Match funding supported by Alumni and students
The HEFCE match funding scheme ended last Friday. We were in the tier up to £200,000 for matched funds. So we have been hoping for a total potential of £400,000 for the College.
I am very pleased to report that we met the target, with a day to spare. Over the past three weeks alone we have raised over £150,000, including £110,000 from an anonymous donor new to the College and £35,000 from another donor, Mr Ed Berman, to support the Fun Art Bus project. Students also contributed over £10,000.
In fact, we have exceeded our target by £16,000, raising £216,000. But only £200,000 qualifies for the match.
In the first year of the three year scheme, before I became Principal, the College raised just over £3,000; year two over £35,000 and the final amount in 2010-11. I have been working on this in the background.
I want to thank Governors who helped with making key contributions, especially at a time in the late spring when we were stalled in our fundraising the situation did not look promising. The anonymous donor, who I have only recently come to know, thinks that Rose Bruford is a terrific place. Separately he is helping to support three student productions appearing at the Edinburgh Festival from Wednesday at the new Summerhall. He is quite keen to see our international initiatives thrive. An extraordinary patron. He agreed his gift a week ago Saturday when we spoke between matinee and evening shows at the RSC in Stratford. It pays to go to the theatre.
The level of student contribution has been gratifying. Over the past two years admissions to RBC shows have been treated as charitable contributions in order to apply for the match.
I think this demonstrates that the College has real development potential and appeal to outside individuals. So I hope you agree that we must build on this achievement and dedicate ourselves to more fundraising like this.
Very quickly, and quite separately to our work on the match fundraising, a new alumni association has been formed: Bruford Connects. This new group has as one if its stated aims to raise funds for student support and bursaries. It includes some of our most prominent and well-placed alumni. Our success with the match funding has given Bruford Connects a real stimulus to get out there and do the same.
Money raised will be used to fund a variety of projects, including a dedicated £25,000 to support the establishment of the Rose Bruford Jubilee Fund to support graduate projects once people leave the College and up to five years after graduation. This fund will be announced in the autumn as part of the continuing Jubilee celebrations. We have never been able to support our graduates in this way and it is the one area of funding for which I receive the most requests.
This is a fine achievement for the College, especially when we are faced with so many funding challenges. I hope we can begin to turn some corners.
Professor Michael Earley
Principal and CEO