Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is a charitable organization dedicated to health research, located in London, UK. Founded in 1936 using funds from Henry Wellcome, a prominent figure in the pharmaceutical industry and co-founder of Burroughs Wellcome (which later became part of GSK plc), the Trust aims to finance research that enhances both human and animal health. Its mission is to "support science to tackle the pressing health issues that affect everyone." As of 2020, the Trust had a substantial financial endowment of £29.1 billion, ranking it as the fourth richest charitable foundation globally. In 2012, the Financial Times noted that the Wellcome Trust was the largest source of non-governmental funding for scientific research in the UK and one of the biggest worldwide. Their annual report revealed that in the 2019/2020 financial year, the Trust allocated £1.1 billion to charitable efforts. Additionally, the OECD reported that the Trust's funding for development increased by 22% in 2019, reaching US$327 million.