Impact of giving

From bursaries, scholarships, and new academic posts to new initiatives, buildings and facilities, philanthropy ensures that we continue to lead and inspire the world in our teaching and research, nurturing exceptional minds and driving the discoveries of the future.

Impact of giving

From bursaries, scholarships, and new academic posts to new initiatives, buildings and facilities, philanthropy ensures that we continue to lead and inspire the world in our teaching and research, nurturing exceptional minds and driving the discoveries of the future.

Philanthropic impact stories

Find out how Cambridge is working to solve the challenges we face in today's world. None of the examples described here would be possible without Cambridge’s philanthropic supporters. Their philanthropy sets the brilliant minds working at Cambridge free to pursue new ideas and change the world.

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The 2025 Go Far! Interns step into the story of Cambridge Advancement

The Go Far! Cambridge Fundraising and Alumni Relations Internship Programme gives Cambridge students the chance to gain hands-on experience in university advancement. Over the summer, interns work alongside development and alumni engagement teams across the Collegiate community, learning how philanthropy, communications, and alumni relations support teaching, research, and student life. 
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Turning loss into hope: the Platt family’s heartfelt gift for autism research

As the first PhD student supported by the gift is named, Nici Platt shares her family’s journey to create meaning and impact out of personal loss.
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Professor Tim Dalgleish named as the inaugural Dawson Professor of Young People’s Mental Health

The University of Cambridge is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Tim Dalgleish as the inaugural Dawson Professor of Young People’s Mental Health, a new post established through a generous gift by philanthropists Christina and Peter Dawson.
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How an unrestricted PhD studentship improved our understanding of neurodegenerative disease

A generous and unrestricted PhD studentship enabled Nadia Erkamp (King’s 2020) to pursue bold, interdisciplinary research into biomolecular condensates, advancing our understanding of neurodegenerative disease and laying the foundations for a promising academic career.
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An interdisciplinary approach to global change

How Chevening-Cambridge alumna, Laura Reyna, is revolutionising technology worldwide
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Gift announcements

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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New applied quantum initiative to advance research translation at the University of Cambridge

Quantum technology research at Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory will benefit from a new collaboration with FormationQ, an independent platform for quantum adoption and application, to help speed translation of the University’s frontier research into real-world applications.
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Landmark £6m gift from XTX Markets will help fund the next generation of Cambridge mathematicians

A new cohort of brilliant young mathematicians to join the University of Cambridge with more than thirty new PhDs and Postdoc opportunities created thanks to this generous donation.
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Irish Government endows Childers Professorship of Irish History at Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is delighted to announce a landmark gift of £3.6 million from the Government of Ireland, awarded on the basis of establishing the Childers Professorship of Irish History. This marks a renewed commitment to deepening the study of Irish history at Cambridge and to strengthening Anglo-Irish academic collaboration. 
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£1.5 million gift from The Ogden Trust helps secure the future of physics education for all

At a time when demand for science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills surpasses supply, too many talented students still face barriers that prevent them from fulfilling their potential at school and university.
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An investment in civilisation

Behind a transformative gift to the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER)
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Donor stories

Discover why philanthropy matters and how it makes Cambridge better still. Hear from our donors about their philanthropic motivations and from those who have been supported by such gifts during their time at the University.

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For the love of Peterhouse

Peterhouse, Cambridge’s oldest College, has seen waves of progress sweep through its halls in the past few decades. Sarah Ransome (Peterhouse 1987) and Sophia Ewulo (Peterhouse 1996) share their experiences of this time of transition and how, decades on, they have continued to champion progress as members of the Peterhouse Society Committee.
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Visionary philanthropist Stephen Stahl invests in psychiatry’s future at Cambridge

An endowed professorship at the Cambridge Department of Psychiatry promises to pave the way for aspiring clinicians and researchers to do research that will ultimately illuminate the mysteries of mental illness and treatment for generations to come. Dr Stephen Stahl and his wife Shakila made the gift this year. 
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A powerful cycle of giving

Victoria Ayodeji’s (Queens’ 2018) experience with social mobility organisations began before she became a student at Cambridge. Victoria has made a career out of Social Impact and continues to inspire students across the country through her outreach work
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How ‘the business of philanthropy’ brought Peter Bennett full circle back to Cambridge

With the Bennett School of Public Policy newly launched, donor and leading light Peter Bennett (Churchill 1975, Economics) shares his philosophy of giving and his ambitions for the School's impact. 
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Life's rich tapestry at Christ's

How alumna volunteer Jennifer Haywood celebrates the past and contributes to the future.
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Legacy stories

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Angela and Derek Taunt: funding the future of Kettle’s Yard, from first Friends to legacy donor

Forty-two years ago, artist Angela Taunt and her husband Derek (Jesus 1936) led the setting up of the Friends of Kettle’s Yard, which is still going strong, financially supporting the gallery each year through its activities.
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Where the need is greatest: how a legacy is helping to uncover and build Black Cambridge narratives

To mark International Legacy Giving Day, we are pleased to share a story of a legacy gift which has helped promote race equality at the University of Cambridge
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The Youngs and the Whipple: An imaginative legacy from an unusual family that honours people, place, and mission

‘We all see the artefacts in a different light after hearing the stories behind them.’
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A legacy richly interwoven with education and scholarship: the Raymond C. Read and Lillian J. Gostick PhD Studentship

Professor Jennifer S. Read shares the story of a passionate family tradition of philanthropy and high hopes for its impact
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Romance, physics, and a revolution in sound: the Dolby family’s unique relationship with Collegiate Cambridge and how it drives their phenomenal philanthropy

The Dolbys’ philanthropic support for science research and higher education has helped secure the UK’s status as the epicentre of physics discovery for the world.
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