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UCL Giving

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Ways to give

UCL is a world-class institution thanks to a long tradition of philanthropic support from its staff, alumni and friends. If you would like to contribute a gift, there are a number of different ways to do so.

Fill in our secure online donation form to make an instant donation of any size to your chosen cause at UCL.

Donate online

Download, complete and return our gift form (PDF) to OVPA, UCL, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.

Download a form

Explore how visionary corporate and industry partners work with UCL, and opportunities for collaboration.

Corporate giving

Find out more about leaving a gift in your will to shape and secure the future of the university for generations to come. 

Gifts in wills

Contact us

  • By phone: +44 (0)20 3108 3833
  • By email: advancement@ucl.ac.uk
  • By post: Alumni & Supporter Care Team, UCL Office of the Vice-President (Advancement), University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK. 

International donors

Europe

UCL can accept donations via Transnational Giving Europe (TGE). The TGE network covers 19 countries, allowing donors resident in participating countries to offer financial support to non-profit organisations in other member countries. It allows donors to benefit from the tax advantages provided for in the legislation of their country of residence.

To arrange a gift via TGE please contact advancement@ucl.ac.uk

US

Special tax exemptions on donations to UCL are available to our US donors. UCL Friends & Alumni Association Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization (recognised by the US Internal Revenue Service), which funds grants that benefit UCL. In compliance with IRS regulations, the Board of Directors of UCLFAA Inc. maintains complete discretion over the allocation of gifts to UCL. 

Gifts to UCLFAA Inc. qualify for an Income Tax deduction to the limits allowed by law. All gifts made to UCLFAA Inc. are subject to a 5% top-slice fee, up to a limit of $500 per gift, to assist with the organization's administration costs.

Please visit the UCL Friends & Alumni Association website for more information about giving from the US.

Canada

UCL is a ‘qualified donee’ under the Canadian Income Tax Act, and donations made to UCL are tax deductible as allowed by law. UCL will issue a receipt acceptable to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) for donations it receives from Canadian individuals or corporations.

Further information can be obtained from the CRA website.

For information about giving from other areas, please contact Alumni and Supporter Care on +44 (0)20 3108 3833.

Making your gift go further

By donating tax efficiently, you can boost the value of your gift to UCL at no extra cost to you. 

Tax-efficient gift options for UK taxpayers are listed below. If you are a non-UK resident please see the information for international donors above about tax efficient giving from other countries.

Gift Aid

If you are a UK taxpayer, you may qualify for Gift Aid, which adds 25% to the value of your donation at no extra cost to you. This means that a £100 Gift Aid donation is effectively worth £125 to UCL.

In order for UCL to reclaim the tax you have paid on your donation(s), you must have paid or will pay an amount of UK Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for each tax year (6 April one year to 5 April the next) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that all the charities that you donate to will reclaim on your gifts for that tax year (currently 25p for every £1 you give). Other taxes such as VAT and Council Tax do not qualify.

To make a tax efficient donation, simply sign the Gift Aid Declaration (PDF). It is also possible to make a verbal Gift Aid declaration if you are donating over the phone.

Gift Aid can apply to donations of any amount, made by cash, cheque, direct debit, standing order, debit or credit card, or even donations made with foreign currency (including Euro).

If you pay tax at a higher or additional rate, you are able to claim the difference between the higher rates of tax (40 and/or 45 per cent) and the basic rate of tax (20 per cent), based on the total of the gift you have made plus the Gift Aid UCL can claim on your behalf.

For example, if you donate £100, the total value of your donation to the charity is £125 - so you can claim back:

£25 if you pay tax at 40% (£125 at 20%)
£31.25 if you pay tax at 45% (£125 at 25%)

You can make this claim on your Self Assessment tax return. If you don’t have to send a tax return you can contact HMRC to request a P810 tax review form, which will need to be submitted by 31 January after the end of the previous tax year.

Please visit the UK Government website for more information about Gift Aid. UCL is an exempt charity with HMRC No: X6243

Payroll giving

Payroll giving is a scheme available through your UK employer, which enables you to make a charitable donation straight from your gross salary. It is the most tax-efficient method of making charitable donations.

Your employer must have a payroll giving scheme in place for you to donate this way (they may refer to the scheme using a specific payroll agency brand name, such as ‘Give As You Earn’).

To make a payroll gift, ask your employer whether your organisation offers a payroll giving scheme. If it does, your employer will arrange for your payroll administrator to transfer the gift to UCL from your gross pay.

