer through research and patient support. Shares WCR's donor-funded research-grantmaking model, UK fundraising base, and discovery-research focus.
• The V Foundation for Cancer Research: US cancer research foundation funding groundbreaking research through competitive grants. Comparable to WCR as a grantmaking foundation focused exclusively on cancer research and reliant on individual/corporate philanthropy.
• Prevent Cancer Foundation: US nonprofit funding cancer prevention and early-detection research through grants and fellowships. Comparable in donor-funded cancer research grantmaking model, though with a prevention-specific lens rather than any-cancer-type focus.
• Pancreatic Cancer UK: UK-registered cancer research and patient support charity with a disease-specific focus. Comparable to WCR in operating model (UK-based, donor-funded, research grantmaking) but narrower in cancer-type scope.
• Stand Up To Cancer: Joint fundraising and research initiative operating in the US and UK; funds collaborative cancer research teams. Highly comparable in donor-driven cancer research funding model and shared UK/US footprint.
• Children with Cancer UK: UK charity funding research into childhood cancers. Directly comparable as a UK-registered, donor-funded cancer research grantmaker; its CEO Gavin Maggs also sits on WCR's Board of Trustees, reflecting the close kinship in mission and operating model.
• Cancer Research UK: The UK's largest cancer research charity, funding discovery, translational, and clinical research across all cancer types. Directly comparable to WCR in mission, donor-funded model, and geographic focus, but operates at materially larger scale with a broader research and policy remit.
• Irish Cancer Society: Ireland's leading cancer charity and an active WCR co-funding partner for the 2026 Grant Round. Comparable as a national cancer charity that combines public fundraising, research grantmaking, and patient support services.
• Prostate Cancer Research: UK prostate cancer research charity that is itself a 2026 Grant Round co-funding partner with WCR. Comparable in funding model, UK donor base, and discovery-research orientation, but specialised by cancer type.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WorldwideCancer
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/worldwidecancer
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldwidecancerresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/worldwide-cancer-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/worldwidecancerresearch
• TikToktiktok.com/@worldwidecancerresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Worldwide Cancer Research