Our work relies entirely on the generosity of our members and supporters.

Without the wonderful support we receive from individuals, groups and Charitable Trusts and Foundations, we would not be able to offer the help and support we do or fund medical research into tinnitus. Thank you to all of those who have supported our work in the past. If you are considering supporting us, please do, as all contributions help us to continue our work.

When giving to the BTA, you can decide how we spend your money. You can either tell us you’d like to support our core services (such as the helpline, and sending out information packs) or support our medical research programme.

Supporting our core work

Supporting our core work helps us ensure the BTA’s can continue to offer support to the tinnitus community. It would be used to continue:

• our confidential freephone helpline
• to send out our series of 30 information leaflets about tinnitus, produced by leading medical professionals that are distributed free of charge
• to produce Quiet, our quarterly magazine
• this website, that contains information and advice for all audiences
• our prevention and awareness raising programme, including Tinnitus Awareness Week

The BTA’s Research Fund

The BTA funds many tinnitus research projects, at many levels from student PHD projects up to major drugs research. Donations to the BTA’s Research Fund in recent years have allowed us to fund:

• A Tinnitus Senior Research Fellowship at University College London’s Ear Institute between 2008-2011. Dr Roland Schaette is undertaking research towards a greater understanding of tinnitus and its impact on the auditory pathways. This work started in 2008, and will run until November 2011, and the BTA’s commitment is over £250,000. Over 75% of this funding has come in the form of legacy giving.
• A Serotonin Research Programme at the University of Birmingham. The BTA has committed to supporting a two year research programme, valued at £112,000. The project has started with preparatory work being carried out at the University at Buffalo. The grant will fund a two year full-time Research Fellowship at the University of Birmingham, This research will revolve around the role of the neurotransmitter, serotonin which is believed to have an important role in emotion and attention. Recent research has indicated that serotonin could be the key factor in the difference between those patients that can tolerate tinnitus from those whose life is made difficult by the condition. This research will be a pioneer in the use of molecular biological techniques in tinnitus research. The long term objective of this study is the development of a suitable drug for the treatment of tinnitus.

How your money helps

£2 provides an information pack about tinnitus for a person who has been newly diagnosed

£4 enables us to answer a telephone call from someone who would like more information on managing their condition

£10 provides a selection of CDs of masking sounds to enable a person with tinnitus to overcome the noises they hear

£100 enables us to send an expert to a local group to give a presentation and information about aspects of tinnitus

£245 funds a researcher for one day, looking into what causes tinnitus, and possible treatments for it

£300 enables us to send a volunteer on our Tinnitus Adviser Training course

£750 provides a bursary to better train a medical professional to help people with tinnitus