Record Year For Alzheimer’s Research UK As Donations Reach £36.7m

Alzheimer’s Research UK has announced another record-breaking year with its total income reaching £38.5 million in 2018/19.

This growth in income for the year was fuelled by a rise in public support, with voluntary donations reaching £36.7m – enabling the charity to fund more research than ever before. Across the year, Alzheimer’s Research UK committed £25m to its charitable activities, including £19.8m towards pioneering research.

Alzheimer’s Research UK is dedicated to causes, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and cure. With a mission to bring about the first life-changing treatment for dementia, the charity works to fund and deliver the very best research, challenge misconceptions about dementia across society, and bring together people and organisations that can accelerate progress towards breakthroughs.

In 2018/19, Alzheimer’s Research UK’s record-breaking commitment to research saw it support 88 research projects across the year focusing on all forms of dementia, with the charity’s researchers making more than 200 new discoveries about the diseases that drive dementia. Scientists at its Drug Discovery Alliance progressed their drug discovery portfolio to include 21 potential new treatments in development across the three landmark Drug Discovery Institutes.

The charity also worked to change the conversation about dementia, reaching over 14m people with Make Breakthroughs Possible, a bold awareness campaign that emphasised the hope that lies in research. And its Just 1% campaign, which calls for government to invest 1% of the total annual cost of dementia into research, garnered mass support with nearly 35,000 people signing a petition to back the call.

This work was achieved thanks to a growing number of people supporting the charity, with voluntary donations making up 95% of its income. This included 42,000 people who chose to make monthly donations and 11,000 people who took on individual fundraising challenges. In May 2018, Alzheimer’s Research UK joined forces with Alzheimer’s Society as Charity of the Year for the 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon, launching the Dementia Revolution – a special one-year campaign that told the stories of those personally affected by dementia. The campaign raised millions to support research at the UK Dementia Research Institute and reached a third of UK adults with important messages about the impact of dementia and the need for more research.

Hilary Evans, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:
“This has been an incredible year for Alzheimer’s Research UK, and we’re delighted to achieve so much thanks to the amazing people who continue to support our cause. It’s hugely encouraging to see more people joining us in our mission to bring about the first life-changing treatment for dementia. But this growth in support also underlines a heartbreaking truth: that one in two of us know someone affected by dementia, which is now the health crisis of our time. There is much more to do to achieve our mission, but we know that with our fantastic supporters, we will make breakthroughs possible.”