We fund research to improve life, health and wellbeing and want everyone to benefit from science’s potential to improve health and save lives.
The Wellcome Trust funds research across biomedical, clinical, public health, policy, and research culture priorities, with an annual grants total of $1,769,368,160 and total assets of $54,230,100,300. Its stated aim is to support research that improves life, health, and wellbeing so everyone can benefit from science’s potential to improve health and save lives. The trust’s focus areas include mental health, infectious disease, climate and health, discovery and basic biomedical research, and global health initiatives. That mix shows a funder that works across both discovery and applied research. It supports researchers and the scientific community as well as populations at risk from infectious diseases, communities vulnerable to climate-related health impacts, and global or low- and middle-income communities. The trust also includes policy and advocacy within its stated scope, indicating support that can extend beyond laboratory work. Wellcome’s giving is not limited to one health issue or one type of recipient. The foundation’s emphasis on research culture and infrastructure sits alongside disease-specific and cross-cutting health priorities, giving it a broad role in the research ecosystem.
In mental health, the Wellcome Trust lists the area explicitly among its core priorities, alongside support for people with mental health conditions. Infectious disease is another central theme, paired with funding for populations at risk from infectious diseases and with public health in the trust’s broader focus. Climate and health is a separate priority area, with support aimed at communities vulnerable to climate-related health impacts. The trust also identifies global health initiatives and global or low- and middle-income communities as part of its beneficiary profile, which points to an international research and health orientation. Beyond topic-specific work, Wellcome includes discovery and basic biomedical research in its taxonomy, along with clinical research and research culture and infrastructure. That combination suggests a funder interested in both generating new knowledge and strengthening the systems that support research.
The Wellcome Trust gives at a large scale: $1,769,368,160 in annual grants, with $54,230,100,300 in total assets. It is classified as a regular funder and does not make program-related investments. The available data show a broad, ongoing research portfolio rather than a one-off or single-issue pattern. Its stated focus areas cover multiple disciplines and beneficiary groups, from biomedical and clinical research to policy and advocacy. The latest 990 year on file is 2025. No application mode is provided in the data.
$1.8B
$54.2B
$951.2M
$2.3B
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Recipient geography is international, with the overall geographic scope of giving listed as unknown. The data show 0% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state. Named recipient locations are not provided in the structured fields, so geography can only be described at the level of the trust’s stated global orientation. The beneficiary profile includes global and low- and middle-income communities, which indicates that its grantmaking reaches beyond the United Kingdom and beyond any single state-level concentration.
The trust funds biomedical research, clinical research, public health, policy and advocacy, research culture and infrastructure, mental health, infectious disease, and climate and health. Its stated goal is to support research that improves life, health, and wellbeing.
Annual grants given are listed at $1,769,368,160. Total assets are $54,230,100,300.
Yes. Global health initiatives appear in the topic taxonomy, and the beneficiary profile includes global and low- and middle-income communities.
The listed beneficiary types include people with mental health conditions, populations at risk from infectious diseases, communities vulnerable to climate-related health impacts, global and low- and middle-income communities, and researchers and the scientific community.
No. The foundation is marked as not making program-related investments.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
No grant history is available for this foundation yet.
Current and upcoming funding from Wellcome Trust that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Researchers across fields, disciplines and career stages. Research must have the potential to improve life, health and wellbeing and fit within Wellcome's remit for Discovery Research.
Deadline: Runs three times a year; see current funding opportunities on the schemes page.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
