Our Story

The Margaret de Sousa Deiro Fund (working name Margaret’s Fund) was set up in 1927 by Miss Anstace Muriel Howard, who cared for Miss Margaret de Sousa-Deiro while she was suffering from tuberculosis (TB). In those days there was no reliable treatment for TB and it was usually terminal.

When Margaret sadly died, she left Miss Howard a large sum of money in her will. She decided to use these funds to found a charity in Margaret’s name, which could benefit other women who were suffering from the same debilitating disease.

Since 1927, advances in medical science have now substantially reduced the incidence of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the objects of Margaret’s Fund have been extended by Orders of the Charity Commissioners so that any of the Fund’s income, not required for the original purposes, may be utilised by the Trustees to help women in financial need suffering from any disease. This ensures that Margaret’s legacy lives on awarding over 200 grants a year. 

Margaret’s Fund awards grants through supporting professionals looking after women in financial need living in the UK and who are in ill health.