Cancer charities support patients, families, and caregivers through information, practical help, financial assistance, research, advocacy, and emotional support. The figures below show the scale of that work, with UK measures from Macmillan’s 2024 and 2023 reporting and US measures from the American Cancer Society (ACS), Susan G. Komen, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).
Contents
- Cancer charity support in the UK
- Macmillan’s services and reach
- Macmillan income and spending
- Cancer statistics shaping charity work in the US
- Research funding from cancer charities
- Patient assistance, advocacy, and access
Cancer charity support in the UK
Macmillan reported almost 3.5 million people living with cancer in the UK in its 2024 annual report. During 2024, the charity said it helped 2.4 million people affected by cancer. Its support reached people through services delivered in person, by telephone, and digitally.
The charity reported that 484,000 people living with cancer used those in-person, phone, or digital services in 2024. Its online community supported 286,000 people with cancer during the same year, while more than 105,000 people visited a Macmillan Information Centre. These channels matter to caregivers as well as patients because they provide different ways to seek information and support around treatment, daily life, and changing care needs.
Macmillan also supported more than 65,000 holistic needs assessments in 2024. This figure counts assessments rather than unique people, so it should not be added to the charity’s other reach figures. The charity’s nurses, support workers, and palliative care nurses reached approximately 700,000 people living with cancer in 2024.
Macmillan’s Support Line supported, on average, more than 260 people affected by cancer every day in 2024. The annual report also describes the service as handling more than 260 people per day on average. Those figures refer to the same reported daily measure, not two separate groups.
Macmillan’s volunteer community included more than 11,000 volunteers in 2024. Volunteers gave more than 100,000 hours of time during the year. In Macmillan’s 2023 volunteer experience survey, 580 volunteers responded, and 84% said their volunteering experience was positive.
Macmillan’s services and reach
Macmillan’s earlier reporting provides additional context for its support model. The charity’s cancer statistics fact sheet from April 2024 said that more than 3 million people were reached and supported by its services in 2023. It also said that 943,000 people received Person to Person support from Macmillan professionals or services in 2023.
The charity reported more than 3,500 people living with cancer supported by Macmillan Buddies in its 2023 annual report. Its April 2024 cancer statistics fact sheet gave a closely related figure of 3,600 people supported through Macmillan Buddies in 2023. Because the two reports use slightly different published figures, they are shown separately rather than combined.
These numbers describe different parts of a broad support system. A national reach figure, a Person to Person measure, a Buddy service count, an online-community count, and an Information Centre visit count should not be treated as interchangeable. They may represent different people, visits, contacts, or service definitions.
For caregivers, the practical implication is that cancer charity support can be distributed across several access points. Macmillan’s reported services include professional support, peer-style Buddy support, online community activity, information centres, telephone support, needs assessments, and palliative care services. The supplied reports quantify the scale of these services but do not provide a separate total for caregivers alone.
Macmillan income and spending
Macmillan reported total income of £245.5 million in 2024. The charity said this was £13 million more than its 2023 income of £232.5 million. It also reported raising £239.7 million in 2024, equal to 98% of its total income for that year.
The charity reported £150.4 million spent on supporting people living with and affected by cancer in 2024. Its published spending categories included £31.4 million on healthcare, £44.6 million on financial support, £38.0 million on information and support, £17.9 million on practical and emotional support, £19.4 million on campaigning and raising awareness, and £5.5 million on learning and development.
| Macmillan 2024 measure | Reported amount |
|---|---|
| Total income | £245.5 million |
| Amount raised | £239.7 million |
| Supporting people living with or affected by cancer | £150.4 million |
| Financial support | £44.6 million |
| Healthcare | £31.4 million |
| Information and support | £38.0 million |
| Practical and emotional support | £17.9 million |
These categories are reported amounts and should not automatically be added together. The supplied figures do not establish whether every category is presented on an identical accounting basis or whether categories overlap within broader support spending. They do show that financial, healthcare, information, and practical or emotional support were distinct areas of Macmillan’s 2024 work.
Cancer statistics shaping charity work in the US
The American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics 2024 report projected 2,001,140 new cancer diagnoses in the United States for 2024. It also reported more than 4 million fewer cancer deaths in the United States since 1991. The projected diagnosis figure is a forecast for 2024, while the reduction in deaths is a historical comparison.
