In 2024 and 2025, the Wellcome Trust awarded £2.7 billion in funding to 1,415 projects worldwide related to health research. Most awardees were UK-based organizations, but recipients in North America, Africa, Asia and Europe also received significant funding. In this article, we explore in detail the funding priorities, the typical grant values approved, and the future directions this donor is planning to take.
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 following instructions left in the will of Henry Wellcome, a prominent pharmaceutical entrepreneur at the time. Since the initial financial legacy, the organization has been supported by dividends from the pharmaceutical company created by Henry, which was eventually sold. Currently, the funds are derived from the profits of an investment portfolio worth £39.9 billion.
Despite these substantial amounts awarded by the Wellcome Trust in 2024 and 2025, the number of grants and the total funding amount decreased by 8% and 21%, respectively, between 2024 to 2025.
Insight #1: 23% of grants were awarded to organizations outside the UK
While most approved projects (77%) were led by UK-based organizations, the percentage of foreign awardees increased by 5% from 2024 to 2025. North America and Africa were the leading international regions with the most approved projects, each representing 7%. Other European locations followed with 5% of the grants.
Figure 1 – Number of grants, per region, awarded by the Wellcome Trust in 2024 and 2025. The second circular graphic (B) displays the regional distribution of international grants. This data was retrieved directly from the Grantees Database available on the Wellcome Trust website.
Insight #2: Discovery research received 92% of grants
In 2024 and 2025, 92% of the projects funded by the Wellcome Trust focused on scientific research across various disciplines, which aligns well with the foundation’s mission to generate knowledge that supports innovative solutions that will improve life.
However, there are also three priority areas in which the Wellcome Trust specifically funds applied research that can be used to shape policies and/or develop practical solutions:
- Climate and Health (3% of grants): producing the evidence needed to support policies and solutions that protect people’s health from climate change.
- Infectious Disease (3% of grants): supporting the research needed to accelerate the development of vaccines and treatments.
- Mental Health (2% of grants): promoting the generation of new knowledge that will enable early intervention for mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression and psychosis.
Interestingly, the number of approved projects within the climate and health sectors increased from 10 in 2024 to 35 in 2025, representing a 250% gain, while the three other priority areas saw a reduction in the number of grants awarded.
Table I – Funding priority of the Wellcome Trust in 2024 and 2025, as determined by the number of committed grants. This data was retrieved directly from the Grantees Database available on the Wellcome Trust website.
Insight #3: 68% of grants received up to £5M in funding
The funding amounts granted by the Wellcome Trust varied greatly in the period analyzed, ranging from £3,000 to £466 million, but the majority of projects were supported by up to £5 million in funding. In terms of the financial support allocated to each project, this places the organization above the LEGO Foundation and at a similar level as the IKEA Foundation. However, the Wellcome Trust awarded roughly 10 times more grants than either of those two donors.
Figure 2 – Number of grants, per funding amount, awarded by the Wellcome Trust in 2024 and 2025. This data was retrieved directly from the Grantees Database available on the Wellcome Trust website.
Insight #4: Wellcome Leap secured almost half a billion pounds in funding
During 2024 and 2025, the Wellcome Trust allocated three grants totaling more than £100 million pounds:
1️⃣ Wellcome Leap Inc – £466 million grant
Wellcome Leap is a U.S.-based nonprofit entity established in 2020 by the Wellcome Trust, which aims to fund bold research that can deliver a massive impact on human health. The funds were awarded to support existing operations and the recruitment of new talent.
2️⃣ Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine – £109 million grant
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine was founded in 1898, making it the first organization in the world to exclusively focus on researching and teaching tropical medicine. Today, its work spans clinical services and global partnerships that improve health outcomes for the most disadvantaged communities. This grant will fund transformative health research in Malawi and southern Africa until 2032.
3️⃣ University of Oxford – £100 million grant
The University of Oxford is one of the most prestigious academic institutions worldwide. In 2025, the Wellcome Trust assigned £100 million to the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit’s (MORU) research program, led by Professor Nicholas Day, which aims to develop research that translates into positive impacts on the health and well-being of tropical communities with low resources.
Most of the remaining top 10 grants (Table II) were allocated to academic or research organizations. However, government bodies, nonprofits, and a private company also featured in this ranking.
Table II – Top 10 grantees of the Wellcome Trust in 2024 and 2025, as determined by the highest funding amount awarded in a single grant (expressed in million pounds). This data was retrieved directly from the Grantees Database available on the Wellcome Trust website.
Insight #5: More funding may be deployed for engagement, advocacy and social sciences until 2032
The Wellcome Trust strategy to 2032 outlines its intended future direction for funding allocations:
- The organization has stated its intention to devote more resources to stakeholder engagement and advocacy as a way of enhancing the impact of health research results.
- Research topics related to culture, humanities and social science will be “strengthened”, which can be interpreted as an increased funding allocation.
Open calls
The call for Wellcome Discovery Awards is open until September 22, 2026. Established researchers from the UK, Ireland, and low- to mid-income countries can request funding for up to eight years within various scientific disciplines. The average grant amount is £3.5 million.
Why do we provide these donor insights?
Prospective applicants must keep track of funding priorities to enable more informed decisions about where to focus their time and resources. Understanding which donors favor particular regions or thematic areas is particularly valuable when sifting through grant calls. At DevelopmentAid, we offer these insights together with near-real-time information on the development sector. Consider becoming a member to take advantage of our advanced filtering tools for grants and subscribe to our development news digest.
Read our previous insights about the world’s most generous foundations: