Supporting Us

Sir Walter Mildmay founded the College in 1584 on the basis of promoting learning. He started the tradition of fundraising for Emmanuel, which has continued ever since.

We are very grateful to the many members and friends who support us. Each year, around a quarter of those we ask to support us make a gift. We are proud that this is one of the strongest levels of support among Cambridge colleges.

Why make a gift to Emmanuel?

We rely on donations not only to meet the day-to-day needs of our community, but also to ensure that what makes Emmanuel such a special place to live, work, and study is maintained and enhanced for future generations.

For example, owing to increasing pressure from cuts in Government grants to universities, we currently subsidise the education of each student by at least £6000/year. We expect this subsidy to increase in the future. We also need donations to make more transformative, forward-looking changes that greatly enhance the education and experience we can offer at Emmanuel.

Ultimately, by making a gift, you will help ensure that Emmanuel remains a place of excellent education, learning and research, with a diverse, vibrant community of talented people who are supported to benefit fully from their time here.

How will we use your gift?

We use donations to meet our most important priorities, such as providing financial support to students, maintaining our buildings and grounds, and funding teaching and research. You can direct your gift to a specific area of our work, or support the area of greatest need, enabling us to meet our most pressing needs as they arise.

For example, your donation could help:

  • ensure that no undergraduate is prevented from coming to and remaining at Emmanuel for financial reasons alone
  • create a diverse community of students from a wide variety of backgrounds
  • inspire young people from less-advantaged backgrounds to aspire to higher education, through our access and outreach initiatives
  • increase funding for postgraduates, as around half of those offered a place have to decline due to financial reasons
  • continue providing excellent individual teaching and support via one-to-one supervisions
  • ensure that great research continues to take place here, and makes an even greater impact, by removing obstacles to attracting the very best Fellows and post-doctoral researchers
  • maintain and enhance our historic buildings and beautiful grounds for all to enjoy, now and in the future
  • build new spaces that meet the evolving needs of our community.

Message from the Master

Over the generations the strength and generosity of our community’s members and friends has enabled a community of academic excellence that we are rightly proud of. In my tenure as Master it has been humbling to see the level of altruism and kindness to the next generation. Looking forward I do hope that you will play a part in ensuring that future members will continue to flourish and prosper in this very special place.

Thank you most warmly,

Doug Chalmers CB DSO OBE, Master