Getting the most from our donations

Gift Aid helped boost donations to the University by around £40,000 last year, allowing us to support even more students financially and furthering the impact of our research and community work.

Last financial year, we received over £2.8 million worth of donations. These donations were received from many sources including (but not limited to):

• alumni donors supporting projects within specific Schools.
• local residents who have supported community outreach projects.
• members of staff contributing to our Student Support Fund.

These gifts have helped contribute to a wide range of projects that support all aspects of the organisation: from helping our Film, Theatre and Television students to complete their practical coursework to enhancing the Whiteknights campus environment with the beautiful and thought-provoking World Reimagined globes.

Donations are restricted according to the donor’s wishes, meaning that spending is often ringfenced to a particular School or project. Donations to our Student Support Fund are disbursed between scholarships, extra-curricular activities, student wellbeing projects and hardship funds for students in crisis.

About Gift Aid

Gift Aid is a UK Government scheme which allows charities to increase the value of donations received. If you are an eligible UK tax payer and you make a donation, charities can claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated, at no additional cost to you.

The University is an exempt charity, which means that we can claim Gift Aid.

The most popular donation that we receive from regular donors is £10 a month which, if  eligible, can provide an additional £2.50 of Gift Aid each month. Over a year this will work out to £30 of additional funding through the Gift Aid scheme. £30 to the Student Support Fund is enough to top up the Essentials Cupboard, which provides immediate help to students in crisis.

For more information about Gift Aid at the University please visit our information page.

How has Gift Aid supported the University?

Thanks to Gift Aid, we’ve been able to boost the funding available for all sorts of University projects. Here are just two of those projects.

Uncovering the past

The Department of Archaeology will shortly be receiving £4,500 of extra funding for an ongoing project thanks to the Gift Aid scheme. The additional sum will help towards obtaining radiocarbon dates and meeting the costs of print and online publication of the project’s research.

Books for the Whitley Wood Playgroup

A successful crowdfunding campaign took place in March 2024 to help support the Whitley Wood Playgroup which runs free weekly parent-toddler sessions involving storybook reading and linked activities. The project reached its target and also received over £2,000 of Gift Aid to top up their total, meaning more funding for more sessions and more books for more families.

Thank you from the Fundraising team

Our Fundraising Team works hard to encourage donations to the University to further our good work. The Fundraising Team would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of staff that have supported, and continue to support, the variety of projects at the University. A big thank you too to those who have ticked the box to say yes to Gift Aid.