Pauline Philanthropy

Shaping Our Future – OPs Step Up

From its foundation in 1509 St Paul’s has been educational philanthropy in action. The vision of founder, John Colet, was ‘to educate boys to serve society regardless of their race, creed or social background’. The ‘Shaping Our Future’ campaign, launched in May 2019, is seeking to renew this founding vision.

The campaign’s target is £20m. It splits three ways. The target for bursaries is £9.9m, £0.5m is earmarked for partnerships (Paulines volunteering in state schools and School facilities being opened up to state school pupils), and £9.6m for the new boathouse and sports pavilion. The bursary and partnerships target is an ongoing one.

Across St Paul’s Juniors and St Paul’s there are currently 108 bursaries awarded which annually “cost” £2.1m. The equivalent figures in 2016 were 49 and £0.8m. The £2.1m annual bursary cost represents about 6% of fee income in an undisrupted year. When the bursary element of the ‘Shaping Our Future’ campaign is fully funded, the School will be in a position to fund 153 (a full shoal of miraculous fish). To this end an annual target of £3.3m has been set. This will fund these places with any remaining money going in to the bursary endowment to allow the School to move further towards its ‘needs blind’ ambition. £3.3m would represent around 10% of fee income.

Nine months on from launch, income and pledges received to date stand at £6.1m, which represents nearly a third of the target. The majority of this income is towards the bursary and partnership total of £10.4m. This balance matches the focus of communications since the campaign was launched.

OPs have donated 35% of the running total and make up 26% of donors to ‘Shaping Our Future’. 11 OPs are “major donors”. There are 483 members of the 1509 Society (a regular gift of any amount or a single gift of over £500) of whom 130 are OPs. 21 OPs have indicated that they intend to recognise the School in their Will.

If you feel able to join the supporters, here are the links and details of who to contact.

Please do visit the website at donate.stpaulsschool.org.uk for more information, or contact Ellie Sleeman, Director of Development, at: ems@stpaulsschool.org.uk When the bursary element of the ‘Shaping Our Future’ campaign is fully funded, the School will be in a position to fund 153 (a full shoal of miraculous fish).

OPs have donated 35% of the running total and make up 26% of donors to ‘Shaping Our Future’.