Eton has benefited from a long history of philanthropy right back to its very foundation. We flourish today thanks to the generosity of Old Etonians, parents and friends and we will advance further as that tradition grows.
The gifts we receive help us to develop in so many areas. They underpin our transformative Bursaries Programme and enable us to develop powerful partnerships outside the walls of Eton. Those walls themselves have also been strengthened, restored and renewed, ensuring that our facilities provide an appropriate setting for the world-class teaching that takes place within.
All this is founded on the strength of support we receive from so many Old Etonians, parents and friends. Through gifts at all levels, both to the endowment and to current programmes, our community of benefactors enables so much of what makes Eton special.
Philanthropy is also key to the delivery of our new initiative, the Eton Star Schools Programme, through which we aim to share our resources and expertise to support the great task of reducing educational inequality in the UK. It is a bold challenge which will help others but strengthen us too – an outcome for the benefit of all. You can read more about each of our key priority areas below.
I hope you will join us.
Justin Nolan, Executive Director of Communications, Engagement and Development
Areas For Support
Bursaries
Eton College was founded to provide education to poor scholars and it has always made financial support for its boys a key priority. Today we are proud that over 20% of boys at Eton are in receipt of a bursary, and more than 100 boys pay no fees at all. From the very beginning this has been made possible through philanthropy, and our flagship Bursary Programme relies on the support of donors.
Eton Star Schools Programme
This ambitious initiative will enable us to share our resources and expertise more widely to tackle educational inequality in the UK. Through a ground-breaking partnership with leading multi-academy trust Star Academies Eton intends to establish three new selective state sixth form colleges in the north and midlands. These colleges represent an entirely new relationship between the state and independent sectors and will have a major impact on the communities in which they are established.
Eton Fundamentals
Eton Fundamentals encompasses Eton’s academic and co-curricular programmes as well as boarding. The educational experience at Eton is based on a very broad and deep offering across a range of disciplines. This necessarily entails a high overhead only partially defrayed by fees, and there are a range of opportunities to support this area, across Teaching and Learning, and the Co-Curriculum.
Capital Projects
Eton has an extraordinary collection of over 400 buildings from every century since the 1400s across its 1,000-acre site. The costs associated with keeping this historic estate up to modern standards are considerable and there are a number of opportunities available both to support major renovations of existing buildings and to give towards a number of iconic new developments.
Historic Collections
The Eton College Collections include a range of objects dating from the prehistoric to the present day, many of which are unique. Every gift helps us to conserve these remarkable holdings, to share them with the world, and to bring learning to life. The Collections also play a key role in our Eton Connect local partnerships work.
Greatest Need
Unrestricted gifts of all sizes give the College the flexibility to use donations for the areas of most pressing need in any particular year.
