Become a member

Genetic Alliance UK was established in 1989 and has over 220 member organisations – will you be our next? 

Genetic Alliance UK is the largest alliance of charities and support groups working together to improve the lives of 3.5 million people in the UK living with genetic and rare conditions. Our members and the people they support are at the heart of everything we do. 

We advocate for fast and accurate diagnosis, good quality care and access to the best treatments. We actively support progress in research and engage with decision makers and the public about the challenges faced by our community. 

Who is eligible to become a member?

Membership of Genetic Alliance UK is open to organisations, groups and charities associated with genetic and/or rare conditions. Membership is free for organisations with an annual income of less than £10,000. 

To be eligible for membership of Genetic Alliance UK, your organisation must: 

• Support people in the UK living with genetic, rare or undiagnosed conditions.

• Have established governance (the minimum requirement is a governing document).

• Have at least two unrelated individuals on a Board or decision-making group (in the context of membership eligibility, family members, spouses and partners are considered to be related).

• Have governance and financial information available for the completion of our due diligence checks. Information must be either publicly available (for example, via the Charity Commission website or Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies) or independently verified and shared with us by the applying organisation.

• Have a website which gives information on what your organisation does and includes contact details for individuals within the organisation (the minimum requirement is a public social media group page). 

• Agree to abide by our Membership Code of Conduct.

As set out in our Articles of Association, membership of Genetic Alliance UK is at the discretion of our Board of Trustees who are the ultimate arbiters of whether or not an organisation’s membership is in the best interests of Genetic Alliance UK. Where an organisation includes a distinct subgroup that meets the membership criteria, the Board may, in exceptional circumstances, consider an application for membership on behalf of that subgroup. Any such arrangement (including fees and membership voting) will be determined at the Board’s discretion.

Our membership eligibility criteria are regularly reviewed by our Board of Trustees. 

Approved – December 2025

Next review – December 2026