GRANTS & DONATIONS
At MSD we have a long history of working with and supporting patient organisations and healthcare organisations to enable people to make informed choices about their health. It’s one of the most important things we do – and we’re proud of it.
MSD UK Grants Programme
We are proud of our continued commitment to supporting healthcare and patient organisations to deliver innovative projects which tackle health inequalities, drive improvements in patient outcomes, and support the elimination of public health threats.
As part of our contribution, we are pleased to offer our MSD UK Grants Programme.
Our grants programmes offer arm’s lengths financial grants to eligible organisations, to support a range of projects including educational initiatives, support for local communities and projects which advocate for patient’s needs across the UK. Without our support, these organisations might not have been able to get these innovative projects off the ground.
Our 2024 grants programme was open between two windows. We received a record number of applications from innovative organisations dedicated to tackling health inequalities in the UK and we were proud to be able to support 23 innovative projects.
Learn more about a previous MSD Grants programme, including hearing from a recipient:
MSD UK 2025 Grants Programme
The first application window of the MSD UK 2025 Grants Programme is now closed.
The first application window of the 2025 MSD Grants Programme has now closed. Open from 1st March until 30th April 2025, we invited applications from healthcare and patient organisations looking for support to enable them to deliver innovative projects which tackle UK health inequalities. Applications focused on delivering patient or population impact by emphasising community health and wellbeing and enabling healthcare professional, patient, and public empowerment, were eligible to apply.
Applications are now being rigorously reviewed by the Grants and Donations Committee for alignment to the goals and eligibility of MSD’s UK grants programme. More information on the outcomes of applications will be shared shortly with healthcare and patient organisations.
Please note that the final application window of 2025 will open in July. Following launch, further information and guidance for how to apply will be made available here.
In the meantime, learn more about the goals, scope and eligibility of our 2025 programme via the link below:
If you have submitted an application and did not receive a confirmation email within 7 working days, or for any enquiries, please contact Grantscommittee@msd.com.
For MSD’s privacy statement, please see more information here
Previous awards
Congratulations to the organisations that were successful in previous programmes. We are delighted to highlight a few examples of the impactful grants awarded to previous recipients:
Melanoma Focus
Melanoma Focus is a UK-based charity dedicated to improving the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Melanoma Focus is currently advocating for the removal of VAT from sunscreen.
Shaping a Better Future for Melanoma Patients
In 2023, MSD funding was utilised towards a commissioned health economics report that evaluated how the elimination of VAT could affect the affordability of factor 30+sunscreen products and the subsequent health outcomes related to melanoma prevention. The report revealed that removing VAT on SPF 30+ sunscreen could significantly reduce the financial burden on consumers, potentially preventing melanoma skin cancer and resulting in substantial savings for the NHS.
The report was published in August 2024 and Melanoma Focus is now working closely with policy and health stakeholders to advocate for the implementation of this recommendation based on evidential support.
World Cancer Research Fund
The World Cancer Research Fund is an organisation dedicated to cancer prevention and research, providing evidence-based information on the links between diet, nutrition, physical activity, and cancer risk.
Educating health professionals: how lifestyle affects cancer risk
To empower health professionals to discuss the links between lifestyle – such as obesity and diet – and cancer with their patients, funding from MSD UK enabled The World Cancer Research Fund to run 10 workshops that were attended by 337 health professionals, including oncology nurses, dietitians, and health improvement practitioners.
Led by their qualified nutritionists with extensive health promotion experience, 100% of attendees felt more confident about the role of lifestyle and dietary factors in cancer prevention as a result of attending the workshop, and all attendees would attend another workshop.
Other areas of our work…
For over a century, MSD has taken on the most urgent global health challenges, including diabetes, HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer. Maternal mortality is no exception. MSD for Mothers builds on this legacy by implementing programmes, partnerships and solutions so no woman dies giving life.
Cancer represents one of the world’s most urgent unmet medical needs and at MSD we remain committed to turning breakthrough biomedical innovations into novel therapies that help extend and improve the lives of people with cancer worldwide. We believe that policy researchers play a critical role – through their research work, educational activity and public outreach – in informing valuable policy dialogues based on evidence. Through this Independent Oncology Policy Grant Programme, MSD seeks to enable institutions to enhance their capacities in research, teaching and dissemination. Beyond supporting independent research, the Programme will provide an international forum for researchers to share ideas on emerging cancer policy issues and identify new areas for policy study.
GB-NON-11100 | March 2025