Dear member of St Paul’s College community,
Central to the College’s ongoing strength is the work of the St Paul’s College Foundation, which has operated as the College’s long-term endowment fund for more than 40 years.
The Foundation has raised $45 million through donations and investment returns, of which $25 million has been invested back into the College for the provision of much-needed scholarships, the maintenance of heritage buildings, and other important projects. In 2019 the Foundation has provided $775,000 to the College.
Importantly each year most students in residence, or parents on their behalf, make voluntary donations to the College and the Foundation, and thus begins one manifestation of a student’s gratitude to the College which we hope will last a lifetime.
Every dollar given to the Foundation will work forever.
St Paul’s College has been built upon philanthropy since its establishment in the 1850s and the St Paul’s College Foundation has remained central to the growth and maintenance of the College’s endeavours since 1977.
The Foundation is proud to have been a key benefactor in the expansion of the College, with the Ivan Head Building and the McMillan Building for Graduate House being officially opened by the Chancellor and dedicated by the Archbishop in March. One cannot understate the strength drawn by the College simply from the presence of the Foundation in undertaking this ambitious venture, which has now set up the College superbly for future generations.
The Foundation’s priorities continue to be to grow its endowment, to support students through scholarships, to maintain the essential fabric of the College – particularly its nationally significant heritage buildings – and to provide other special assistance to the College when needed.
Many of the current students excel academically and many of the College’s outstanding results were achieved by students supported by Foundation Scholarships. Thanks to your support our scholarships continue to underpin the academic success of the College and enable students from a wide range of backgrounds and needs to live and learn at St Paul’s.
The Foundation is pleased to be expanding its scholarship support in 2019, consistent with the larger number of students, including for those in Graduate House. The cost of attending College, and benefiting from its high quality programmes and facilities, is beyond the capacity of many the College would like to attract. So the Foundation’s support is vital, as it has always been.
The College’s older buildings are now part way through an extensive – and expensive – programme of upgrades to fire safety in response to requirements set down by the City of Sydney. The Foundation will be called upon to provide funding assistance for this.
It is pleasing that the Foundation’s investment portfolio has performed well, despite volatile investment markets and uncertain global conditions, being valued at $21.3 million at the end of March 2019.
Scholarships and fire safety upgrades aside, there is so much more to be done to secure St Paul’s College as one of the nation’s leading educational institutions. The Foundation’s support will be crucial, so we need your support more than ever.
As always, we are extremely grateful to those who make it their annual practice, indeed semi-annual practice in many cases, to make a donation to the Foundation. We are also grateful to parents of current students who give generously every year – there were 188 such cases in 2018.
For the 97% or so of Paulines who have not made a gift in the past 12 months, we ask you to think seriously about making a gift before 30 June 2019, to assist in providing the best collegiate educational experience for future generations, similar to the one you enjoyed in your own formative years.
We remind you that every dollar you give to the Foundation will work forever and all donations are fully tax deductible! So please give generously today.
