Blood Cancer UK

Grant decisions are made by independent scientific advisory panels composed of external experts in haematology, oncology, and translational research. The panels assess applications based on scientific merit and potential patient impact. The Board of Trustees, chaired by Matthew Wilson, oversees the strategic direction but delegates individual funding decisions to these specialist committees.

The charity raises funds primarily through public donations, community fundraising events, corporate partnerships, and legacy gifts. It does not receive direct government block funding for its research grants. The Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund operates as a ring-fenced fundraising vehicle within the organization, directing additional resources specifically to myeloma research.

No. Blood Cancer UK restricts its research grant-making to UK-based universities, hospitals, and research institutions. While the findings from its funded studies often influence international clinical practice, the charity does not directly fund research conducted outside the UK.

Blood Cancer UK is an independent charity and is not controlled by Cancer Research UK or Anthony Nolan. However, it maintains active co-investment partnerships with both organizations. It collaborates with Cancer Research UK on the Vivo Biobank and with Anthony Nolan on the Blood Cancer UK Vaccine Research Collaborative. These are project-level partnerships rather than structural affiliations.

Blood Cancer UK maintains an investment portfolio to generate income for its charitable activities, but the organization's financial reports are submitted to the Charity Commission and do not publicly detail investment management arrangements. The charity's primary capital deployment mechanism is grant-making rather than managing a large investment portfolio for return.

The Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund is a named fund within Blood Cancer UK, established in 2018 by Matthew Wilson after his own diagnosis with multiple myeloma. Wilson is the former CEO of Brit Insurance and the Chair of Trustees at Blood Cancer UK. The fund raises money specifically for myeloma research and operates as a dedicated funding stream within the larger charity.

Blood Cancer UK does not sponsor or run clinical trials itself. Instead, it funds the preclinical and translational research that generates the evidence base for trials. Its 2023 partnership with the UK BioIndustry Association is designed to accelerate the handoff between Blood Cancer UK-funded academic discoveries and clinical trial initiation by industry partners.