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Macmillan's annual report and accounts

Read our annual report and accounts to find out more about the work we did to support people living with cancer in 2022. You can also read the overview for a summary of the key highlights from our report.

Supporting people living with cancer

At Macmillan, we do whatever it takes to provide the best possible support for people living with cancer. In 2022, we supported an estimated 2 million people living with cancer with vital emotional, practical and financial cancer support through our support services. 

Cost of living

A cancer diagnosis can bring a huge financial burden, and with the cost of living hitting the highest level in decades, people with cancer turned to us more than ever for financial support, someone to talk to and to help make sure their voices are heard.

  • In 2022 we spent £178.8 million on people living with cancer. This is £7.1 million (4%) more than we spent in 2021.
  • We gave out over £19 million in Macmillan Grants, almost doubling the number of people we were able to support with grants in 2021 to more than 48,500.

What we've campaigned for

The shortfall of professionals in the cancer workforce and increasing time people were waiting to access cancer services was not something we could ignore. We called upon key government decision-makers across the UK to ensure the right care and support was in place. 

Together with our volunteers, professionals, partners, employees and supporters, we will keep doing whatever it takes to provide the best possible support for those that need us. 

 

 

How we helped in 2022

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2 million

 

In 2022, our services reached and supported an estimated 2 million people living with cancer.

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730,000

 

Approximately 730,000 people received person-to-person support from one or more of our Macmillan Professionals or services.

£19 million


We gave out over £19 million in Macmillan Grants and estimate that we helped to secure over £350 million in benefits through the advice provided by our Support Line and local Welfare Rights Services.

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£221.2 million

 

Our supporters and fundraisers raised an incredible £221.2 million. 

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Over 80,000 hours

 

Over 10,000 active Macmillan volunteers donated over 80,000 hours of their time to help people living with cancer.

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Over 5,300 people

 

We counselled over 5,300 people through our free specialist counselling service.

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£2.3 million

 

Our Emergency Grants Appeal raised a staggering £2.3 million to help people with the escalating cost of living crisis. 

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£254 million

 

We secured a total of £254 million in financial gains for 72,000 people living with cancer.

Financial support

In 2022, the rising cost of living caused financial concerns throughout the UK, but it was particularly worrying for people living with cancer. A cancer diagnosis can bring a huge financial burden. 4 in 5 people living with cancer are, on average, up to £891 a month worse off because of their illness.

With the cost of living hitting the highest level in decades, people living with cancer turned to us more than ever for financial support, someone to talk to and to help ensure their voices are heard. 

To relieve some of the unrelenting financial pressure on people living with cancer, we rapidly increased our financial support by boosting our grants budget each quarter. To keep up with the increase in demand, we gave out over £19 million in one-off Macmillan Grants payments to support over 48,500 people who needed help with costs related to a cancer diagnosis. 

 

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How we raised our money

Infographic showing a breakdown of Macmillan's income for 2022. Full explanation given in the text below the image.

Thanks to our generous and loyal supporters and the huge effort of our volunteers and colleagues, we generated income totalling £227.1 million in 2022. This represents a decrease of £3.6 million (1.5%) compared to 2021, as we start to feel the impact that the cost of living crisis is having on our donors.

We are almost entirely funded by charitable donations from the public. Overall, 97% of our income came from fundraising activities, totalling £221.2 million. The remaining 3% came from grant income, charitable activities and investments. As millions of people with cancer feel the strain of the rising cost of living on top of the challenges around care and treatment, loss of income, and everything else a diagnosis brings, we continue to invest in fundraising innovation to ensure we keep finding new ways to fund our work. 

  • Fundraising events: £47.6 million

    This includes national, challenge and local events.

  • Legacy income: £89.6 million

    Legacy giving is when people leave a gift to us in their will. We want to say a special thank you to the 3,021 people who so kindly left us a gift in their will. Find out more about gifts in wills. Please note, this figure includes a discounting adjustment of £1.1 million.
  • Direct marketing: £28.1 million

    This is money raised by activities like direct debit campaigns and mailings.

  • Corporate income: £17.8 million

    This is income from corporate supporters and partners.

  • General donations: £12.3 million

    This is general donations from the general public.

  • Philanthropy: £5.9 million

    This includes income from trusts and major donors.

  • Local fundraising committees: £2.6 million

    This is donation income raised by fundraising committees in their local committees.

  • Donated services and facilities: £0.1 million

    This is services and facilities donated to us.

  • Trading activities: £17.2 million

    This includes income from our raffles and lotteries, fundraising committee sales, our online shop, licensing and royalties.

  • Grant income: £2.5 million

    We also receive income from grants which we apply for, these typically come from organisations and the government. These include The Scottish Government funding for our Transforming Cancer Care Programme and the Sussex Cancer Fund funding the Macmillan Horizon Centre, Brighton. Find out more about our special projects.

  • Total fundraised and grant income: £230.2 million

    Income raised from fundraising activities and charitable grant income detailed above.

  • Income from charitable activities: £1.3 million

    Income from social impact investments for end of life care and other charitable activities. 

  • Investment income: £2.1 million

    Income from our diverse investment portfolio which includes government and non-government bonds, money market funds and equities.

  • Total income: £227.1 million

    Find out more about fundraising and donating with Macmillan.

How we spent our money

In 2022 we spent £178.8 million on people living with cancer. This is £7.1 million (4%) more than we spent in 2021. This figure includes adjustments made for grant writebacks and discounting adjustments totalling £20.0 million.

  • Healthcare: £77.4 million

    We fund and support a range of health and social care professionals.

  • Financial Support: £42.8 million

    We provide financial support to help people who are struggling with the cost of cancer, including through Macmillan grants, benefits advice and financial guidance.

  • Campaigning and awareness: £23.6 million

    We campaign for changes to improve the lives of people affected by cancer and raise awareness of issues most important to them.

  • Information and support: £34.7 million

    We provide people with information to help them make important decisions about their treatment and care.

  • Practical and emotional support: £15.1 million

    We help people find the emotional support they need and get help with the practical issues arising from cancer.

  • Learning and development: £5.2 million

    This includes providing training opportunities for professionals, volunteers and people affected by cancer.

About our annual reports and accounts

Our annual reports help people to understand what our charity does, where our money comes from, and how we've spent our money in the past financial year.

Macmillan Cancer Support is a registered charity. You can find our charity number below:

  • in England and Wales (261017)
  • Scotland (SC039907)
  • Isle of Man (604).

You can find out more about Charity Commission for England and Wales at the gov.uk website.

Our past reports and accounts