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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All roads lead to Widening Participation

Abigail Williams (Homerton 2022) firmly believes that education should be accessible to everyone. Inspired by her own experiences, she now aims to empower young minds and inform wider education policies.
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Artists for Kettle’s Yard

This new exhibition brings together more than 75 works gifted by leading modern and contemporary artists, including Antony Gormley, Lubaina Himid, Lucie Rie and Ai Weiwei, to support the Jim and Helen Ede Fund.
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Lucy Cavendish strengthens links with India after welcoming the new, dancing College President

Girish Menon has clocked up five months as the President of Lucy Cavendish College, a job that is “completely different” from his previous roles across four decades working in International Development.
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Crossing the disciplinary divide

Sarah Sandor’s (Churchill 2020) PhD in microbial ecology at the Department of Plant Sciences combined elements of biology and chemistry, and Cambridge’s wide range of extracurriculars provided the opportunity to blend her passion for science with drama, outreach, and travel.
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Inside knowledge; outward perspective

Through ‘Apply: Cambridge’, Erin O'Connell (Newnham 2023) gained Cambridge students’ insights online from her hometown of Liverpool. Now, as a student, Erin promotes this legacy by not only being a mentor for the programme but also by joining communities of support and empowering others at Cambridge and beyond.
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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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Tech leader Niccolo de Masi delivers a quantum leap at Cambridge

Thanks to Niccolo de Masi (Clare 1998) and his visionary idea, Cambridge has recently launched a groundbreaking project.
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Lady Mireille Gillings renews generous Fellowship funding that supports public health researchers to develop leadership skills for real-world impact

Launched on 3 March through the Institut Pasteur and Pasteur Foundation, the 2026 Lady Mireille & Sir Dennis Gillings Global Public Health Fellowship is a distinguished two-year postdoctoral programme based at Institut Pasteur in Paris.
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Qube Research & Technologies supports new joint initiative across three leading universities to advance research in mathematics, AI and complex systems

The University of Cambridge is pleased to announce the launch of Cambridge x QRT Labs, part of a major new philanthropic partnership supported by Qube Research & Technologies (QRT) that brings together researchers from Cambridge, Imperial College London and the University of Oxford. 
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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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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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The art of giving: how legacies are helping widen access to art

At the University of Cambridge, our eight Museums and Botanic Garden are about far more than the pleasure and enjoyment of science and culture; they are tools for teaching, research, insight, and innovation.
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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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