Total cash donations to British universities broke the half-billion-pound mark, nearly $720-million, for the first time ever in the academic year 2008-9, according to a new survey of charitable giving to higher-education institutions.
During that time period, the number of individual donors to higher education reached an all-time high of 163,000, the survey found. The analysis is an annual look at higher-education philanthropy in Britain, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research on behalf of the Ross Group and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's Europe branch.
At the same time, the value of new pledges decreased significantly, by £532-million, or $763-million. Those pledges are commitments of money or art work and other noncash items given over several years.
Joanna Motion, vice president for international operations at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, said that decline followed an atypically good year in which several unusually large donations created "a cliff to jump off."
The new findings present a mixed portrait of the role of philanthropic giving for British universities, which now rely on donations for the equivalent of 2.3 percent of their total expenditure.
"It's a good story," said Ms. Motion, noting that the publication of the new survey results coincides with increasingly heated discussion in Britain over how to pay for higher education. "Philanthropy is not going to replace government funding, and we mustn't let people think that it lets government off the hook. But it is doing exceptional things that wouldn't be funded otherwise, and it is good for morale."
The report notes that the distribution of philanthropic gifts remains "highly skewed," with the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford accounting for 51 percent of all philanthropic cash income. The other 18 members of the Russell Group, Britain's top research-intensive universities, account for an additional 24 percent.
A matching program that rewards institutions in England and Wales with $1 in government money for every $2 they raise has played a significant role in encouraging philanthropy since it went into effect in 2008, Ms. Motion said. The program, which is scheduled to end next year, has been especially important for institutions without much history of fund raising, by encouraging them to "dip a toe in" and begin the process, she said.
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