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By Maša Amatt, Director of Development

I have now been at Caius for five wonderful years, and before anything else I am prompted to say: thank you for making me part of such a special community. I was struck by how welcoming Caius is, from enthused alumni to helpful members of staff, with the supportive leadership and students eager to get involved. It did not take me long to understand why the College magazine is called “Once a Caian…” The sense of belonging is strong! 

Passing the five-year milestone makes me reflect on what the Development Team has achieved during this time, particularly in supporting our students through the Student Support Fund. Thank you for your generous response to several appeals for this urgent and important fund. Today twice as many of you give to student support than in 2020. 47% of donors support this fund, and rightly so: it changes lives.

I would like to shed some light on the difference a gift to student support can make, for undergraduates and postgraduates alike. You will hear from a recipient and also why donors have deemed it a worthwhile cause, to the point of supporting a full bursary. If you have a moment, do watch the video or read below why Peter Redfern (1969, Mathematics/Electrical Sciences) has decided to create a bursary fund, and what it’s meant to Lauren Collins (2021, Law) to be on the receiving end. 

Many modest regular gifts add up to support the majority of bursary recipients at Caius: any size gift therefore adds up to make the biggest difference. A handful of bursaries recipients are benefitting from endowed bursaries. In recent years some have been able to increase their annual giving so as to cover the cost of a full bursary at £3,500 per year on an indefinite basis or a commitment of four years, which covers the duration of an undergraduate degree. The students are incredibly grateful to all of you. However much you can give is changing their lives.

Awareness for the need to support postgraduates, especially in the humanities is also growing. In 2020 a mere 0.4% of donors gave to support postgraduates. Today this number has grown to 3%. There is still a long way to go for us to enable brilliant minds to pursue their passion and have a positive impact in the world through their research. If you have not read it yet, you may be inspired by the story of a humanities postgraduate alumna who decided to give to a postgraduate support fund in the sciences to honour a Caian doctor who saved her life. In return, he made a gift to a postgraduate student fund in the humanities. You can read about their story below, and the impact of their generosity.

March 2025