Meet the callers!
Fly the flag and become an Annual Fund Leader; click on the flag to find out more!
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Please note that we have numerous other schemes that can be donated to, in addition to the aforementioned priority funds. Please contact development@girton.cam.ac.uk for more information.
What Girton students think about the funds…
Teaching Support Fund
“Supervisors really push you to get the most out of your ability, which they can do particularly well when they are based in College because they know you personally. The supervision system means that we are seen as individuals and not just numbers and having continuity in your teaching is really important in identifying your strengths and weaknesses.” Leanne Sheen, 3rd year, MML
Sports Pavilion Fund
“The recent pitch development has given us more than consistently playable pitches – they’re fantastic. On top of this, a pavilion would not only reflect the College’s sporting success, but also provide a gym where the rowers would not be split across two sites, and ensure a fitness space would be available anyone that wanted to train. The pavilion will provide a space to enhance all aspects of the wide variety of Girton sports.” Anna Heaton, Women’s Football Captain (2008–09)
Postgraduate Bursaries Fund
“Financial stress should not be taken lightly. As a member of a university which strives on excellence, one will want the financial freedom and stability that boosts creativity and in turn brilliance. The College scholarships have helped a vast number of students, myself included, to free themselves from the stress of financial burdens that were holding their research back. Such funds also open the door to a greater number of talented people, who may have found it difficult to study at postgraduate level had these funds not been available.” Bogdan Roman, Postgraduate Student
Childcare Bursary Fund
“I very much appreciate the Girton childcare bursary. Without the bursary, we could not send our daughter to nursery where she can play and learn with other kids. Meanwhile, both my wife and I are able focus on full time study.” Mr Gen-Tao Chiang, Postgraduate Student
Girton's Annual Fund
Annual Fund and Telethon 2009
Over the past decade, alumni and friends of Girton have donated over £1 million to the College through its Annual Fund. A large number of gifts of relatively modest amounts really do add up to extraordinary results.
The Annual Fund has enabled us to refurbish numerous students’ rooms to a high standard, has helped to endow student bursaries across all subjects, has improved the stewardship of our special collections and Archive, and has helped to secure teaching support.
All gifts make a difference to the College and its current members, and help to ensure it continues to be a lively academic community.
The priority for this year’s Annual Fund and Telethon is to raise funds for: the Teaching Support Fund, the Sports Pavilion, 21st Century (General Endowment) Fund, Postgraduate Bursaries and Childcare Bursaries and for the Girton Futures Fund. See below for further details on these areas of need.
In the last financial year for which audited accounts are available, the College’s income from government funding and tuition fees was £2 million, yet the cost of providing our students’ education was £2.8 million. It is therefore unsurprising that the College is dependent on fundraising and its endowment funds to make up the shortfall; furthermore, it receives no state support for maintaining its historic buildings.
If you would like to discover more about Telethon 2009 and meet the student callers, then click here.
Make a difference – show your support by choosing to donate to one of the funds below:
Make a difference to the Teaching Support Fund (a matched fund)
At present, Girton has an annual shortfall of between £500,000 and £1 million in its education account, the difference between the funds received from student fees and UK government, and the necessary expenditure on College-based teaching. The deficit is currently made up from College’s own endowment funds and fundraising, but is unsustainable in the long-run. The aim of the Teaching Support Fund is to endow teaching posts to secure the funding for specific sujects in which the University makes insufficient appointments to cover College teaching needs, and thus support the supervision system for which Cambridge is renowned.
Currently, Economics, English, History, Mathematics, Modern and Medieval Languages and Law are in particular need. The Teaching Support Fund, which has been established thanks to a generous donation of £2.5 million from an individual alumnus, will match gifts from alumni and other sources at a ratio of 1:1 for the long-term endowment of teaching provision in the College. The alumnus wishes to encourage donations, at all levels, in order to support teaching.
For instance, a gift of £22 per month for three years from 300 alumni would raise enough, with Gift Aid and matching funding, to fund a half-time teaching post. The sum required to endow one Fellowship is currently £1.2 million; at a 4% annual return this covers the salary of a teaching Fellow, together with employers’ costs.
Make a difference by donating to the new Sports Pavilion
This will be a fantastic new addition to Girton’s facilities, providing every student with the opportunity to exercise on-site. A new gym and changing rooms are incorporated in the plans. So far the sports pitches have been redeveloped, giving College full-sized rugby and football facilities and the ability for college teams to play both sports concurrently. However, £500,000 of the £800,000 still needs to be raised in order to begin the Pavilion.
Donating £500 or more to the Pavilion will give you the chance to have your name inscribed on a special donor plaque in the new Pavilion. Four people donating £1,500 each would fund the gym changing room and showers.
Make a difference by donating to Postgraduate Bursaries and Childcare Bursaries
The College has good provision of bursaries for undergraduates, but not so for postgraduates. We would like endowment income from this Postgraduate Bursaries Fund to help students who may face difficulty continuing their studies. Furthermore, as well as encouraging more mature students and graduates with children to study in Cambridge, Childcare Bursaries are an essential benefit to help us attract and retain the best academic staff.
We also have numerous undergraduate support schemes, and though these are well-funded, we welcome further donations for this purpose.
A gift of £11 per month over three years from 100 alumni would enable us to endow a bursary award of £2,000 per year in perpetuity.
Make a difference by donating to the Girton Futures Fund (Access)
The College’s current mission is to widen access to the best quality education for people from all social backgrounds. This fund will enable College to put on more school events and enable the admission open days to be bigger and better than ever before in order encourage the best students regardless of their social or financial backgrounds.
This fund will help initiatives such as the establishment of a residential course for pre-GCSE pupils. This course will target children from regions where few people go to university and will encourage them to see university, and specifically Girton College, as a viable option for them in the future.
Make a difference by donating to the 21st Century Fund
The College’s endowment is below what is needed for Girton to operate sustainably in the long-term. Building up the endowment fund will secure College’s future in an uncertain statutory funding environment and will enable College to direct its resources to areas most in need in the future. Income from this general endowment has been already used to support teaching, student services and facilities, and to maintain buildings.
How to give your support to the College
Making a donation is easy: you can download a donation form, or click here to see the different methods of donating.