GSK IMPACT Awards winners announced for 2026
Howard Lake | 31 March 2026 | News
Ten UK health and wellbeing charities are sharing £400,000 in funding after winning the 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards.
Ten small and medium-sized health and wellbeing charities across the UK have been announced as the winners of the 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards. The awards, run by global biopharma company GSK in partnership with The King’s Fund, recognise “the exceptional work of organisations making a real difference in their communities”.
The GSK IMPACT Awards have been running for 29 years. Despite the challenges faced by many charities, the judges were impressed by the winners’ determination to meet the needs of their communities. This year’s awards had attracted a record number of award entries, according to the organisers.
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Lisa Weaks, Senior Associate at The King’s Fund, highlighted the challenging environment, saying:
“Each year, the calibre of organisations applying for the GSK IMPACT Awards continues to inspire us. Charities are operating in an increasingly challenging environment, under pressure to do more with less while demand for their services continues to rise. Despite this, their dedication, creativity and resilience shines through. At a time when health and care services are under significant strain, these charities remain a lifeline for the people and communities who need them most.”
The 2026 winners “went through a rigorous assessment”, including a half-day in-depth discussion with an independent assessor, and were selected by a judging panel of health and charity experts.
What the winners receive
Each of the ten winning charities will receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding. This is part of a total of £430,000 in unrestricted prize money being awarded this year, which also includes £4,000 each for five runners-up.
In addition to the funding, the winners receive expert support, including a tailored leadership development programme provided by The King’s Fund.
They are also invited to join the GSK IMPACT Awards Network, a UK-wide network of almost 140 previous award winners who collaborate to build leadership capability and provide mutual support.
Awards ceremony
The winners will receive their awards at a ceremony at The King’s Fund on Wednesday 13 May 2026. On the night, an overall winner will be announced and will be awarded an additional £10,000, bringing their total prize to £50,000.
The 10 winners
The 2026 GSK IMPACT Awards winners and a description of their work are:
- Age UK Norwich, supporting older people to stay healthier for longer through health coaching, befriending, clubs, trips and advocacy work
- Can-Survive UK, a Manchester-based charity supporting culturally diverse communities living with and beyond cancer
- Colostomy UK, a national charity supporting people living with a stoma through offering practical help, raising awareness and fighting the stigma so no one faces life with a stoma alone
- Create Strength Group, supporting people to recover from substance misuse in Bradford, improving health and wellbeing, preventing relapse, and developing resilience, life skills and productive pathways that enable individuals to thrive
- Empowerment Charity Lancashire, serving disadvantaged communities in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast, empowering local people to bring about change to their health and wellbeing
- Encompass Southwest, tackling rural homelessness, poverty and health inequalities in south west England through providing trauma informed and person-centred support
- The Green House, working to break the silence, stigma and shame of child sexual abuse, and through the power of innovation help families to rebuild their lives after abuse
- Happy Baby Community transforms lives for pregnant women and new mothers who have fled war, trafficking and violence to seek safety for themselves and their babies, by creating a sanctuary across Greater London and the south east where they and their babies can truly thrive
- The Rainbow Project, an LGBTQIA+ charity changing lives for LGBTQIA+ people and their families in Northern Ireland through tailored health and wellbeing services that mitigate the impact of discrimination, as well as training, campaigning and policy work to eliminate its root causes
- Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland, providing specialist support and advocacy for anyone affected by sexual violence across the Scottish Highlands
Stephanie Dean, Director of Charitable Investment Programmes at GSK, said of the winners:
“The winners of the GSK IMPACT Awards exemplify innovation, strong partnerships and collaboration in delivering essential health and wellbeing support to communities in need. Their dedication to serving the community and evaluating their impact demonstrates outstanding leadership for the broader sector and we are proud to celebrate their achievements.”
29 years of the GSK IMPACT Awards
Since the awards began in 1997, more than 570 health and wellbeing charities have received a GSK IMPACT Award, with total funding exceeding £9 million.
Charities interested in applying for the 2027 GSK IMPACT Awards can note that applications will open on 1 July 2026 and UK Fundraising will announce them. The awards are open to small and medium-sized charities working in health and wellbeing with an annual income between £150,000 and £3 million that are at least three years old.
- Health and wellbeing charities win GSK IMPACT Awards 2025 (13 March 2025)
- Winners of 2024 GSK IMPACT Awards announced (5 March 2024)
- Norfolk charity wins 2022 GSK IMPACT Awards (5 July 2022)
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.