Leave a legacy to fund life-saving cancer research

Legacy gifts are a vital source of funds for The Institute of Cancer Research, London. They have underpinned our discoveries and achievements in cancer research throughout our history, leading to better diagnosis and treatments, and improving patients’ lives.

By leaving a gift in your Will to the ICR, you can become a part of the journey to defeat cancer. Make your legacy life-changing.

Order our free legacy guide

Make a Will Online

Dr Sebastian Guettler in his laboratory

How a gift in your Will can advance cancer research

Your legacy could help transform a discovery made in the laboratory into a treatment that saves thousands of lives world-wide. It could:

Fund the purchase of cutting-edge laboratory equipment
Train the next generation of cancer researchers
Enable us to set up new research programmes

We have a long history of discovery in cancer research – and we’ve made great strides forward in recent years. But while 167,000 people a year die from cancer in the UK, there remains an urgent need to further expand our knowledge of cancer and how to manage it.

How do legacy gifts work?

We receive a legacy when someone leaves a gift to the ICR in their Will. If you want to leave us a gift, we recommend you use a solicitor or professional Will writer to write or update your Will. They’ll make sure it’s properly written, and check there are no mistakes.

There are three different types of legacy you can leave:

A share in your estate - this is called a residuary legacy
A sum of money - this is called a pecuniary legacy
A specific gift

Having a valid, up-to-date Will is very important to ensure that your loved ones and the cause you care about are provided for after you die. If you already have a Will, it is recommended that you review it every five years as your personal situation could have changed and it may no longer reflect your wishes.

Find out more about making a Will and leaving a legacy gift to fund ground-breaking cancer research.

Order our free legacy guide

Make your Will for free with us

We offer several ways for you to make or update your Will, at no cost to you.

Will for Free service

If you're over 60 and looking to update your Will, you may be eligible for our Will for Free service.

Our Will for Free service

The National Free Wills Network

Alternatively, if we don’t have a solicitor near you, we have also partnered with The National Free Wills Network which puts you in touch with a solicitor local to you. There are over 900 solicitors involved in the Network, all over the UK. To enquire about writing your Will with a local solicitor, please fill out the following form, or you can email [email protected] for further information.

The National Free Wills Network Form

Make a Will Online

If you prefer to make your Will online, we have partnered with Make a Will Online to offer you the opportunity to create a simple Will digitally - at no cost to you. These Wills are checked by a qualified solicitor, providing you with an easy and reliable option to draft your Will making sure you have provided for your loved ones. Find out more below.

Make a Will Online

Make a Will Online details

When you make a Will online, you will also gain free access to Capacity Vault, a valuable resource for protecting the wishes outlined in your Will. If you decide to include a gift, we are informed, which helps us with future planning.

Making an online Will through the provided link helps us gather important insights for our planning, such as when a Will is made, the value of pledges, and the types of gifts. With your permission, we can also receive your name and contact information. We understand that some supporters prefer to keep their Wills entirely private. If you wish to do so, you can this link to create a will online. However you choose to support us, we are deeply thankful for your generosity.

If you would rather work with a solicitor in person or already have one, we fully support this choice. This is particularly important if your estate surpasses the Inheritance Tax threshold, or if it involves complex elements like trusts or overseas assets. Also, if there are any concerns regarding medication or dementia, meeting with a solicitor is recommended. You can find solicitors near you through our Will for Free service stated above or use the National Free Wills Network.

Next steps

If you have any questions about how to leave a gift in your Will to the ICR, please call our Legacy Team on 020 7153 5387 or email [email protected].

The ICR is not registered with the Charity Commission because we are a college of the University of London, and this is standard for long-standing universities and museums. Our exempt reference number is X90004.