If you are a UCL member of staff, you can use UCL’s payroll giving scheme to donate to UCL. Simply contact the Payroll & Pension Services Office in UCL Human Resources or visit the CAF Give as you Earn website.

You get immediate tax relief on the value of your donation, so that a monthly gift of £20 will cost a basic rate taxpayer just £16.00 from their net pay. Anyone paid through Pay As You Earn can use payroll giving to donate to UCL.

Example: Payroll gift of £20 per month
Cost: To basic rate taxpayer (20%): £16
Higher rate taxpayer (40%): £12
To additional rate taxpayer (45%): £11 
Corporate Matched Giving

Corporate gift matching schemes enable you to increase the value of your gift to UCL thanks to your employer matching it to a varying percent.

To find out if your company operates such a scheme please contact your Human Resources department who should be able to provide you with further information. If your company does have a matching scheme they should be able to advise you how to take part and make the value of your gift to UCL even greater.

If you have any questions about corporate matched giving please email advancement@ucl.ac.uk

Giving shares

Giving shares to UCL is a simple and tax-efficient way of donating. UCL can accept share gifts of any size. You might hold windfall shares as a result of a privatisation or demutualisation. Alternatively, you might feel able to dispose of shares which are no longer part of your investment strategy.

All share gifts are of course important, and greatly appreciated. Tax relief is available to UK taxpayers donating shares and securities listed on the UK Stock Market, the Alternative Investment Market and recognised stock exchanges overseas.

It is also available for units in a UK unit trust and shares in a UK open-ended investment company (OEIC).

Donors can claim Income Tax relief equal to the market value of the shares on the day the gift is made, plus any associated costs such as the broker’s fees. In addition, Capital Gains Tax that you may have incurred on any increase in the value of the shares since you bought them will not apply.

Example: Gift of shares worth £1,000
Value of shares donated: £1,000 Broker’s fees: £50 Amount available to deduct from income: £1,050 Income tax relief for higher rate (40%) taxpayer: £420 'Cost' of gift to a donor paying higher rate tax: £630
Property

UCL can accept gifts of land or property in a donor’s lifetime, and these gifts attract the same tax incentives as gifts of shares. Tax relief applies to any property, large or small, providing that the whole interest in the property is donated and UCL has agreed to accept it.

Please note that relief cannot be carried forward or back a tax year if the donor has insufficient income during the year in which the gift is made to make full use of their eligible deduction.

Tax relief is given for the market value of the property as a deduction from the donor’s income chargeable to income tax for the tax year in which the gift is made. The Income Tax relief is in addition to any exemption from Capital Gains Tax that may also be available to the donor.  All the tax relief goes to the donor of the property.

Example: Donation of residential property valued at £100,000
Market value of property: £100,000

Please contact +44 (0)20 3108 3803 or advancement@ucl.ac.uk for further advice.

Our promise to donors

At UCL we are very grateful to all our donors for their generous support towards all aspects of our work, from student support to groundbreaking medical research. We were founded on philanthropy and it is this that has allowed our academic and student communities to flourish, and help maintain our status as London’s Global University.

We want all of our donors to feel valued and we want your experience of giving to UCL to be positive, and that’s why we would like to make these promises to you.

Our promise to donors
  • We promise to treat you with respect, ensuring that all gifts are acknowledged promptly and that you are treated with respect and understanding. We will be available if you need to talk to us about your gift, or if you have any concerns or complaints.
  • We promise that your gift will go towards the area(s) you wish to support. Where the gift is unrestricted, UCL will decide where best to apply the donation.
  • We promise to keep you informed of the way we use your gift. If academic priorities change then we will discuss with you, or your representative, how to move forward.
  • We promise to keep you updated on the impact of your gift. You will receive regular updates about the impact of your gift. If your gift is for academic posts we will keep you informed of the recruitment process, and the subsequent research outputs and impact.  If your gift is for student support we will share with you annual student updates. We reserve the right to make the final decision about any applicants that will be supported through philanthropy.
  • We promise to be responsible with your data, ensuring that we comply with Data Protection law. We will store your data securely and in line with your wishes, never selling your data to third parties. If you tell us that you do not want to be contacted by us, then we will act on your wishes. For more information, please see our privacy notice
  • We promise to collaborate with you, adapting this promise as we listen to you, our donor.