Legacies

For more than 800 years, gifts in Wills have been fundamental to Cambridge. Our Colleges, laboratories, libraries and museums are founded on the generosity of kind people who understood that a legacy to Cambridge is a gift to the future of learning, research and knowledge.

The impact of a legacy gift

A legacy gift to Collegiate Cambridge could support brilliant students by endowing scholarships or bursaries, fund academic or research posts, enable new buildings or improve facilities, or ensure that students benefit from the full student experience by supporting a range of enriching extracurricular activities.

Unrestricted legacy gifts, which benefit our most urgent need, are particularly appreciated. This way we can ensure that, whatever the future brings, we are in the best position to make a difference, where we are needed most.

Alternatively, you can direct your gift towards any aspect of Cambridge life, including departments, museums, libraries, sports, music or student support programmes.

Whichever type of gift you choose, it will help shape the lives of our students and contribute to our ability to have a profound impact on the world. We would be delighted to discuss your wishes, the direction of your gift and the potential impact it could have on Cambridge. All information will be treated as confidential, and as we cannot offer financial or legal advice, we recommend you seek independent advice as required.

Of course, your decision is personal and may change, but should you choose to tell us about your intentions, we will be able to thank you and keep in touch in the way you prefer.

I am always amazed and impressed by the rich history of discovery and innovation contained within this city. The University of Cambridge’s contributions of knowledge and scholarship to the world are built, quite literally, on philanthropy. Gifts in Wills are part of this wonderful and farsighted tradition of giving, interwoven forever with the history of Cambridge. Your legacy will launch new voyages of exploration that will shape the future for all of us.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Debbie Prentice

Ways to plan a gift

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What sort of gift can I leave?

There are several ways to leave a legacy to the University

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Suggested wording for your Will

A guide to how best to word a planned gift

Legacy stories

Legacy gift lends a helping hand to Downing medics

Thanks to a generous legacy gift from alumnus, John Frederick Fitz Miller (Downing 1978), over 50 Downing medical students have all been awarded a generous grant from the fund

‘The Thrill of the Will’

Alice Macek, Associate Director of Legacies, reflects on why estate planning is vital — at any stage of life!

Early music — a love story: the unique Dolmetsch family and an extraordinary legacy to Cambridge

In a leafy Surrey village, an extraordinary musical story has unfolded over the course of more than a century, with its roots in mid-19th century France and a narrative spanning Belgium, London, the USA and Haslemere, Surrey. Its next chapter? At the University Library, Cambridge.

Personal giving, far-reaching impact: the Early Cancer Institute and the ripple effect of philanthropy

Most of us will — at some point in our lives, whether directly or indirectly — feel the tremendous impact of cancer. The disease has a unique poignancy and resonance: in its suddenness or its duration, in the uncertainty and changes it brings, and in the meaning it contains, cancer touches and transforms lives dramatically.

Trailblazer, cave dweller — and philanthropist: The legacy and impact of Dr Aola Mary Richards

What links the famous Cambridge Corpus Clock to an unexpected legacy from a pioneering entomologist? Answer: New Zealand cave wētā.

‘A Connection to the Real World’: How a passion for problem-solving inspired David Manns’s legacy giving

David Manns (Trinity 1964) believes in the power of philanthropy to address the deepest roots of the problems we face as a species and a society — and he trusts Cambridge to lead the way.

Mummies, biomedical Egyptology, and preserving eternity: Professor Rosalie David’s vision for her discipline and her legacy

Very few people can boast of having served as director of the International Mummy Database. The remarkable Professor Rosalie David OBE is one of the few.

Legendary scholarship, ‘tough love’, and cocktails: Joyce Reynolds’s trailblazing life and unique and multifaceted legacy

Formidable, gifted, and just as passionate about her own work as her students’ learning and success, Joyce Reynolds was, and remains, an inspiration. Warm and admiring anecdotes about her abound — and one thing is clear: no one whose life was touched by Joyce will ever forget her. Now, her spirit and commitment will continue to support future generations thanks not only to her own legacy giving, but to the giving she inspired in others.

‘Born at the Right Time’: Maths, music, museums and a legacy from Margaret Marrs

After a long and rich life in tune with both numbers and notes, computing trailblazer Margaret Marrs leaves a bequest as well-rounded as she was.

Leaving a Legacy: Professor John Otto Kessler

Thanks to his bequest to Cambridge in America for Clare Hall, future scholars will have the opportunity to explore Cambridge in the curious, tinkering, and enthusiastic spirit of Professor John Kessler.

Harry's home — leaving a legacy that matters

For decades, Harry Desai’s home has been haven for young people from all over the world. A bequest to Cambridge will ensure that his London flat will provide security for students for generations to come.

CAM: Leaving a legacy

Leaving a legacy has a long-term, extraordinary impact, enabling Cambridge to do more, whether that is in providing support to students or pushing forward the boundaries of scholarship and knowledge.

Legacy gift to benefit Early Cancer Institute

An anonymous legacy gift will help the Early Cancer Institute invest in state-of-the-art equipment.

The Legacy of Dr Rhoda M Dorsey (Newnham 1949)

Dr Dorsey came to Newnham College as a Fulbright Scholar studying history. She became an Honorary Fellow of the College in 1998 and received an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Law) from the University of Cambridge in 2002. In 1974, she became president of Goucher College in Towson, MD, the first woman to hold that post and the longest continuously serving president of the college until her retirement in 1994.

A gift with a global reach – Rosalie Crawford’s legacy (Girton 1949)

The Rosalie Crawford scholarship will help Girton College welcome and support more postgraduate students from around the world take up their place at Cambridge.

New studentships funded from a legacy gift to Lucy Cavendish

A legacy gift to Lucy Cavendish from the Charitable Foundation of the late Ernest Hecht OBE will fund two new studentships.

Contact

Please contact Alice Macek if you wish to remember the University of Cambridge with a gift in your Will, or have any questions about how to do so.

Alice works across the whole University, so whether you want your gift to be used where the need is greatest, or would like to discuss a particular area you want to support, please get in touch for an informal conversation.

Photograph of Alice Macek

Alice Macek

Associate Director, Legacies, University of Cambridge

alice.macek@admin.cam.ac.uk

Data protection
We are committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about what information we hold. To find out more about how the University collects, handles and uses personal data to manage our legacy giving programme, including administration to secure legacy donations, please read our data protection statement for legacy gifts.