Pelican Cancer Foundation

Registered charity 1141911 · since 2011pelicancancer.org·United Kingdom·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

£11,000
Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025
From filed accounts
Open to applications
Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

  • Pelican suits a small nonprofit only if its work is clinical research or education connected with colorectal cancer or associated metastatic disease, such as liver or peritoneal spread, and the research can be led by a principal investigator based at a recognised UK research centre, university or hospital; centres outside the UK may be considered when partnered with a UK project.
  • A realistic request is modest, since awards of up to £10,000 will be considered, and the foundation welcomes co-funding towards directly incurred project costs, so show how other money will cover part of the work.
  • Applications go by email on the Application Form and EDI Policy, and each research grant call has its own closing date, so check the current call and plan around it.
  • Do not budget for host-institution overheads or for equipment installation, maintenance, repairs or insurance, which the foundation does not fund, and expect formal peer review that weighs scientific quality, the research team's track record and the potential to deliver patient benefit.
  • The annual report's £11,000 total may include grants to individuals, so treat it only as a rough sense of scale.

Overview

Pelican Cancer Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1141911).

Pelican Cancer Foundation is dedicated to helping people with cancer live well for longer, mainly by supporting medical research and education to improve surgery for bowel cancer and its associated secondary disease, particularly in the liver. Its research programme funds studies into how to improve survival and the quality of life patients can continue to enjoy after cancer treatment. It offers pilot or feasibility study grants of up to £10,000, and the annual report records £11,000 awarded in total, which may include grants to individuals.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The foundation provides seed funding for innovative research projects and pilot studies connected with colorectal cancer and associated metastatic diseases, including liver or peritoneal metastases. It prioritises clinically focused research advancing accurate diagnosis, precision surgery and treatment; multidisciplinary management; translational research; and research that can contribute to education programmes for multidisciplinary cancer teams. Grants are available to principal investigators based at recognised UK research centres, universities or hospitals; centres outside the UK may be considered when partnered with a project within the UK. Applications are peer reviewed for scientific quality, with attention to the research team's track record and the project's potential to deliver patient benefit. The foundation welcomes co-funding towards directly incurred project costs.

Themes

  • Colorectal cancer research
  • Precision cancer treatment
  • Multidisciplinary cancer care
  • Translational cancer research
  • Cancer team education
  • Patient quality of life

Geographic Focus

UK.

What they don't fund

  • Any administrative or other overheads imposed by a University or other host institution
  • The installation, maintenance, repairs and insurance costs of equipment

How to apply

Applicants complete the Application Form and EDI Policy and submit them by email.

Deadlines: Each research grant call has a closing date.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

  • The foundation assesses applications for scientific quality through formal external peer review.
  • Review considers the research team's track record and the project's potential to deliver patient benefit.
  • The foundation welcomes applications that offer some co-funding towards directly incurred costs.
  • Grant-holders must send a brief report twice a year, including a lay summary.
  • Site visits may take place by mutual agreement.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

  • United Kingdom

Similar funders

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Five years of accounts

Financial yearIncomeExpenditureGrants paidAccounts document
year to 31 March 2021£147,860£236,626—Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022£153,606£166,410—Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023£128,777£222,857—Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024£310,884£250,989—Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025£414,745£366,275£11,000Accounts for year to 31 March 2025
  • Grants paid, year to 31 March 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.

Sources

  • Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)

This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.

Sources last checked on 31 October 2026.

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