Grants & Donations
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.
Our UK Grants Programme
We are proud of our ongoing commitment to supporting healthcare and patient organisations through funding projects which tackle health inequalities, with a focus on delivering patient and population impact. In doing this, we aim to help drive sustainable improvements in patient outcomes and support the elimination of public health threats.
Our grants programme offers 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 needs across the UK. Without our support, these organisations may not be able to get these projects off the ground.
Our 2025 grants programme was open between two windows. We received a record number of applications and were proud to be able to support 18 meaningful projects.
MSD UK 2026 Grants Programme
The first application window of the MSD UK 2026 Grants Programme application window has now closed.
Phase 1 of our 2026 UK Grants programme was open from 9th March until 7th May 2026. We invited applications from healthcare and patient organisations for arm’s length financial grants. These grants are intended to support the delivery of projects which tackle health inequalities and have a meaningful impact for patients and populations.
Building on the success of last year’s programme and in line with trends in the shifting UK healthcare landscape, this year, we are keen to provide funding support for projects which either: align to a community and neighbourhood care model, are prevention focused, or harness digital innovation to enable healthy living and behaviours.
Applications are now being rigorously reviewed by the Grants and Donations Committee for alignment to the eligibility criteria and goals of the MSD UK Grants Programme. More information on the outcomes of applications will be shared shortly with the healthcare and patient organisations who applied.
The final application window of this year’s grants programme will open in summer 2026. 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 criteria of our 2026 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
Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. Adverse events should also be reported to Merck Sharp & Dohme (UK) Limited (Tel: 0208 154 8000).
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:
Body & Soul
With funding from MSD, the charity Body & Soul was able to able to deliver workshops, therapies, and advocacy initiatives for HIV-positive mothers. Their Positive Parents Place initiative supported HIV positive migrant, asylum-seeker and refugee mothers and pregnant women by providing tailored support and creating a nurturing environment for their children. Over 228 mothers benefited from this community-driven initiative which created lasting impact for families affected by HIV, with 100% reporting greater confidence and improved health management.
North Central London Cancer Alliance and NHS North Central London ICB
Supporting the North Central London Cancer Alliance and NHS North Central London ICB enabled the integration of an AI receptionist tool, transforming cervical screening access for underserved populations. This innovation led to a 160% increase in the cervical screening booking rate, as well as significant administrative time savings, while also earning national recognition for digital excellence. This exemplifies how digital tools can help the NHS reach more patients and reduce barriers to essential preventive care.
Orchid
MSD funding was used by the charity Orchid, to launch a targeted awareness campaign to break down stigma and promote early detection of testicular cancer, especially in deprived urban communities. The campaign’s engaging social media content reached over 880,000 people, sparking more than 53,000 interactions, enabling men and their families to take charge of their health. The project was impactful in helping open conversations around men’s health in a community-focused way, reducing stigma around testicular cancer and promoting early detection.
Donations
External Quality Assessment Donation
MSD offers an External Quality Assessment (EQA) Digital Readout Program (DRT) for pathologists, via Quality in Pathology (QuIP).
The DRT is a digital EQA program that MSD offers as a donation via our partnership with QuIP to focus on Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) test scoring capabilities through a comprehensive online platform that can be accessed anytime and anywhere.
This donation is available from 1st May 2026 until 30th November 2026.
If you are a pathologist or lab manager and would like to find out more, please contact ukpm@msd.com.
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-12894 | April 2026