The Kidney Fund

Registered charity 800952 · since 1989kidneyfund.org.uk·Greater London, Surrey·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£240k

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From filed accounts

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Kidney Fund's stated work is research into kidney disease and diabetes, plus education on kidney disease, so a request outside those areas is unlikely to fit.
The annual report gives annual giving of £240,119, though the register does not confirm that scale, and no grant range is stated.
The two grants it describes are £147,407 core support to SWTIRR and £92,712 to Kings College for a student's research, so these are examples rather than a typical size.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and research proposals go to the Research Review Committee, which recommends to the trustees against four criteria: scientific robustness and originality of design, realistic costing, deliverability within the time frame, and alignment with the Fund's objectives.
South West Thames is given as a priority rather than a limit, and no exclusions are stated.

Overview

The Kidney Fund is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 800952).

The Kidney Fund raises money for research that it hopes will lead to the successful treatment and eventual elimination of kidney disease. It was formed after a group of renal patients, their friends and relatives met at a house in Sutton, with the aim of building a Renal Research Institute on the St Helier Hospital site. It took 8 years to raise the £745,000 needed through appeals, grant applications and fundraising. Its giving includes regular grants to SWTIRR, including a core grant of £147,407, and a grant of £92,712 to Kings College to enable a student to undertake research.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Kidney Fund supports research to improve diagnosis, care and treatment of kidney disease and to find a cure, while also promoting research into diabetes. Its stated approach combines research and education: it backs a dedicated renal research centre and work at a hospital renal unit, including pilot projects that can help researchers develop evidence for larger funding applications. Its research interests include renal fibrosis, biomarkers of renal disease, renal cancers, sodium and hypertension in patients with renal disease, diabetes and renal disease, and renal disease in renal transplant patients. It also supports student experience in renal research, postgraduate research, community awareness of kidney disease and specialist medical education. Applications are subject to peer review and committee consideration.

Themes

Renal and diabetes research
Kidney disease education

Geographic Focus

Priority: South West Thames.

How to apply

The Research Review Committee assesses research proposals and recommends whether to approve or deny funding to the trustees.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The proposed research should be scientifically robust and original in its design.
The proposed research should be realistically costed.
The proposed research should be deliverable in the proposed time frame.
The proposed research should be in line with the objectives of the Kidney Fund.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Greater London
Surrey

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Kidney Fund.

Northern Counties Kidney Research FundRollingGave £155k Kidney Research YorkshireFixed deadlinesGave £1,500 The Child Health Research CIOInvitation onlyGave £1.1M William Harvey Research FoundationRollingGave £1.8M The UK Curriculum and Accreditation Body (UKCAB)No public processGave £419k Alice's ArcNo public processGave £561k The Prostate ProjectNo public processGave £269k Royal Free CharityFixed deadlinesGave £3.4M Chronic Disease Research FoundationMixed deadlinesGave £880k The Paula Carr Diabetes TrustNo public process

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£308,621	£180,140	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£127,994	£102,203	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£476,135	£156,838	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£396,377	£301,611	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£296,737	£293,564	£240,119	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 March 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.