This year marks a subtle but significant milestone in the history of the College’s philanthropic activities: the 10th anniversary of the creation of the College’s Annual Fund. Back in 2014 few were able to foresee the extraordinary show of support the Annual Fund would receive over the coming decade or the countless students, Fellows and staff who would benefit from projects brought to life by this remarkable initiative. To the 2,060 alumni and friends who have given to the Annual Fund to date, please accept my thanks and that of the entire College community. Your support has made a tangible and longstanding difference to life at St John’s, and in this short article I hope to convey a snapshot of what your support has made possible by highlighting just ten Annual Fund projects.
The aim of the Annual Fund is simple but unique: to empower those who understand St John’s best to enact positive change. It achieves this by establishing a democratic process whereby all members of the College community – students, Fellows and staff – have the opportunity to outline projects they feel would most benefit those who live, work and learn at St John’s. Following an annual call for projects requiring funding of up to £25,000, applicants complete a rigorous submission process requiring sponsorship from a Fellow, and each project must then pass a final assessment by senior College members including the Master and Senior Bursar. Predictors of success include signs of innovation, practicality of implementation and the proportion of the College community expected to benefit. Projects that make the final grade receive funding in the following financial year, with completion and impact reporting required in the same period.
A staggering 110 projects have been funded to date, with up to seven more anticipated to commence from July of this year. More impressive still is the breadth of areas of life at St John’s that have benefited – for example: academic scholarships and exchanges; access and outreach initiatives; equipment and training to support extra-curricular development; improvements to the College’s teaching; and social, green and religious spaces. In each case, the aim is to deliver an experience over and above that which would otherwise be possible. This both incentivises and provides a means for the continual improvement of academic and pastoral opportunities at St John’s. Furthermore, the cyclical nature of the Annual Fund (applications are received each November–January) allows St John’s to respond rapidly to unexpected shifts in the needs of our community; for example, by supporting the wellbeing and development of our students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Annual Fund in Numbers
- 10 years of operation
110 projects funded to date
>2,060 friends and alumni have given
2014 – Pre-Admissions Prizes (£25,000)
Support from the Annual Fund provided five students each with a prize of £5,000. The introduction of St John’s Pre-Admission Prizes represented a transformative addition to the College’s offering of academic awards and scholarships. Established with the specific aim of attracting and supporting the most talented students from across the UK, this early investment from the Annual Fund helped demonstrate the benefit of these awards and encouraged the College – and our alumni and friends – to support their provision on a longer-term basis.
Taken by Elena Moses (2016)
2015 – Multi-User Music Practice Space (£20,000)
An underused section of the Cripps Building understory was converted into a habitable, fully sound-insulated environment enhanced by a design that provides ideal acoustic properties for small bands and solo artists. Spearheaded by architecture student Paul Glade (2013), this was one of the first infrastructure projects sponsored by the Annual Fund and led to the creation of an entirely new practice and recording space for musicians at St John’s. Incorporating a small recording studio and a complement of recording equipment and instruments, this was the first dedicated practice space for popular and jazz musicians in College, and it continues to be well used to this day.
Taken by Sarah Jeffs (2017)
2016 – North West Access Tour (£8,900)
A first-of-its-kind initiative for the North West of England, the access tour saw a team of undergraduates, academics and staff from St John’s visit pupils from 34 schools across Bolton, Rochdale and Blackburn. Delivering myth-busting sessions and workshops on the Cambridge application process, advanced academic topics and financial support networks available to prospective students, the tour reached a total of 1,200 young people and 250 parents. Connections with schools and teachers established during the North West Access Tour continue to form an essential part of the outreach activities St John’s undertakes in the area each year.
2017 – St John’s Poetry Festival (£1,000)
A free one-day poetry event open to all members of College and organised in collaboration with the College’s Writer in Residence and the St John’s English Society took place in the Fellows’ Garden following the June examination period. Not all projects sponsored by the Annual Fund are ‘big ticket’ investments; every year a range of smaller grants are made to projects with benefits that far outstrip their cost. Featuring performances of verse and presentations of critical work related to contemporary literature, the Festival helped make poetry accessible to the entirety of the College community and connected our undergraduates and postgraduates with some of the most well-known poets and writers associated with the University of Cambridge.
