Covid-hit heart charity forced to cut research funding in half

But BHF was still able to honour £450 million existing funding commitments over past year

The British Heart Foundation was forced to cut its research funding for new projects in half due to disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which it described as the “biggest challenge” in the charity’s 60-year history.

The closure of charity shops and suspension of fundraising activity during Covid-19 contributed to a 47 per cent reduction in the BHF’s net income in the 2020-21 financial year—from £107.6 million to £57.2m—according to the funder’s annual report published on 6 September.