Diabetes Care Trust (ABCD)

Registered charity 1139057 · since 2010abcd.care/current/research-grants·England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales·Updated 29 October 2026

Key takeaways

The Trust's stated aims are diabetes education and training, public knowledge of diabetes, self-understanding for people with diabetes, clinical research and audit of treatments and technology, so work in those areas fits its purpose.
Its annual report gives no readable grants figure and no grant range, but its clinical grant scheme describes studies costing up to £50,000, so a request in that region suits the scale it describes.
No application process is published, so the contact given is the place to start, and the Dragons' Den scheme asks for a video of up to 120 seconds plus a short message with named contacts.
Its published material does not say how competitive awards are.
Do not apply for its research fellowship unless you are a UK-based healthcare professional registered for a higher degree at a UK institution, and do not apply for its research grants if you are an early career researcher, an allied healthcare professional or a recent PhD student.

Overview

Diabetes Care Trust (ABCD) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1139057).

Diabetes Care Trust (ABCD) exists to advance and encourage the education and training of medical and other health care professionals involved with the care of people with diabetes, and to advance public knowledge of diabetes and diabetes care. It makes grants directly and states a commitment to support 2 annual grants, each valued at £50,000. Its programmes include a clinical grant scheme for studies costing up to £50,000 on the management and care of people with diabetes, and a competition for clinically relevant innovative projects in diabetes care.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Trust makes grants in support of its diabetes-related charitable objectives. It supports education and training for medical and other health professionals involved in diabetes care, seeks to improve people with diabetes’ understanding of their own condition, and aims to advance public knowledge of diabetes and diabetes care. It also supports clinical research intended to make direct improvements in care and wellbeing, and work to improve the audit and scrutiny of treatments and technology. Its stated grant purpose is to help people with diabetes, the professionals who care for them and the public understand diabetes better.

Themes

Health professional education
Diabetes self-understanding
Public diabetes knowledge
Clinical diabetes research
Treatment and technology audit

What they don't fund

Research Fellowship only:
- Projects involving animals cannot be accepted
- Applicants must be Healthcare Professionals (ie those requiring a licence or formal qualification to practice in the UK)
- Applicants must be UK based
- The research proposal must take place in the UK
- The research proposal must be related to diabetes
- Applicants must register for a higher degree hosted by a UK institution (as reported in other published sources)
Diabetes Dragons' Den Funding Scheme only: The applicant will usually have a clinical post in the UK and the research will take place at a UK institution; Resident doctors, consultants and health care professionals who are up to 5 years post Certificate of Completion of Training and without previous grant funding (as reported in other published sources)
Research Grants only:
- Early career researchers for example doctors within 5 years of becoming a consultant without a personal fellowship and not having received awards of £50,000 or more in grant funding previously
- Any Allied Healthcare Professionals
- Any post PHD students up to 5 years since completion of studies (as reported in other published sources)
ABCD Travel Grant Scheme Application only:
- Travel grants are only available to members of ABCD who are a SpR
- Travel grants are only available to applicants whose employer is not covering the cost of attendance
- Travel grants are not available to those who have successfully applied for other bursary schemes (commercial or non-commercial)
- Travel grants will only be paid to those who attend conferences in full
- Travel grants will not be paid if the participant has to cancel attendance at the event (as reported in other published sources)

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or other pages about it. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Who can apply:

ABCD Diabetes Dragons' Den Funding Scheme: Resident doctors, consultants and health care professionals who are up to 5 years post Certificate of Completion of Training and without previous grant funding. The applicant will usually have a clinical post in the UK and the research will take place at a UK institution.

What to send:

ABCD Diabetes Dragons' Den Funding Scheme
- A video of up to 120 seconds outlining the proposal, clearly stating the problem the project addresses, project aims, timeline, budget and expected outcomes.
- A message including the applicant's full name, email address, project title, institution, the name of their Supervisor/Senior Manager or Head of Department, and a named Research Office Contact.
Research Grants: The completed Grant Application PDF form and all supporting documents.
Research Fellowship
- Applications must be supported by the head of department and host academic institution and funding must been approved by host academic institution.
- Applicants must register for a higher degree hosted by a UK institution.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Diabetes Care Trust (ABCD).

Ladbrokes Coral TrustInvitation onlyGave £718k General and Education Trust (GET)Fixed deadlinesGave £47,897 The Joyce and Norman Freed Charitable TrustNo public process The Strowger TrustNo public process The Anna Rosa Forster Charitable TrustNo public processGave £42,941 The J Isaacs Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £264k British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and DiabetesInvitation onlyGave £52,950 G S Plaut Charitable Trust LimitedInvitation onlyGave £79,209 MSTART (Medical and Sporting Technology Research Trust)No public processGave £227k The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £2.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 January 2021	£236,681	£158,378	—	Accounts for year to 31 January 2021
year to 31 January 2022	£219,895	£183,288	—	Accounts for year to 31 January 2022
year to 31 January 2023	£296,895	£292,798	—	Accounts for year to 31 January 2023
year to 31 January 2024	£466,201	£220,711	—	Accounts for year to 31 January 2024
year to 31 January 2025	£391,191	£563,527	—	Accounts for year to 31 January 2025

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.

Sources

Registers and filings

Charity Commission register entry, charity number 1139057

Other sources

abcd.care/current/grants · read on 24 October 2026; a page about the charity on another site
abcd.care/current/research-fellowship · read on 24 October 2026; a page about the charity on another site
abcd.care/dragons-den · read on 24 October 2026; a page about the charity on another site
abcd.care/current/research-grants · read on 24 October 2026; a page about the charity on another site
abcd.care/form/abcd-travel-grant-scheme-application · read on 24 October 2026; a page about the charity on another site