2018 – Library Entrance (£20,100)
In 2018 the Annual Fund supported a range of meaningful improvements to the Library lobby, including a multi-tiered issue desk, a high-quality exhibition case allowing an ever-changing display of archival materials, environmentally friendly lighting, comfortable seating areas and the introduction of green planting. Created in 1994, the Working Library can be considered the College’s academic heart – serving students, Fellows, friends and alumni – and is one of the best-equipped in collegiate Cambridge, with capacity for more than 120,000 books on open access. The support of the Annual Fund has made the Working Library a more accessible space, promoted closer partnership with the Old Library and consolidated the lobby’s reputation as a concourse for reference, rendezvous and informal academic exchange.
2019 – LMBC Women’s VIII (£25,000)
A new women’s VIII boat was commissioned for the LMBC. The club forms an essential part of life at St John’s as it fosters an all-inclusive philosophy to membership, offers an outlet for academic stresses and imparts skills in leadership, teamwork and communication. The Annual Fund has been a staunch supporter of the LMBC from the start, contributing to the costs of training camps, equipment, boats and oars for both the men’s and women’s crews over the last decade. Built by Hudson Boatworks, one of the few manufacturers to use weight-specific boat moulds for women, the new VIII boat demonstrated unequivocally the College’s commitment to encouraging female participation in the LMBC and placed the women’s crew among the most advanced shells on the river in the following boat races.
2020 – Virtual Open Day (£4,500)
Instigated by an international undergraduate student who had attended virtual open days at the University of Oxford – where colleges had hosted such events for several years – this project placed St John’s as the first Cambridge college to offer virtual open days. This involved commissioning a 360° tour of the College, creating pre-recorded talks and hosting live tours and Q&A sessions with students, staff and Fellows. International students and UK-based applicants from low-income households often find the cost of visiting Cambridge prohibitive; this reduces the likelihood of them applying to Cambridge, increases the chances of them applying to a College unsuited to their needs and impacts the College’s ability to foster a diverse and talented undergraduate community. Alongside supporting our outreach team, this project played an essential role in facilitating the College’s transition to virtual operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021 – Wellness Education (£10,000)
Throughout multiple lockdowns and periods of isolated, primarily virtual learning, the Annual Fund sponsored a three-pronged approach to tackle mental and physical health challenges facing many of our students. Firstly, opportunities were set up for students sheltering in College accommodation to practise self-care, including distanced events centred on art, exercise and gardening. Secondly, the College delivered a variety of online wellness workshops promoting preventative and proactive self-care, focusing on topics such as diet, fitness, mental-health first aid and suicide prevention. Finally, garden plants and seating were bought to enhance the green space available to our students.
2022 – Celebration of Johnian Women (£29,950)
The Annual Fund supported a variety of projects in collaboration with College-wide celebrations for the 40th anniversary of women being admitted to St John’s. These included: Library exhibitions featuring material from the College’s archives; a series of concerts and musical commissions delivered by alumnae; and the commissioning of a series of high-quality portraits and biographies featuring high-profile Johnian women – now on display in the new College Café.
2023 – Climate Research Projects (£23,750)
Funding has recently been directed to undergraduate research in climate science. This complements substantial efforts to measure and reduce the College’s carbon footprint – and to transition to net zero before 2050 – after St John’s recognised the climate crisis as the defining challenge of our time in 2021 and divested from all direct investments in fossil fuel in 2013. The project, which is spearheaded by mathematics Fellow Jack Smith and is due to take place this summer, will provide 10–15 undergraduates with a Real Living Wage while they undertake eight-week research projects focusing on the climate crisis, along with a climate research and industry showcase event. Through this, the Annual Fund will both provide the next generation of climate scientists with valuable academic experience and give the entire College community an opportunity to learn of and engage with some of the most recent advances – and challenges – in climate science.
Written by
Will is Senior Development Officer (Annual Giving) at St John’s College.
