Lions International Blood Research Appeal

Lions International Blood Research Appeal (LIBRA), established in 1976 by Lions Clubs International and formalized as a charitable trust in 1978, serves as the official haematology charity for King’s College Hospital in London. Its unwavering mission is to advance research, diagnosis, and treatment of blood cancers and disorders—including leukaemia, acute myeloid leukaemia, myeloma, sickle cell disease, and thalassaemia—through direct partnership with the hospital’s Haematology Department. Rooted in Lions Club values of service and transparency, LIBRA channels funds into laboratory equipment, ward developments (e.g., ELF and LIBRA Ward), clinical trials, and patient care infrastructure, fostering breakthroughs that benefit patients locally and globally while positioning King’s as a centre of excellence. Uniquely, it is the only UK charity dedicated exclusively to this department.

LIBRA funds capital projects, research infrastructure, and service improvements like advanced diagnostic machinery and gene therapy facilities, targeting patients of all ages with blood disorders. Beneficiaries are solely the Haematology Department at King’s College Hospital, an NHS Trust serving London and south-east England.

It does not accept unsolicited applications from external entities, charities, or organisations; all allocations are decided internally on a rolling basis in collaboration with hospital clinicians, with no deadlines or open calls. Typical grants support large-scale initiatives (tens to hundreds of thousands of pounds, e.g., £300,000 campaigns), excluding general costs or external projects. This singular, hospital-exclusive focus and low-overhead efficiency distinguish LIBRA, making it ideal for partners aligned with transformative haematology advancements at King’s.