In 2019 Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Toope announced the Harding Challenge, made possible by the £100 million gift from David and Claudia Harding earlier that year.
The Hardings wanted to encourage new donors to give to collegiate Cambridge and support students in greatest need across the University. They wanted to provide an opportunity to enhance the impact of your generosity and multiply the power of your giving, whilst supporting student life and wellbeing to ensure students can truly thrive at Cambridge.
As we enter the Harding Challenge's third year, gifts toward student support from the following supporters will qualify for this match funding:
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any supporter who has never given to the collegiate University before
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supporters who have made a Harding Challenge-eligible gift in its first and/or second year
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supporters who last gave a gift on or before 31 July 2020
Eligible gifts will unlock, pound for pound, a contribution to a special fund for undergraduate financial support which will benefit not only students at Lucy Cavendish College, but also undergraduates in greatest need across Cambridge. Gifts of any size up to £100,000 qualify — every pound makes a difference.
Who would benefit from my gift and how does it work?
100% of your eligible donation goes towards helping students at Lucy Cavendish, in the area that you’d like to support. But as well as this, your donation unlocks match funding from the Harding Challenge. This match funding will be distributed across all Cambridge colleges to fund the new enhanced Cambridge Bursary Scheme, starting in October 2021. Crucially, this distribution is weighted, depending on colleges’ wealth and student numbers. This is to ensure that students are not unfairly disadvantaged, for example, if they go to a less wealthy college.
Lucy Cavendish benefits favourably: for every £1 Lucy spends on new support for its undergraduates through the Cambridge Bursary Scheme, a contribution of £10.15 will be received from the Harding Challenge, totalling £11.15 in support of our students.
In summary
- 100% of the gift you make in support of Lucy students is spent on the area you choose.
- If eligible, your giving would unlock additional benefits thanks to the Harding Challenge, helping to support students in financial need across Cambridge.
- Lucy and its students will benefit particularly well from the Harding Challenge.
- Thanks to the Harding Challenge, the impact of your giving would be doubled at no extra cost to you.
This is a wonderful, once in a generation opportunity to multiply your support for students who need it most. To take advantage of the Harding Challenge today, make a donation or contact Tom Hawker-Dawson, the Deputy Development Director
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