Where your money goes

By donating to Marie Curie, you're supporting our vital work and ensuring we're there for anyone with an illness they're likely to die from, and those close to them.

Everything we do depends on the generous donations of our supporters. Around two-thirds of the money we spend each year comes from the people, companies and trusts who decide to support us. The remaining third comes from the NHS.

Without our supporters, we wouldn't be able to provide vital hospice care to the people who need us at an extremely difficult time.

We're the leader in research into a better end of life for all. We carry out research ourselves and in partnership with other experts to help improve our services, as well as those provided by other organisations. All our research findings are published and available to other care providers, including the NHS, to help them improve the way they care for people at the end of life, no matter the illness.

Very few organisations fund research specifically about caring for people at the end of their lives. We believe filling that gap is crucially important, so we can be sure the people we are here for get the best possible care and we are always learning more about how to help them.

We believe everyone with a terminal illness should have access to high quality care and support, when and where they need it. 

But one in every four people doesn’t get the care and support they need at the end of their life. We don’t think that’s good enough. We are doing everything we can to change that, but we can’t do it alone.

So we speak out on issues that affect people with a terminal illness and their families. We share our expertise about what people need with the government, political parties and others who influence health and social care policy, and we let them know how we think the care people get at the end of their lives can be improved.

We believe this is the best way to make care better for everyone with a terminal illness in the UK, not just the people we directly care for each year.

No. All of our work is carried out in the UK and that’s where the money we raise is spent.

We will always spend general donations where the need is greatest – as such, it’s important that we can provide our services to people across the UK. Having that flexibility is crucial for us and the people we support.

However, if you specifically want your donation spent in a particular area or on a particular service, you just need to provide clear instructions in writing with your donation, or contact our supporter relations team to let them know, and we will treat your donation accordingly.

Our 75 years of experience and sector-leading research means we know what matters most to people when they, or someone they love, are facing the end of life.

As well as the people we care for and their families, our thousands of supporters place huge trust in us, as one of the UK’s largest and best-known charities. We are determined to repay them by using their money to help as many people living with a terminal illness and their families as we can.

We’ve committed to six promises to you about how we raise money and communicate with you. And we pay great attention to ensuring that we are working in the most efficient and cost-effective way. Each year, we set out:

• exactly how all our money is raised and spent, in our annual report and accounts
• the difference your support has made, in our impact report
• how the care you are funding meets high standards of quality, in our quality account

We would love to hear from you if you have any comments or questions about our work and how we raise and spend our funds. You can contact us on 0800 716 146 or [email protected]

Money we spend on generating future income is an investment to make sure we can carry on providing care and support in the future.

Without investment in fundraising, we'd have a lot less overall to spend on helping anyone with an illness they're likely to die from and those close to them each year and we wouldn't be able to keep providing the same levels of care and support in the future.

Investment in fundraising is reviewed to ensure it is providing us with an acceptable level of return, and to ensure we are spending charity funds in the most effective and efficient way.

We're here for anyone with an illness they're likely to die from, and those close to them. This includes Alzheimer's (and other forms of dementia), heart, liver, kidney and lung disease, motor neurone disease, Parkinson's and advanced cancer. Whatever the illness, wherever you are, we're with you to the end.

One in four people dying in the UK don't get the care and support they need, and the problem is getting worse as our population ages. By raising awareness around our work, we're reaching more of the people who need us and letting them know we're here to help them.

Raising awareness about Marie Curie also encourages more people to support our work. We rely on the generous support of the public, corporate partners and trusts to ensure we can care for people both now and in the future.

Yes. The NHS funds around half the cost of our nursing services and our hospices. The remaining costs are met through donations to the charity. As such, we would not be able to provide our services without the generosity of our supporters.