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The Caius Fund 2024 Campaign: September 18 - 29, 2024

This year our telephone campaign will be primarily focused on raising money for student support. The cost of living continues to bite, putting our students under immense financial pressure. With basic costs of rent, food, travel and essential academic expenses absorbing more than can be afforded on a government loan alone, many students are having to make sacrifices that affect their studies, social life, physical and mental wellbeing. 

Donations for student support this September will go directly towards alleviating the financial struggle faced by our students. A donation of any amount will ensure that: 

• Every student, regardless of the level of support their families can offer, have access to the same opportunities whilst at Caius. We provide financial support to an increasing number of undergraduates each year through the Cambridge Bursary Scheme. Even when taking out the full government loan, students from less privileged families cannot always make ends meet. A means-tested enhanced annual bursary of £4,500 helps to make up the difference.
• This year we awarded over £500,000 in student bursaries, with 70 undergraduates qualifying for the full amount. Without this support, students unable to rely on help from home would be unable to afford many of the costs associated with higher education. 
• Students struggling to meet the increased costs of accommodation can also be awarded ‘rent bursaries’ which are means-tested up to £275 per term. This reduction to rent costs makes an invaluable difference to the quality of life for students worried about meeting even their most vital expenses. 
• We can increase the sports provisions in College and the number of sports grants awarded each year, encouraging students to lead balanced lives. Sport and physical activity have a direct and positive impact on academic achievement and make a huge difference to students’ mental, physical and social health; the cost of participation and the pursuit of extra-curricular activities should not be a barrier. 
• We can continue to expand our mental health and wellbeing programme in College to meet increasing demand for stress-relieving activities and counselling. These appointments can be transformational for individuals struggling to cope with the pressures involved in seeking a degree at Cambridge and adapting to the new and unfamiliar environment.
• We want to attract the most talented applicants to postgraduate study at Caius and support them while they are here. Due to a national scarcity of funding, prospective postgraduates are attracted to the institutions who can offer the greatest financial support and we lose many talented scholars to other places. Yet, postgraduate degrees are increasingly a requirement in the job market. We are committed to expanding the number of postgraduate scholarships we can offer and making postgraduate study at Caius a possibility for the most outstanding individuals.

Your generous gifts enable us to support our diverse body of students through daily challenges. You ensure that every Caian has the chance to embrace all that Cambridge has to offer and encourage them to make the most of the opportunity to study and thrive whilst at Caius. Our campaigns are your chance to be better informed of our priorities and learn how you can get involved to make a difference. If you wish to opt out of the telephone campaign, please complete this form. If you would like to give to this year’s campaign but do not wish to be contacted by phone, you can donate .