Charitable trusts and other grant giving bodies

Meningitis UK is dedicated to finding a vaccine to eradicate all forms of meningitis. Since the charity started in 1999, we have invested over £1.5 million pounds into meningitis research in the UK.

Unlike some urgent causes, which can be solved by immediate aid, developing a vaccine is neither easy nor quick to do, as medical research requires a long-term investment in terms of work and money. Our average investment in each research project is £150,000 so we greatly rely on grant giving bodies to help us maintain the level of financial support needed to get to our goal.

In spring 2006, we proudly announced research awards to the value of £0.5 million pounds in three of the UK's most established meningitis research Institutes - the University of Bristol, University of Sheffield and Imperial College London. Two of the projects will bring new insights into the development of a vaccine for meningitis B and the third will look at the effectiveness of the meningitis C vaccine. This brings the total value of the charity's current research programme to £835,281. Read more about Meningitis UK's current research portfolio

Kate Rowland and Steve Dayman from Meningitis UK with Roderick Shaw, Chief Executive and Martin Wren, Chairman of the James Tudor Foundation who provided a grant of £153,488 towards Meningitis UK's project at the University of Bristol.

Read the Bristol Evening Post article about the support for Meningitis UK given by the James Tudor Foundation

The 2007 round of grant applications has just come to an end. We will be announcing the projects we will be funding in early 2007. All applications for funding undergo a rigorous peer review selection procedure, which ensures that only the most worthy research grants are awarded. Meningitis UK is also a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) - the leading umbrella organisation representing medical research charities. More information is available on Meningitis UK's research strategy

However, there is still a long way to go, so we would be extremely grateful for any support you are able to offer. The need for a vaccine remains as urgent as ever and until a vaccine is developed to protect against all strains, countless lives will be lost of irrefutably changed.

"Meningitis and meningococcal septicaemia can strike and overwhelm the human body in hours. Developing a vaccine to protect against these diseases remains one of the biggest challenges to modern medicine" Professor Nigel Klein, Institute of Child Health

We would be happy to link grants of over £500 to a dedicated project of your choice, specific area of research or location where the research is based, and will provide regular progress reports so you can see what achievements have been made. We can also provide quotes and photos for use in your own literature and website if appropriate.

There are a number of other ways in which we would be pleased to recognise your generosity such as:

Showing you around one of our laboratories so that you can see our work first hand and talk directly to our research scientists and meet senior charity staff.
Naming a piece of equipment which complements a grant award.
Acknowledging your grant in our Annual Report or other publications.

Charlie and Mary Dobson whose charitable organisation ‘The Starfish Trust' has supported Meningitis UK since it began and funded the recent re-branding of the charity in 2005/06

Below are just some examples such of the difference your support could make:

£500 can pay for 50,000 ‘know the symptoms' wallet-sized cards
£1,500 can pay for enough consumables for a month's research
£5,000 can pay enough volunteers (50) for a first phase trial
£15,000 can pay for 210,000 ‘questions & answers' leaflets
£20,000 can pay for 48,000 ‘know the symptoms' fridge magnets
£34,000 can pay a lab technician for a year

Laura Chapman, our Trusts Officer would be more than happy to discuss funding options or answer any questions you might have, and can be contacted on 0117 373 73 73 or by emailing laurachapman@meningitisUK.org

How to Help