FAQs

Breakthrough T1D reflects our exclusive focus on the needs of the T1D community. Breakthrough T1D will continue JDRF’s journey, accelerating breakthroughs in research, breakthroughs in access to treatments and bringing the T1D community together to help everyone make their own personal breakthroughs. 

Since launching over 50 years ago JDRF has been at the forefront of every major type 1 research breakthrough, bringing life-changing treatments and technologies to the people who need them the most.

‘Breakthrough’ signifies scientific discovery in research, our ability to break through barriers, advance progress and move the entire T1D community forward. Breakthrough T1D invites everyone to progress together. The name promises impacts large and small – from scientific breakthroughs and advocacy wins, to breaking through everyday obstacles. It’s a rallying cry to make an impact for everyone in the T1D community.

Since our founding more than 50 years ago, we and the world have evolved. So too has type 1 diabetes (T1D) science and our understanding of it. While our mission remains the same, how we communicate must align with who we are now and the incredible breakthroughs we are advancing for everyone in the T1D community.

We researched how our brand was perceived by the T1D community, involving more than 5,000 people living with T1D all around the world.

Juvenile Diabetes is no longer a clinically used term. 88% of people living with type 1 diabetes are adults. We need a brand which reflects this reality to engage more people in the T1D community and generate more support for our global mission. We are the same organisation – but with our purpose more clearly stated to be inclusive of the whole community.

Our brand has changed and we’re bringing our history with us to celebrate our past, present, and future. We’re excited for this new era in our history and feel that our new name and look better represents who we are, what we do, and the full spectrum of the community for whom we advocate.

After extensive market research, we determined that while our most engaged supporters valued and trusted our previous brand the name did not accurately represent who we are, what we do, or the full spectrum of the community we support. This is especially the case among people less familiar with us, who found our name a barrier.

Global community insight confirmed, and staff and senior leadership agreed that ‘JDRF’ perpetuated misconceptions, with the word ‘Juvenile’ alienating adults, and the word ‘Research’ failing to capture the full picture of what we do. Using the acronym ‘JDRF’ as our name made it harder for people to engage with us, because they didn’t know – or couldn’t remember – the words represented by each letter.

The term T1D has been chosen as it is both used and recognised by people living with the condition. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition caused by the immune system mistakenly attacking insulin-making beta cells in the pancreas. It’s not related to lifestyle, it’s not reversable and it’s not currently curable. Using the term T1D will help us to address stigma and common misconceptions, providing clarity about our exclusive focus on type 1 diabetes.

Our mission is not changing. And neither is our mission statement. Our mission is still to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and better treat type 1 diabetes (T1D) and its complications.

What we have now, however, is a simpler, clearer way to communicate our mission to our audiences:

As we drive toward curing type 1 diabetes, we help make everyday life better for the people who face it.

Our name, visual identity, and messaging have changed, including updates to the logo, color palette, typography, and other design elements. We’ve also refreshed how we tell our story to better drive our mission forward, and our values have been updated to reflect this evolution.

Our logo represents breakthroughs, both big and small for the T1D community. The name physically breaks through our visionary, precise and powerful burst creating the impact of what we do for the community. This outward expression is inclusive, energetic, and embodies optimism for the cures we will discover as a community.

Strengthening our brand will help create more familiarity and engagement with our organisation, and ultimately, help us raise more funds as we drive toward cures. By telling a clearer story, we are removing barriers to more people joining our community and mission. Creating greater recognition will also help us increase distribution of resources to improve life with T1D. Stand-out messaging also helps us deepen relationships with existing supporters, volunteers, partners, government, and industry.

This amplifies our efforts to fund research, accelerate treatment, and improve access to therapies and clinical education for the T1D community globally.

Yes, people affected by T1D are at the heart of everything we do. We conducted extensive global market research involving more than 5,000 people living with or caring for someone with T1D. Breakthrough T1D scored highest in testing.

Our focus has always been supporting anyone affected by T1D. Our new brand makes that clearer.

You can support our rebrand by sharing your thoughts and feedback to brand@breakthrought1d.org.uk. Your input is extremely valuable as we continue to refine and improve our new identity.

Please follow our new Breakthrough T1D UK Facebook page and spread the word to your networks, sharing and engaging with our content.

Please contact our supporter care team at info@breakthrought1d.org.uk.

Yes, if you would like to contact us regarding any feedback, please contact brand@breakthrought1d.org.uk.

We’re excited to share that while our events will continue to deliver the same exceptional experiences, we’re stepping things up with a fresh new look and feel! Our marketing and branding are getting an exciting refresh, and we cannot wait to share it with you. Rest assured, while the visuals may be changing, our dedication to creating meaningful events for our supporters is stronger than ever.

We’ll be relaunching our shop from October with a range of new Breakthrough T1D merchandise for purchase.

People are welcome to keep their JDRF branded items. We are the same organisation – our brand is changing and we’re bringing our history with us to celebrate our past, present, and future. We ask that if you are attending an event after October, supporters wear Breakthrough T1D branded items, which we will provide. At the same time, we recognise it’s your choice.

Existing regular gifts will remain unaffected. We will communicate with you about any upcoming changes to how you may see your donation listed on your bank statement. Your ongoing support will continue to make a meaningful difference in our mission, and we are grateful for your commitment.

Donations to JDRF – including sponsorship and lottery tickets – will be processed as normal, through our secure channels. We will communicate with you about any upcoming changes to how you may see your donation listed on your bank statement.

Please select ‘Breakthrough T1D’ when giving via 3rd party platform including Just Giving, Enthuse, Payroll Giving, Facebook, Instagram and GoFundMe.

Our donation process is not changing. You can donate via our website, over the telephone or write to us.

Our information and support resources will undergo a gradual transition to reflect our new brand identity. We are implementing a phased approach to minimise any wastage during this process. While the essence of our virtual and in-person events will remain unchanged, they will feature an updated look and feel consistent with our refreshed brand. This ensures continuity in our services while embracing our new identity.

Our rebrand will not affect the research that we fund. Our mission stays the same, to prevent, treat and cure type 1 diabetes. We are the world’s leading T1D research and advocacy organisation. Our commitment to accelerating research breakthroughs is steadfast and the cornerstone of our work.

On Meta’s advice, JDRF UK launched the Breakthrough T1D UK Facebook page to create a focused community for those impacted by T1D. The new page aims to foster engagement, share research updates, and connect people.

If you previously followed JDRF UK, you won’t automatically become a member of our new page @BreakthroughT1DUK. You’ll need to follow the new page to stay updated and connected with us.

Please take a moment to follow our latest page to continue receiving updates and support from Breakthrough T1D.

No, the new page won’t impact any fundraising you’re doing for JDRF UK on Meta. Any ongoing fundraising efforts you’ve started will remain unaffected, and all funds will still go directly to JDRF UK/Breakthrough T1D UK.

However, we encourage you to follow our new page @BreakthroughT1DUK for the latest updates and to stay connected with the community.