Development Fund

A message from the Development Fund and Giving Programmes Manager

“The Jesus College Development Fund is frequently used to fund student scholarships and prizes, support College’s library and archives, expand our access and outreach programmes, and create opportunities for students to partake in College sports and the arts.

The Fund is entirely dependent on the participation of our alumni each year. It has a direct impact on the student experience at Jesus and the support College can offer. Most importantly, it means that thanks to ongoing alumni support, more students today can attend College without financial burden, can partake in meaningful College extracurricular experiences, and be recognised for their outstanding academic achievements. It is through the creation of new access and extended access bursaries at Jesus that we can ensure College remains a place of both excellence and opportunity.

Every year, there are two main opportunities for alumni to participate in the Development Fund – an autumn appeal and a spring telethon. These annual fundraising efforts are essential in raising vital support for College’s greatest need, and the needs of current Jesus students.

We are hugely thankful to all who support the Development Fund each year. Your contributions make a positive impact on the 680 students currently studying at Jesus and the wider College community”

– Edmund Levin
Development Fund and Giving Programmes Manager

FY23/24
Development Fund Impact

TOTAL RAISED

£350,000

Over 80% of Development Fund donors chose to give College the flexibility to direct their support to areas of Greatest Need, where they can make the most difference this year. These areas cover Student Support, Teaching & Research, Access & Outreach, and Cultural Activities and Sport.

Thank you to the 703 alumni and friends who chose to participate this year.

Bursaries and Studentships Highlights

We would like to thank and acknowledge the many Development Fund donors who also chose to support College by giving to specific bursary and scholarship appeals in FY23/24. The following list of new bursaries and studentships were established thanks to restricted donations from alumni given towards these priorities.

The Sports and Wellbeing Appeal

The Ukrainian Studentship Support Fund Appeal

The Dr John Walsh Undergraduate Bursary in History Appeal

The Don Fowler Undergraduate Bursary in Classics

The Anthony Pilkington Memorial Bursary for Undergraduate Students of Modern Languages

The Professor Fred and Doris Taylor Clarendon DPhil Studentship in Physics

A word from our Development Fund donors

“I support Jesus College because I am grateful for having had the chance to be there as an undergraduate and because I think it important to encourage those from backgrounds like mine to study there. Of particular value to me were the support offered by the tutorial system and the feeling of belonging to a community of manageable size where I could meet others from other disciplines through eating in Hall and taking part in Chapel.
As a postgrad at Edinburgh University I met almost no-one outside my own small department and I suspect that I might have found life more difficult as an undergraduate in a University with no smaller group comparable to College for me to belong to.”
Quote from an anonymous alumni donor
“My time at Jesus, nearly 40 years ago now, created some of the most significant formative experiences of my life; so helping, in some small way, to make that opportunity available for another generation of students gives me a certain satisfaction.”

Richard Stephenson
1985, Geography