The Challenge Fund
At a glance
This funder does not accept unsolicited applications. Don't spend time on an approach; the similar funders below support the same kind of work.
Key takeaways
- The Challenge Fund does not accept unsolicited requests and works by invitation only, so a cold proposal is unlikely to be considered; check the annual report or its website for how organisations are invited to apply.
- Its eligibility is specific: applicants must have expertise in the field of cancer and must operate projects in low- and middle-income countries, either from the UK or in those countries, so an organisation without that overseas project work should not apply.
- Where that fit exists, it asks for a copy of the applicant's curriculum vitae and a completed New Project Application Form with a summary of the proposed project.
- The annual report gives a single total of £85,088, which may include grants to individuals, and no grant range is stated, so no typical size of request can be given.
Overview
The Challenge Fund is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1079181).
The Challenge Fund is a registered charity that supports projects to improve healthcare for cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries and to reduce their suffering. Its stated work includes providing new cancer-treatment resources, training local nurses and doctors, raising local awareness, establishing palliative-care services and increasing knowledge of cancer registration. Its named programmes include the African Cancer Registry Programme, which aims to improve cancer surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Project Hospice Nepal, which is building palliative care programmes in India and Nepal. Its annual report gives total giving of £85,088, which may include grants to individuals.
What they fund
Priority Areas
The Challenge Fund supports projects that improve healthcare for cancer patients in low- and middle-income countries and reduce their suffering. Its stated work includes providing new cancer-treatment resources; training local nurses and doctors in prevention, early detection and treatment; raising local awareness to encourage prevention and early diagnosis; establishing palliative-care services for terminally ill patients; and increasing knowledge of cancer incidence and mortality through cancer registration. It invites applications for research and educational grants from applicants with expertise in the field who operate projects in low- and middle-income countries, either from the UK or in the countries concerned. The report identifies cancer patients and front-line health workers in project countries as beneficiaries.
Themes
- Cancer treatment
- Cancer workforce training
- Cancer prevention and awareness
- Palliative care
- Cancer registration
Geographic Focus
UK.
What they don't fund
- Applicants must have expertise in the field and be operating projects in LMICs, either from the UK or in the countries concerned
How to apply
Potential applicants are invited to submit a curriculum vitae and a completed New Project Application Form, which contains a summary of the project they wish to operate under the charity.
Who can apply:
- Applicants must have expertise in the field and be operating projects in LMICs, either from the UK or in the countries concerned.
What to send:
- A copy of the applicant’s curriculum vitae.
- A completed New Project Application Form, containing a summary of the proposed project.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- Applicants must have expertise in the field and operate projects in low- and middle-income countries, either from the UK or in the countries concerned.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- United Kingdom
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to The Challenge Fund.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 28 February 2021 | £318,854 | £177,383 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2021 |
| year to 28 February 2022 | £220,465 | £223,222 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2022 |
| year to 28 February 2023 | £339,204 | £319,104 | — | Accounts for year to 28 February 2023 |
| year to 29 February 2024 | £185,180 | £304,627 | — | Accounts for year to 29 February 2024 |
| year to 28 February 2025 | £290,400 | £328,904 | £85,088 | Accounts for year to 28 February 2025 |
- Grants paid, year to 28 February 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.
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
- challengefund.org
- challengefund.org/?page_id=45 · read on 24 October 2026
- challengefund.org/?page_id=32 · read on 24 October 2026
- challengefund.org/?page_id=66 · read on 24 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 28 February 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 24 October 2026.
🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.
Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.
Data privacy and security by default
Your organisation's past successful grants and experience
AI analysis of what reviewers want to see
A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours
Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know
At a glance
Applying to The Challenge Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- The Challenge Fund, Prama House, 267 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HT, United Kingdomsource
- challengefund.org
Applying to The Challenge Fund?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- The Challenge Fund, Prama House, 267 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 7HT, United Kingdomsource
- challengefund.org