Action for ME

Registered charity 1036419 · since 1994actionforme.org.uk·England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£33,366

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2026

From the Charity Commission register

Key takeaways

Its published grant descriptions centre on biomedical research into ME, including projects led by early-career researchers, so a research-focused project is the clearest match.
The charity also runs wider support and campaigning work for people of all ages affected by ME, but the grants it describes are for research.
It publishes no grant range and no application process beyond its five-stage assessment, and its annual giving was £33,366 according to the Charity Commission register, so a modest, proportionate request is sensible.
Applications are assessed by the Research Panel, with input from the Scientific Advisory Panel and people with ME, and the Board makes the final award decision, so allow for a multi-stage process and read the research scope carefully before writing.
Nothing stated here excludes any type of applicant, so a group whose work falls outside research could still ask whether it is in scope.

Overview

Action for ME is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1036419).

Action for ME is a registered charity whose mission is to improve the lives of people affected by ME, meeting their needs today while taking action to secure change for tomorrow. It funds high-quality biomedical research into ME, including projects led by early-career researchers, and supports people of all ages through information, support and healthcare. Its PRIME programme is a four-year programme funded by the Medical Research Council to accelerate high-quality research into ME/CFS across the UK and globally. Its annual giving was £33,366 according to the Charity Commission register.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Action for ME funds high-quality biomedical research into ME, including projects led by early-career researchers, and works to bring more talented researchers into the field. Its wider work supports people of all ages affected by ME through information, support and healthcare, while advocating for change and developing research to improve diagnosis and treatments. Research funding applications go through a five-stage assessment overseen by the Research Panel, with input from the Scientific Advisory Panel and people with ME; final award decisions rest with the Board. This describes its research grants alongside its wider support and campaigning work.

Themes

Biomedical ME research

How to apply

Research funding applications go through a five-stage assessment overseen by the Research Panel, with input from the Scientific Advisory Panel and people with ME.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Research funding supports projects led by early-career researchers.
The Board makes the final award decision.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Action for ME.

Invest in ME ResearchRolling MND AssociationFixed deadlinesGave £10.4M Mears FoundationInvitation onlyGave £302k Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA UK)Rolling Communication MattersFixed deadlines Alan Davidson FoundationNo public processGave £2.3M The John and Lorna Wing FoundationRolling Scleroderma and Raynaud's UKFixed deadlinesGave £159k Cystic Fibrosis TrustNo public processGave £2.9M Mesothelioma UKFixed deadlines

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2022	£2,497,718	£1,326,158	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£1,123,419	£1,794,518	£38,665	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£1,734,551	£1,788,660	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£1,365,672	£1,780,448	£111,088	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025
year to 31 March 2026	£1,701,798	£1,655,841	£33,366	Accounts for year to 31 March 2026

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2023

£38,665 grants

YE 2025

£111k grants

YE 2026

£33,366 grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 3 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2023; year to 31 March 2025; year to 31 March 2026: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.