ACS reported that incidence was increasing for six of the ten leading cancers. It also said colorectal cancer had become the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second-leading cause in women under 50. Among women under 50, breast cancer caused 2,251 deaths in 2021.
Several ACS measures highlight differences by age, cancer type, and geography. Cervical cancer incidence among women ages 30 to 44 increased by 1.7% per year from 2012 through 2019. Thyroid cancer incidence among adolescents ages 15 to 19 increased by more than 4% per year, while the 15-year survival rate for thyroid cancer in adolescents was 99%.
HPV vaccination coverage among adolescents ages 13 to 17 ranged from 33% in Mississippi to 79% in the District of Columbia in 2021. Uterine corpus cancer mortality increased by 2% per year. The uterine corpus cancer death rate was 9.1 per 100,000 in Black women and 4.6 per 100,000 in White women.
ACS also described changes in the age distribution of cancer diagnoses between 1995 and 2019–2020. The share of diagnoses among people ages 50 to 64 rose from 25% to 30%, while the share among people ages 65 and older fell from 61% to 58%. Over the same period, the share of the general population ages 50 to 64 grew from 13% to 19%, and the share ages 65 and older grew from 13% to 17%.
Research funding from cancer charities
Research investment is another major area of cancer charity activity. ACS awarded 131 new research and career development grants totaling $64.5 million. Those grants funded investigators at 72 institutions across the United States. ACS and Yosemite awarded more than $6 million in research grants in 2024, supporting inaugural grants for scientists at institutions across the country. ACS also announced $28 million in research funding in May 2024.
ACS’s BrightEdge annual report release said its 2023 fund had invested $43 million in 21 companies by the end of 2023. The active ACS Impact Venture Fund portfolio contained 16 companies, and BrightEdge said its investments had the potential to impact more than 3.5 million patients and families. “Potential to impact” is an opportunity measure, not a count of people already helped.
Susan G. Komen announced $10.05 million in research grants in June 2024. Its 32 grants supported research at 27 institutions worldwide. Komen said 71% of that investment was dedicated to metastatic and aggressive breast cancer research, and 65% focused on precision medicine. Komen also said it had invested nearly $1.1 billion in critical breast cancer research. It noted that metastatic breast cancer is responsible for more than 40,000 breast cancer deaths every year.
| Research measure | Charity and period | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| New research and career development grants | ACS | 131 grants; $64.5 million |
| Institutions receiving those grants | ACS | 72 institutions |
| Research grants announced in 2024 | ACS and Yosemite | More than $6 million |
| Research grants announced in June 2024 | Susan G. Komen | $10.05 million; 32 grants |
| Research investment dedicated to metastatic and aggressive breast cancer | Susan G. Komen, June 2024 | 71% |
| Research investment focused on precision medicine | Susan G. Komen, June 2024 | 65% |
Patient assistance, advocacy, and access
Cancer charities also fund direct assistance and programs intended to improve access to care. Komen’s 2024 Form 990 listed $18,085,047 in patient care program service expenses, $5,753,937 in research program service expenses, and $71,229,097 in public policy and advocacy program service expenses. These are Form 990 program-service figures for 2024, not general estimates of all cancer charity spending.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society reported $332.2 million in multi-year research commitments in 2024. It awarded $172.9 million through patient financial assistance programs and served 102,197 households through resources, education, and services. LLS also advanced landmark policies in nine states in 2024.
LLS announced nearly $6.5 million for research on inequitable access to blood cancer treatment and care in 2024. Its Therapy Acceleration Program said that five TAP-supported therapies had been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration or added to treatment guidelines since 2017. These milestones describe therapies and guidelines, not the number of patients receiving them.
Advocacy and volunteer networks can extend the reach of charity programs. LLS reported a national advocacy network with 30,000 active online volunteer advocates. ACS CARES launched in November 2023 as a customizable support program for patients and caregivers, combining one-on-one support from trained volunteers with day-or-night access to cancer information specialists.
The available charity statistics show large investments in research, financial help, information, and support services. They also show why the measurement period and definition matter: a projected diagnosis count, a household count, a service contact, a grant total, and a potential impact estimate answer different questions about cancer care and caregiver support.