Annual Report and Accounts 2026

A critical moment for heart health

Cardiovascular disease remains the world’s biggest killer. More than 8 million people in the UK live with a heart or circulatory condition, and a family loses a loved one every 3 minutes.

Our annual report shows how we are responding at scale. In 2025 to 2026, we awarded £103 million for new research, growing our research portfolio to nearly £500 million, its highest level since the pandemic.

Building on 65 years of pioneering science, we are now looking to 2035 with even greater ambition: to prevent heart disease, save more lives and help everyone live with a healthier heart for longer.

The need is urgent. Long waits for care and deep health inequalities persist, while scientific advances are creating extraordinary opportunities.

With our supporters beside us, we are strengthening our foundations, growing our income and powering the breakthroughs to transform heart health.

Read on for a summary of our year or download the full report.

Download the full report

Where our money came from

Thanks to our generous supporters, this year, we raised £175.3m, including £105.5m from legacies and a record £62.1m from fundraising.

Donut chart showing BHF total income (net of retail costs) of £175.3 million in 2026, compared with £181.0 million in 2025. Income in 2026 came from legacies (£105.5m), fundraising (£62.1m), and retail and other income (£7.8m). Comparative figures for 2025 were £108.4m, £58.2m, and £14.4m respectively. A note explains that other income relates to investment and charitable income.

How we spent our money

This year, we spent £200.7m on our lifesaving work, including £103.3m on research (£96.2m after accounting adjustments), and £54.2m on health information and support. We also invested £50.3m to grow future income.

Our total spending was £25.3m more than we raised before investment gains, as planned, using excess reserves to fund more lifesaving research.