Funding our future

Philanthropic gifts from our incredible alumni and supporter community are a key element in transforming the lives of our students, opening up opportunities and advancing our exceptional research.

Now, Southampton Connects is proud to introduce the University’s new online giving platform, which will make supporting Southampton even easier.

Our staff and students work in a range of fields, daily addressing some of the biggest challenges facing humanity. From harnessing the immune system to cure cancer, to developing the leaders of tomorrow, the research and educational projects taking place on our campuses and beyond are truly changing lives and impacting the way the world works.

This would not be possible, however, without the right resources. Thanks to our facilities, expertise and connections, we have the tools to make a difference; but without your generous support, this would be a very different story.

Where does your money go?
When you give a gift to Southampton, it can go towards any number of different causes; from funding the latest research projects and our precious archives, to enabling students to reach their full potential.

Supporting our students
We believe that no student should be prevented from achieving all they can and benefiting fully from their time at Southampton. Unfortunately, financial or life-changing personal circumstances can threaten their education and therefore their ambitions.

Our Student Support Fund can help students to continue their studies while going through difficult times, such as bereavement or lack of funding. Financial constraints should not limit our students, and so your support through this Fund can make a huge difference to their lives.

Liam Jones (BM Medicine, 2018) has first-hand experience of receiving vital financial support from the University. After his funding was dramatically cut, his future on the course – and the potential for him to achieve his ambition to become a doctor – became uncertain. His career hung in the balance; but the Student Support Fund helped him when he needed it the most.

Liam says:

Without the Student Support Fund, I don’t know what I would have done. The support I received meant that I could stop worrying and concentrate on my final exams. Thanks to the Fund, I made it through my penultimate year in medical school and now I’m on my way to qualifying as a doctor. Soon I’ll be saving people’s lives.

This is your chance to make a difference and play a part in nurturing and developing the world’s future leaders, thinkers and innovators.

Funding our research
Southampton is a research-intensive university, and the work our students, researchers and academics do here has global impact.

You could be a part of our research by donating money towards our projects and centres. Our Centre for Cancer Immunology is one example of how supporters like you are making progress possible. Since raising £25m through philanthropic gifts in our recent campaign, we established the Cancer Immunology Talent Fund (CITF) which enables the work that goes on in the Centre.

Gifts to the CITF will build diverse and talented research teams from across disciplines and fund the UK’s first PhD programme in cancer immunology, which in turn can help to save lives and continue our quest to find a cure for cancer.

Philip and Angela Greatrex, donors to the Centre and Southampton alumni themselves (both BSc Mathematics, 1977), are hugely passionate about their contribution to the cause in its early stages:

We are proud to support a project that will change the way cancer is treated across the world. We encourage other donors to join us in taking this significant step towards finding new treatments – both at a very personal level for those who are suffering now and, on a much larger scale, for the betterment of humankind.

You can join Philip and Angela in being instrumental in the future of the fight against cancer by donating to the CITF.

Find out more about how our Centre for Cancer Immunology has saved lives and changed the face of cancer research

Opening opportunities
We are proud to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences and opportunities to our students. Our Student Excellence Fund plays a vital role in helping our skilled students make the most of their time at Southampton and realise their ambitions.

Donations from our alumni and supporters community have helped our engineering students compete on a global stage in the Formula Student competition. Students develop their skills in building and then racing their own car at the biggest educational motorsport in the world; many later secure internships and jobs with Formula One teams as a result of this experience.

However, this comes at a huge expense, with many opposing teams accessing enormous budgets that our students just can’t match on their own.

Thanks to financial support, the Southampton team recently achieved its best ever results in its first European competition. They were able to pay registration, travel costs and fund the building of their car; over 100 students had a head start in their careers, thanks to help from you.

You have the opportunity to drive our students further than ever, and give them the chance to stand out and shine with your generous donations.

Read about Southampton’s Formula Student Team’s most recent funding campaign

Change lives with your change

These examples are just some of the causes your generosity will go towards when you choose to support the University of Southampton. Regular contributions, as well as one-off donations, have a hugely positive impact on the University community and, in turn, our global future.

Now, it’s even easier to make a difference to lives at Southampton. Where before only single donations were possible, supporters of Southampton will now be able to give regularly to the University, for example on a monthly basis. You will also be able to contribute whenever it suits you, at a level and size you choose.

Gifts like this, particularly regular ones, can genuinely change lives and make a difference.

Thank you for your support.

Visit our Giving site and make a donation