Why It Matters
Cancer can change more than a person’s health
Nearly 1 in 2
people born after 1960 in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.
Source: Cancer Research UK
A cancer diagnosis can affect almost every part of a person’s life. Alongside treatment and recovery, people may face reduced income, additional costs, disruption to work and growing pressure on household finances.
This is cancer-related financial toxicity: the financial strain and hardship that can result from having cancer and receiving treatment.
It can affect anyone, regardless of income.
A person’s financial circumstances, commitments, reduced income and additional costs can all influence how severely cancer affects their financial wellbeing. For many people, household finances may already be carefully balanced before a cancer diagnosis.
The financial impact of cancer
Cancer does not stop living costs.
Rent or mortgage payments, energy bills, food, transport and other everyday costs continue even when someone is too unwell to work or has had their income reduced.
At the same time, cancer can create additional expenses. Frequent hospital appointments can mean increased travel costs. Treatment and recovery can affect employment and working hours. Families may also face additional costs of caring for someone who is unwell.
For someone already struggling financially, even a relatively modest change in income or expenditure can have serious consequences.
Financial toxicity can affect more than finances
Financial hardship can create significant stress at a time when a person is already dealing with cancer.
Worry about money can affect wellbeing, family life and a person’s ability to concentrate on their treatment and recovery. Financial pressures may also create practical barriers to attending appointments, maintaining everyday needs or following treatment plans.
This means financial toxicity is not simply a money problem. It can become part of the wider experience of cancer.
Reducing unnecessary financial pressure can give patients and families greater stability at a time when they need it most.
It can also help healthcare professionals focus on delivering care rather than patients having to manage the additional consequences of financial hardship alongside their treatment.
The support landscape is fragmented
Financial assistance for people affected by cancer does exist, but it can vary considerably.
Different organisations may have different eligibility criteria, grant amounts, geographical restrictions and application processes. Some support is available only to particular groups or for particular expenses.
For someone newly diagnosed and already under considerable pressure, finding out what support exists-and how to access it-can itself be difficult.
We believe there should be a clearer, more accessible response to the financial consequences of cancer.
Why Amara Centre exists
Amara Centre was created to address this gap.
Our aim is to provide timely, practical financial support to people experiencing financial toxicity because of cancer, helping to ease some of the immediate financial pressure that cancer can create.
The Amara Centre grants are intended to help with essential everyday costs and provide a financial bridge during periods of significant financial disruption.
Our grants are not intended to replace state benefits, statutory support or other financial assistance for which someone may be eligible. Instead, they provide additional charitable support alongside existing sources of help.
We cannot remove every financial consequence of cancer. But we can help make the burden lighter.
And sometimes, having one less thing to worry about matters enormously.
From financial relief to greater stability
We believe that timely financial support can have benefits that extend beyond the immediate value of a grant.
Financial support → reduced financial pressure → greater household stability → improved wellbeing and ability to engage with treatment and recovery.
By helping to reduce financial toxicity, we hope to contribute to a wider cancer-support system in which people are supported not only medically, but also with the practical realities of living through cancer.