Friends of Vellore UK

Registered charity 209168 · since 1962friendsofvellore.org·India·Updated 29 October 2026

At a glance

£396k

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2025

From filed accounts

Key takeaways

If your work is healthcare or education in India, and it is arranged in partnership with Christian Medical College (CMC) at Vellore or with mission hospitals working with CMC, this funder's stated focus fits.
The charity publishes no application process: proposals reach it through CMC's Missions Department, which forwards those from hospitals it has visited or thinks will make good use of a donation, so an organisation outside that partnership should not expect to apply directly.
Its one stated small-grant scheme, Person to Person, gives up to £100 to help pay a specific patient's hospital bill, and no grant range is stated, so plan your request around that scale and do not assume larger awards.
Trustees check proposals against the charity's criteria and give significant weight to CMC's advice, so the relationship with CMC is likely to count for more than the written request, and every grant is followed up.

Overview

Friends of Vellore UK is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 209168).

Friends of Vellore UK exists to support healthcare and education in India, arranged in partnership with Christian Medical College (CMC) at Vellore in Tamil Nadu, with priority given to the poorest and most excluded people and communities. It has supported CMC Vellore since the 1940s and became a registered charity. It awarded £395,558 in its most recent annual report, and its giving runs through programmes such as the Person to Person scheme, which gives up to £100 towards a specific patient's hospital bill, and the Friends of Vellore UK Paediatric Subsidy Fund, which supports 10 children each year admitted to CMC Vellore for treatment or surgery.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Friends of Vellore UK supports healthcare, education and development projects at Christian Medical College (CMC) in Vellore and at mission hospitals working in partnership with CMC across India. Its work is aimed at the poorest and most excluded people and communities, including disadvantaged patients who need affordable, high-quality care. The charity works closely with CMC departments to initiate and sustain programmes; its support includes patient treatment costs, palliative care, rural health initiatives, and equipment or new services at partner hospitals. CMC’s Missions Department forwards proposals from hospitals it has visited or considers likely to make good use of a donation. Trustees scrutinise new project proposals for fit with its criteria and sustainable benefits, give significant weight to CMC’s advice on achieving outcomes, and follow up grants for accountability.

Themes

Healthcare
Education
Development projects
Mission hospital support

Geographic Focus

India.

How to apply

CMC’s Missions Department forwards grant proposals from hospitals it has visited or thinks will make good use of a donation.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Trustees scrutinise new project proposals to ensure they meet the charity’s criteria and have sustainable benefits.
Trustees give significant weight to CMC’s advice on the best way to achieve the desired outcomes.
Priority goes to projects benefiting disadvantaged communities and improving access to affordable, high-quality care.
All grants are followed up to ensure accountability.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

India

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Friends of Vellore UK.

Molvi Ebrahim Mulla Foundation (Memf)No public processGave £355k Narayan Seva Sansthan UKNo public processGave £346k St James Mar Thoma Church, LondonNo public processGave £14,735 St.Gregorios Indian Orthodox CathedralNo public process Human Welfare International Charitable TrustInvitation only The Pakhar FoundationNo public processGave £340k Palan FoundationRollingGave £84,676 human capability foundationInvitation onlyGave £1.9M Mimansa Foundation TrustInvitation onlyGave £75,008 N and R Karnani TrustNo public processGave £401k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£712,420	£441,084	£407,822	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£333,773	£332,276	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£357,017	£415,476	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£371,847	£389,928	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£1,057,698	£458,463	£395,558	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£408k grants

YE 2025

£396k awarded

Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2021: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.

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.