A three-year-long fundraising campaign dubbed ‘Giving Matters’ has garnered fantastic support for students in the ‘missing middle’ (between those who qualify for funding and those who do not need it), with more than 407 students’ lives positively impacted!
Pretoria, South Africa (23 July 2024) — A three-year-long fundraising campaign by the University of Pretoria (UP) has those behind it celebrating fantastic feats in the pursuit of supporting more students with financial aid. The ‘Giving Matters’ campaign has since 2022 been on a mission to support students in the ‘missing middle’ (those who do not qualify for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) funding but also cannot afford much of the necessary requirements for their educations.
Aiming to raise R100 million over a period of three years, the ‘Giving Matters’ campaign was ambitious. But, since it’s launch, it’s proved that ambition and good intentions can go a very long way and as such, has resulted in some very good news for numerous students.
“We are proud to have changed the lives of more than 407 students and supported various projects at UP through this campaign,” reflected interim UP Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Themba Mosia.
“None of this would have been possible without the support of our donors, including staff, students and alumni, who understand the struggles faced by students striving to transform their lives through education.”
2022
In 2022, ‘Giving Matters’ raised a whopping R31 million from 504 donors, including organisations and individuals. Around R9 million was allocated to bursaries and scholarships, while R22 million went to non-bursary projects for the University.
2023
The following year, R36 million was successfully raised thanks to 834 donors with R16 million earmarked for student bursaries and scholarships with R20 million heading to non-bursary projects for UP.
2024
This year already, ‘Giving Matters’ has rallied R15 million from 38 donor organisations, allowing R6 million to support bursaries while the remaining amount supports non-bursary projects. The university is currently raffling off an iconic 1967 Volkswagen Beetle in hopes to rally more financial support.
All in all, the Giving Matters campaign has achieved raising about R82 million for student support and university projects!
Meanwhile, in other news, where students received news of incredible support, an anonymous donor made sure that their last will and testament made more than enough space for Stellenbosch University; leaving R50 million for them to allocate to student bursaries!
Sources: Supplied—University of Pretoria
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