We are an independent, alumni-led charity that supports
St Peter’s College by investing in its people.

Photo by: Edmund Blok

We are an independent, alumni-led charity that supports St Peter’s College by investing in its people. We do this by promoting access to the College for students from a range of social and economic backgrounds, by providing financial support for students in residence, and by investing in teaching resources. We also seek to fund special projects which enhance the whole St Peter’s experience.

Our Mission & Activities

Recent Projects Supported

Student welfare

The Foundation provides funding for student welfare as one of its main priorities, recognising that that the opportunity to thrive at St Peter’s is determined as much by wellbeing as academic success. In 2018, the College appointed a part-time Dean of Welfare to oversee and coordinate its welfare provision – and, with support from the Foundation, this appointment was subsequently extended to a permanent, full-time position. Demand for College welfare services has increased significantly in recent years, and approximately 25% of the student body is now benefitting from the support provided by the Dean of Welfare.

In addition, during the Covid crisis, the Foundation made a special donation of £380,000 to the College, in large part to assist them in releasing students from their accommodation contracts for time spent at home.  Our support also enabled new laptops and routers to be provided to struggling students to help them access their tuition in a remote environment.

The Foundation continues to provide funding for student welfare as one of its main priorities, recognising that that the opportunity to thrive at St Peter’s is determined as much by wellbeing as academic success.

Castle Bailey Quad

For the first time since its inception, the Foundation has provided funding for a major capital project – the development of Castle Bailey Quad – which we believe will have a transformational impact on future student access and welfare at the College.

This new development has created two new accommodation buildings on a plot of land directly adjacent to the College, providing over 50 new student rooms, as well as a new courtyard, a new common room and a new entrance to the College.

More than half of second-year undergraduates can now be housed on-site, making St Peter’s an even more attractive choice of college – and, in particular, for those from less well-off backgrounds who might otherwise struggle in the Oxford rental market in their second year. It will therefore ensure that St Peter’s remains a destination of choice for talented applicants, irrespective of their means.

The Foundation has contributed a total of £462,500 to the project. Moreover, this sum has received matched funding from a generous benefactor of the College. This represents the Foundation’s largest-ever single donation to the College, in recognition of the strategic importance of this initiative, and its fit with the Foundation’s mission of promoting student welfare and access. In acknowledgement of this gift, the student common room in the new development will be named “The Foundation Room”.

SPCF-House-of-Lords-Photo-1

Outreach initiatives

The Foundation is sponsoring an ambitious new project in collaboration with Aspire Liverpool. This is a high-quality, bespoke residential programme provided by the College to 75 talented young people, and 10 of their teachers, drawn from Liverpool state schools. This potentially life-changing programme will encourage more applications to the College from excellent students with diverse backgrounds, and will support their academic development ahead of entry into Year 13 and the university application process. The residential programme gives participants first-hand experience of life at St Peter’s, including living in College accommodation, eating meals in Hall and being taught on-site. Participants also receive support with the admissions process and experience university-level teaching in small groups delivered by the College academics. In addition, teachers receive tailored support on preparing and guiding candidates through the application process. The initiative should increase the number of young people from low-participation areas who are able to benefit from, and contribute to, St Peter’s as well as consolidating the College’s long-standing links with Liverpool.

Reach Scholarship

Funding is being provided for the Reach Scholarship, which is awarded to a student from a developing country who, for political and financial reasons, or because of a lack of educational facilities, is unable to study for a degree in his or her own country. This scholarship is funded in conjunction with MCR and JCR students who generously contribute via their battels.

Hrothgar

The Hrothgar Clarendon Scholarship, established in 2012, is currently supporting a Singaporean DPhil student in Materials. He is studying quantum nano-electronics, fabricating and testing single electron transistors using molecular electronics. This has potential applications in both quantum and traditional computing.

SPCF Keepers House Dinner Pic

Undergraduate Bursaries

The provision of undergraduate bursaries, as part of the central university scheme, is another important priority for the Foundation. These bursaries allow students from lower-income households to focus on their academic work and to get the most out of life at the College, reducing financial worries and the need to find part-time employment while studying.

In the 2022/2023 academic year, the Foundation funded bursaries for six students studying Philosophy and Theology, Education and Modern English, Earth Sciences, Medicine, English and Modern Languages.

In addition, in 2019, we established a new bursary in honour of Noel Speake, an extremely talented and greatly admired former St Peter’s student who sadly passed away in 2016. A College alumnus and close friend of Noel’s led the appeal for The Noel Speake Bursary by undertaking a 520-mile solo bicycle ride in the Highlands of Scotland – and, together with Noel’s family and friends and other Foundation supporters, raised the funds to help establish the programme. In the 2022/2023 academic year, this bursary supported a gifted student of History and Politics.

The Foundation also funds a range of other initiatives to promote the academic development of undergraduates through study trips in the UK and abroad.

Supplementary Teaching

The Foundation funds a programme of supplementary teaching, aimed at new students whose secondary schooling has not fully equipped them for the demands of an Oxford degree course. In particular, we have supported Academic Writing Courses and Mathematics Bridging Courses, which have proved to be of great value to students from less advantaged educational backgrounds.

We have also sought to enhance the academic ethos of the College through our support for the Fellows’ Research Fund, which helps finance research projects.

Maths Mentorships

We have supported a Mathematical Sciences mentorship scheme aimed at opening up opportunities for advanced undergraduates and Master’s students from Africa to take up research careers in Mathematics. This gave these students the opportunity to become affiliate members of the College, thus further enriching the academic community. In previous years, we have also sponsored an initiative to enable undergraduates to travel to Africa to teach Mathematics.

Graduate Support

Across the university, graduate numbers have increased considerably in recent years, and the graduate population of  the College is no exception – having approximately doubled since 2012 to over 200 students today. Graduate students are often faced with unexpected costs when it comes to their studies, and the Foundation supports their academic and personal development by providing funds for research, fieldwork, books and travel.

The Foundation also funds a programme of regular graduate seminars, which provide an invaluable opportunity for graduate students to present their work.

Other Initiatives

Over the years, the Foundation has funded a diverse range of other projects to enhance the College experience for undergraduates, graduates and Fellows. These have included upgrading the heating system, providing display cases for the Chavasse family decorations and funding the post-production editing of musical ensembles recorded by the College Choir.