Alzheimer's Society

Research priorities are set by the Board of Trustees, chaired by Dame Suzi Leather, informed by a Research Grants Advisory Board of external scientific experts and a network of people living with dementia. The society's 2022–2032 strategy commits to funding biomedical discovery and care implementation equally, with annual grant rounds reviewed through independent peer assessment. The CEO, Michelle Dyson CB, holds ultimate executive accountability for the full portfolio since her 2025 appointment.

The society operates on an annual income model, not an endowment drawdown. Its roughly £93 million in total income for 2023 came from voluntary donations, legacies, corporate partnerships, and trading activities. It does not maintain a permanent investment portfolio in the traditional foundation sense; reserves are held as cash and cash equivalents to cover working capital and contingent programme commitments.

They are separate charities with distinct missions: Alzheimer's Society focuses on both research funding and direct support services for people affected by dementia, while Alzheimer's Research UK is exclusively a biomedical research funder. They are formal joint venture partners in the Alzheimer's Brain Bank UK, a tissue donation and research resource. The two organisations also co-fund specific initiatives and coordinate on public policy campaigns around dementia science investment.

Yes. The charity operates a national Dementia Connect support line, approximately 900 local service locations offering dementia advisers, and structured group programmes such as Singing for the Brain and peer support. These services are delivered by paid staff and volunteers, sitting alongside its grant-making function rather than being outsourced to a separate delivery partner.

The society operates in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It does not cover Scotland, where Alzheimer Scotland is the equivalent national charity. Some joint research funding arrangements extend to Scottish universities through UK-wide consortia such as the UK Dementia Research Institute.

The society invests in translational research through its Drug Discovery programme at University College London and collaborates with pharmaceutical and biotech companies on specific projects where charitable funding can de-risk early-stage targets. It does not take equity positions or royalties from commercial ventures. Its role is to bridge the gap between academic discovery and clinical validation, with research outputs published openly.

The Board of Trustees, chaired by Dame Suzi Leather, holds ultimate fiduciary and strategic authority. Trustees are unpaid volunteers drawn from clinical, scientific, commercial, and lived-experience backgrounds. The board maintains a register of interests, and all grant-making decisions follow published conflict-of-interest protocols that exclude trustees with direct affiliations from specific funding recommendations.