How to set up a memorial fund in the UK
In the days following the death of someone you love, it’s hard to find the strength to plan a funeral or memorial. However, a memorial is an important opportunity for those left behind to create meaning from loss, strengthen human bonds, and celebrate the life of the loved one. Setting up a memorial fund in the UK is a way to help raise money for a cause your loved one cared about, while bringing people together in a meaningful way to create a lasting tribute. While it’s almost always meaningful to have a memorial for someone, it can also be expensive. A memorial fund can help raise much-needed money while helping those who loved them to make a positive and lasting contribution in their honour.
What is a memorial fund?
A memorial fund is a fundraiser set up in someone’s memory, typically after they have died. It can help cover funeral costs, raise money for a charity or cause they cared about, fund a scholarship in their name, or create a lasting tribute, such as a memorial bench or tree. In the UK, anyone can set up a memorial fund on behalf of a loved one. Many families use GoFundMe, where there are no eligibility requirements and no minimum or maximum fundraising goal.
Pay tribute to your loved one
A memorial fund can be set up for many reasons: to carry on the spirit of the deceased, set up scholarships, or help relatives cope with unexpected expenses. It keeps a legacy alive while working to improve the lives of others.
- Research finds that it’s particularly important for younger children to express grief after a loss and for survivors to do something meaningful.
- The average funeral cost can be anywhere between around £4,000 and almost £9,000, depending on the region of the UK and the specific type of burial or cremation service chosen, and that doesn’t include food and drink at the wake or other personal touches.
- According to a 2026 survey, two in five Brits have less than £1,000 in their savings account, and a further 25% have between zero and £200. This means that planning an £8,000 funeral can be a heavy financial blow.
Seven meaningful memorial fund ideas
If you’re looking for ways to honour a loved one’s memory, here are seven ideas to inspire you. For more advice, see our tips for funeral and memorial fundraising, or find guidance on how to ask for donations towards funeral expenses.
1. Pay tribute to someone’s life while helping others
One way to memorialise the life of someone who you’ve lost is by helping others. The Emily-Jane Scandrett Memorial Fund was established by her husband Ryan after she sadly passed away in January of 2026 of mesothelioma. So far over £5,000 has been raised to help raise awareness of this rare type of cancer in her name.
2. Help a grieving family in their time of mourning
If you know a family that has recently suffered a tragic loss, help them offset the cost of a memorial or funeral. Communities often come together in the aftermath of a sudden tragedy, such as a fatal accident, to raise funds that cover funeral costs and any additional support the family may need in the difficult months that follow. The Tommy Ballay-Dean AKA Jr Dean fundraiser was established after the tragic death of a young football player in Southwark, raising over £50,000 to help his grieving mother pay for the funeral and other costs.
3. Fund hope for a cure and help the suffering
Many memorial fundraisers are set up to raise money to fund research and help others faced with the same condition. Amber-Jade Mackie has so far raised over £72,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK, after experiencing the effects of the condition while caring for her grandmother. That money will now help fund research into the disease with the hope of one day finding a cure.
4. Set up a scholarship fund
Scholarship funds can honour the passions of the deceased, ensuring that young people in need can carry on their legacies. The Fly High, Burn Bright scholarship fund is one such example. Established by the City of Leeds Basketball Club after the tragic passing of 13-year-old team player Inaki, over £11,000 and counting has been raised. This money is going towards creating basketball scholarships as well as contributing to various mental health charities.
5. Support a loved one’s favourite cause
Use a memorial fund to raise funds for the cause your loved one cared about most. If they were a champion of the environment, for example, think about setting up a memorial fund that provides resources to organisations that protect the planet, fight global warming, or preserve endangered species. Alternatively, if they were a science teacher, for example, you could start a memorial fund that supports science education for young children or offers science-based work placements for first-generation university students. There are as many possibilities as there are causes.
6. Create a lasting tribute
Did your loved one cherish a particular park or public space? If so, use a memorial fund to create a tribute piece there. You could raise funds for a bench, statue, tree, garden, a small library, or another enhancement to the space that commemorates that person’s life. Commemorating a loved one with a permanent fixture in the community, like a park bench, public plaque, or tree, serves as a celebration of this person’s life and is becoming a more frequent choice in the place of a traditional funeral service in the UK. One example is the memorial fund established on behalf of former headteacher Mr Micklewhite, which raised over £8,000 to create a meaningful and lasting memorial within school grounds.
7. Paying off outstanding debt
Coping with the death of someone you love is heartbreaking, but learning that they may have left behind substantial debts can add an incredible amount of stress. In the UK, student loans from the Student Loans Company are automatically written off when someone dies. But debts such as mortgage payments, an equity release, or credit card balances don’t disappear in the same way. They’re usually settled from the deceased’s estate before any inheritance is passed on. One family set up a fundraiser to help cover mortgage payments after their father passed away unexpectedly, while they prepared to sell the family home.
In memory fundraising ideas in the UK
There are many meaningful ways to bring people together and raise money in memory of someone special:
- Sponsored events: Organise a sponsored walk, run, silence, or cycle in their memory. You can link the event directly to a GoFundMe fundraiser, allowing participants to collect and donate pledges online.
- Collection tins: Many UK families place collection tins at the funeral service or wake, or in a local shop or community space, with the fundraiser QR code displayed alongside.
- Donations in lieu of flowers: A widely observed UK tradition is to ask mourners to donate to a fundraiser or named charity instead of sending flowers.
- Annual memorial events: A quiz night, community lunch, or sporting challenge held each year can honour their memory while raising ongoing funds for a cause.
- Community activities: Coffee mornings, bake sales, or local gatherings can also provide a simple way for friends and family to contribute.
All of these can be run alongside a GoFundMe memorial fundraiser, with funds withdrawn at any time, regardless of whether the goal has been reached.
Lighten the burden: Start a fundraiser for someone you know
Starting a memorial fundraiser on someone else’s behalf is a practical and meaningful way of helping, particularly at a time when that person may be overwhelmed with grief. If you’d like to do something to offer help to a friend or family member who has lost someone dear to them, you can create a memorial fundraiser for them. This person may be so focused on dealing with their own grief that they don’t have the time, energy, or know-how to create a memorial fundraiser for themselves. If someone else takes care of it for them, this can be a big help. On the GoFundMe platform, anyone can start a memorial fundraiser on behalf of someone else. This means the grieving family member doesn’t have to organise or manage their fundraiser, but can still receive funds directly.
Here are some things to consider when you’re getting started:
- Ask them what they need most, then provide supporters with a list on the fundraiser page. If they simply need money to cover general funeral expenses, then make sure that you tell supporters that, too.
- Include as much information as you can about their circumstances and how important it is to support them.
- Include lots of photos of them enjoying their life.
- Make sure that you describe your relationship to the beneficiary of the fundraiser and how you plan to get the funds to them. That way, your fundraiser is completely transparent.
Pay tribute to a loved one today
By creating one of the memorial funds listed above or coming up with your own unique way of commemorating your loved one, you can find comfort in the midst of tragedy. Memorial crowdfunding gives you the chance to begin to come to terms with the loss of a loved one. If you haven’t already started a memorial fund fundraiser, you can start one on GoFundMe.