Our distinctive Jacobsen buildings were constructed to form a state-of-the art space within which our community could learn, work, and live. Sympathetic additions have been made over the years, including the Mary Sunley building, the Arumugam building and, most recently, the Ainsworth Graduate Centre. Both the original and more recent constructions would not have been possible without the generous support of alumni and friends.

At the forefront of design in 1962, and now Grade 1 listed, the College must now urgently embark on an ambitious programme of enhancement and refurbishment, following on from the realisation in September 2023 that the RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) in the roofs of our buildings was at risk of collapse. We urgently need to replace the RAAC and reduce our carbon footprint, where practicable, while remaining faithful to the original Jacobsen vision.

Our Emergency and Unrestricted Fund, was the source of essential support to the College as we mitigated the initial effects of RAAC on our day-to-day operations, through the development and running of temporary structures and the completion of extensive temporary remedial work.  These temporary structures are costly and a significant drain on our financial resources. The Fund continues to provide vital contributions towards the cost of the permanent repairs, including the reopening of our Library which is estimated to cost approximately £5m.  All donations to this fund, no matter how big or small will help us complete the repairs  and ensure physical aspects of the College are fit for the needs of our students, fellows, staff and conferencing clients of the future, for the next 60 years and beyond.

The financial security of Oxford colleges is underpinned by endowments, most of which have been built up over centuries. A strong endowment protects the College from fluctuations in external sources of income and the economy, and allow a College to invest in its students and the future.

In our relatively short history we have managed our endowment prudently and enhanced its value, which today sits at approximately £101M*. This is an impressive size for such a young college but is only the median level across the Collegiate University and far below the likes of St John’s (£691M), Christ Church (£684M) and Magdalen (£667M)*.

Colleges with the highest endowments are better able to weather financial storms, such as Covid-19, and protect their teaching though the endowment of Fellowships, whilst offering their students enhanced practical and financial support. Our fund has been particularly important to us in tackling the challenges that we currently face with remedying the RAAC (Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) in the roofs of our buildings. Donations to the Endowment Fund help us gain greater financial security in an increasingly turbulent financial climate and preserve our exceptional quality of education for future generations.

*Figures for the financial year 2020-21

St Catz is renowned for its exceptional teaching and research, and our academics are at the heart of this. The tutorial system ensures our undergraduates are given support where it is most needed, with teaching tailored to needs and interests and progress closely monitored. Many of our tutors have an international reputation for research in their field and the College is proud of its place at the forefront of innovation, research and contemporary culture.

Gifts to support the Tutorial Fellowships and Research Fund through the full or partial endowment of tutorial fellowships protect the teaching of a subject in perpetuity, allowing us to attract the very best academic minds, and ensuring we continue to be a centre of world-leading research.

If you would like to support a particular subject, we currently have funds for the following:

• Alan Tayler Trust Fund, supporting the teaching of Mathematics
• Ceri Peach Trust Fund, supporting the teaching of Geography
• Derek Davis Fund, supporting the teaching of Law
• Dickson Holmes Trust Fund, supporting the teaching of History
• John Goodenough Fund, supporting the teaching of Chemistry

To fully endow a Fellowship in perpetuity costs between £1.8- £3M. This could be achieved with 14-24 donations of £100,000 or 24-48 donations of £50,000 (including Gift Aid). If you are interested in helping to fund a particular subject, our Director of Development, Anna Fowler would be delighted to talk with you further.

The founding principle of St Catz was to open up Oxford to a wider range of students, and this fund ensures that we remain open to all, regardless of background. No talented student should be deterred from coming here due to financial constraints. We are committed to ensuring that they have access to the same opportunities as the generations that preceded them and that they can rely on our support in a turbulent economic climate.

Gifts to the Student Support Fund have a direct impact on our current students and allow us to offer financial support to 1 in 5 of our undergraduates and 1 in 7 of our graduate students.

We also support means-tested undergraduate bursaries through our Foundation Scholarship Programme for students with household incomes of £25,000 or less to £50,000.

A donation of £25,000 would endow a Foundation Scholarship in perpetuity. If you are interesting in funding a Foundation Scholarship please contact our Deputy Director of Development, Rachel Shepherd.

Our graduate students make a crucial contribution to the intellectual life at Catz and enhance the academic reputation of both the College and the department to which they belong. They are the engine of research in our laboratories, libraries and seminars, and go on to lead the way in their fields, pushing the frontiers of knowledge.

Increasing the value and breadth of postgraduate scholarships is a key aim for College. In a global context of reduced public funding for higher education, we are more dependent than ever before upon the generosity and support of our alumni and friends to help us to deliver this.

There is fierce global competition to attract today’s internationally-mobile students and lack of funding is cited as the most frequent reason for graduate offer holders turning down their Oxford place. Many other Oxford colleges are able to offer larger scholarships, meaning that talented postgraduates may choose to apply elsewhere. The availability of scholarship funding is key to both encouraging applications and ensuring that individuals can take up their place at Catz.

A donation of £15,000 would fund a postgraduate scholarship worth £5,000 for three years.

A donation of £25,500 would fully fund the College contributions of three Wiedenfeld-Hoffman Trust Scholars for one year.

A donation of £167,000 would endow a postgraduate scholarship worth £5,000 in perpetuity.

Donations to this fund support the work of our Outreach Officer in welcoming over 4,000 prospective applicants each year to St Catz, giving them an invaluable insight into life at Oxford.

In addition to one off school visits and events we deliver The Catalyst Programme, a sustained contact programme that provides pupils from six hubs across Lewisham, Haringey, Wales, and Teesside with tailored support at multiple points in their school career, as well as an opportunity to visit Oxford.

We also work alongside Jesus College and New College to form Oxford Cymru, supporting community outreach across Wales as Welsh students are still under-represented at Oxford.

You can read more about our Outreach programme here.

In the 2022 – 2023 academic year, we worked with over 4,400 school pupils across more than 108 access and outreach events.