UNITED KINGDOM

Donations to universities rise above £1bn for first time
Philanthropic income to United Kingdom universities rose a record-breaking 23%, last year reaching over £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) for the first time, writes Melanie May for UK Fundraising.The annual Ross-CASE Survey of Charitable Giving to Universities reported the increase across 110 participating UK universities. While the value of donations rose, a slight decrease of 0.5% was seen in the overall number of donors year on year, with a significant proportion of the new funds secured from large gifts and pledges. The total amount gifted from legacies was £104.7 million from 1,179 legacy donors.
The report was compiled by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and also reveals where funds were spent. This included supporting the development and recent rollout of a genetic test to improve childhood cancer treatment at The Institute of Cancer Research, supporting dementia research at the University of Edinburgh and restoring the McEwan Hall in Edinburgh.
Full report on the UK Fundraising site