Stroke Association
At a glance
Key takeaways
- The Stroke Association's awards are for stroke research, so they suit university, NHS trust, social care or research-institute teams working on prevention, pre-hospital and acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care, or childhood stroke, rather than service delivery.
- Project Grants can be up to £270,000 for projects lasting up to three years, and Postgraduate Fellowships up to £250,000, so any request should be sized to a research budget.
- Project Grant applications need a clearly demonstrated pathway to impact, a robust design, multidisciplinary expertise and a plan to involve people affected by stroke, and the lead applicant must be a senior researcher holding a PhD with a track record of managing grants.
- Postgraduate Fellowship applications open on 20 July and close on 12 October, with a Narrative CV Template uploaded through the online system, so start early.
- Organisations that are not based at a university, NHS trust, statutory social care organisation or other research institution in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, or that lack a senior researcher to lead a project, should look elsewhere for Project Grants.
Overview
Stroke Association is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 211015).
The Stroke Association is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales that works to prevent stroke, educates the public about it, promotes or sponsors research into its prevention or treatment, and gives advice and support to people affected by stroke, their families and carers. Its current research portfolio totals over £10 million. It offers four main types of research award: Postgraduate Fellowships, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Lectureships and Project Grants.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Stroke Association funds research awards across stroke research, supporting clinicians and academics at every career stage, from graduates starting in research to multidisciplinary teams. Its priorities include pre-hospital, acute and secondary prevention care, and rehabilitation and long-term care of stroke survivors. Project Grants address priorities in prevention and acute care, rehabilitation and long-term care, and include research into childhood stroke. The projects should be robustly designed, bring together relevant multidisciplinary expertise and offer a clear pathway to impact for people affected by stroke. Project Grant awards are based at universities, NHS trusts, statutory social care organisations or other research institutions in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Applicants are expected to involve people affected by stroke in planning and developing their work.
Themes
- Pre-hospital care
- Acute care
- Secondary prevention
- Rehabilitation and long-term care
- Childhood stroke
Geographic Focus
Great Britain; Northern Ireland.
What they don't fund
- Stroke Association Project Grants 2024/25 only:
- projects without a clearly and specifically demonstrated pathway leading to impact upon one or more of the Top 10 PSP priorities (either Stroke or Childhood Neurological Disabilities)
- awards not carried out at Universities, NHS Trusts, Statutory Social Care Organisations or other Research Institutions within Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- applications with a Lead applicant who is not a senior researcher holding a PhD (or equivalent) with a track record of managing grants, delivering research studies and a strong publication record
- the Lead applicant's salary
- projects costing more than £270,000
- projects lasting longer than three years
- Postgraduate Fellowships, Research Strategy 2026-2031, Competition 1 only:
- basic research that has no clear trajectory towards improving the health and wellbeing of people affected by stroke
- applications in childhood stroke that do not fall under the priorities of the Childhood Neurological Disabilities PSP Top 10 or do not have a clear link to stroke prevention, treatment or care
- proposals that do not outline a credible pathway to impact
How to apply
For Postgraduate Fellowships, applicants read the guidance and conditions, complete and upload the Narrative CV Template, then submit through the online award management system.
Deadlines: Each application round has a closing date.
Application windows:
- Postgraduate Fellowship: Opens on 20 July, closes on 12 October
Who can apply:
- Stroke Association Project Grants: Stroke Association Awards must be carried out at Universities, NHS Trusts, Statutory Social Care Organisations or other Research Institutions within Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
What to send:
- Postgraduate Fellowship: Please complete our Narrative CV Template and upload to the appropriate places in the application form.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Project proposals must clearly demonstrate a pathway to impact on one or more of the stated priority topics.
- Projects should be robustly designed and bring together relevant multidisciplinary expertise, with input from people affected by stroke.
- Applicants should involve people affected by stroke in planning and development and explain how involvement will continue if the project succeeds.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Stroke Association.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £34,573,000 | £34,125,000 | £1,276,000 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £41,162,000 | £31,597,000 | £1,249,000 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £40,421,000 | £38,105,000 | £2,023,000 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £42,144,680 | £43,826,107 | £3,325,774 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £44,377,602 | £44,835,470 | £2,839,729 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 5 years shown.
- Grants paid, all years: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
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
Other sources
- stroke.org.uk
- stroke.org.uk/research/our-funding-schemes · read on 31 October 2026
- stroke.org.uk/research/our-funding-schemes/project-grants · read on 31 October 2026
- stroke.org.uk/research/our-funding-schemes/postgraduate-fellowships · read on 31 October 2026
- stroke.org.uk/contact-us · read on 31 October 2026
- 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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At a glance
Applying to Stroke Association?
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Applying to Stroke Association?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required