Stormzy at Cambridge: a mic drop moment for philanthropy
When Stormzy appeared on BBC's The One Show last week, it wasn’t to perform—it was to celebrate something truly transformative: the Stormzy Scholarship at Cambridge
Since 2018, the scholarship has supported 56 Black students with full tuition and living costs, thanks to Stormzy’s #MERKY Foundation and HSBC UK. And the ripple effect? Applications from Black students to Cambridge have more than doubled. That’s not just impact—it’s legacy.
On the show, Stormzy met scholars like Drew Chateau, now a solicitor, and Di'Mario Downer, a Theology student, and Destiny Charles, a Human, Social and Political Sciences student, who each shared how the scholarship changed their lives. Stormzy himself reflected:
“Hopefully in 10, 20, 30, 40 years I'll hear a story about someone who cured this disease or pioneered in this field, and they’ll say, ‘I had the Stormzy Scholarship all those years ago.’”
Cambridge's collaboration with the #MERKY Foundation and HSBC UK has helped ensure these scholarships reach the most deserving students, helping to transform their University experience.
Stormzy established the scholarships to provide support to black pupils from underrepresented backgrounds across the UK to study at the University of Cambridge. The scholarships are non-repayable and cover full tuition fees along with a maintenance grant, which will significantly reduce the need for recipients to take out government or commercial loans.
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Philanthropic giving is at the heart of the success of the Collegiate University, enabling us to make discoveries that change the world and to ensure that our students receive an unrivalled education. Cambridge owes its world-leading excellence in research and teaching to the generosity of its supporters. Our history is synonymous with a history of far-sighted benefaction, and the same is as true today as it has ever been.
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Philanthropic giving is at the heart of the success of the Collegiate University, enabling us to make discoveries that change the world and to ensure that our students receive an unrivalled education.
