Lupus UK

Registered charity 1200671 · since 2022lupusuk.org.uk·England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£99,682

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2025

From filed accounts

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Lupus UK's research grant scheme gives small-scale pump-prime funding for exploratory work or pilot studies, so a modest request for early-stage lupus research on diagnosis, disease mechanisms or treatment outcomes fits what it describes.
No grant range or geographic focus is stated, so do not treat location as a condition, and keep your request in line with the scheme's small-scale aim.
Applications go by email to headoffice@lupusuk.org.uk with the Grant Application Cover Sheet, Conditions of Grant and Grant Application Form, and each round has its own submission deadline, so confirm the open round before you write.
Do not apply for individual institutions, long-term career posts, travel, open access publication costs, or large-scale trials, which are excluded in at least one round; the charity also says it is willing to work with other charities where research interests overlap.

Overview

Lupus UK is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1200671).

Lupus UK is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, set up to support all people in the UK affected by lupus and to advance public education about the disease. It was founded in November. Its research grant scheme is the programme the charity describes most fully, providing pump-prime funding in the form of small-scale grants for initial exploratory work or pilot studies that generate data for larger funding applications. Its annual giving is £99,682.

What they fund

Priority Areas

LUPUS UK makes research grants for work that benefits people diagnosed with lupus, both now and in the future. Its portfolio aims to improve diagnosis, deepen understanding of disease mechanisms and enhance treatment outcomes, with a strong focus on patient experience. The research grant scheme provides pump-prime funding through small-scale grants for initial exploratory work or pilot studies, generating essential data for larger-scale funding applications. It also looks to support enabling grants for basic science and medical meetings that improve understanding of lupus causes, prevention and treatment. LUPUS UK is willing to work collaboratively with other charities where research interests overlap.

Themes

Diagnosis
Disease mechanisms
Treatment outcomes

What they don't fund

Individual institutions
Long-term career posts
Travel
Open access publication costs
Research Funding: Spring 2026 round only: large-scale trials

How to apply

Download the Lupus UK Grant Application Cover Sheet and Conditions of Grant, then submit the application by email to headoffice@lupusuk.org.uk.

Deadlines: Each funding round has a submission deadline.

What to send:

Lupus UK Grant Application Cover Sheet
Lupus UK Conditions of Grant
Lupus UK Grant Application Form

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The charity looks to support smaller pilot studies that lead to applications to major funders for large-scale research trials.
It looks to support enabling grants for basic science that provide essential data for larger grant applications.
It looks to support medical meetings that improve understanding of lupus causes, prevention and treatment.

Where they fund

Registered area of operation (Charity Commission)

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Lupus UK.

Scleroderma and Raynaud's UKFixed deadlinesGave £159k Heart Research UKFixed deadlinesGave £1.1M Blood Cancer UKFixed deadlinesGave £5.5M Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA UK)Rolling Thrombosis UKFixed deadlines The Pink Ribbon FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £564k Stroke AssociationFixed deadlinesGave £2.8M Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Alliance (PAPAA)RollingGave £2,446 Dystonia UKNo public process Cystic Fibrosis TrustNo public processGave £2.9M

3 years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2023	£0	£0	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£1,926,506	£1,148,372	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£942,757	£1,067,648	£99,682	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

— No grants figure for that year.

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.