The Royal College of Science Association Trust was established in 1990 to provide additional support to our students. The Trust makes grants to RCS students who are experiencing financial difficulties to enable them to continue or complete their studies, to enable students to pursue studies supplementary to their work at the College, to sponsor research by students and to provide amenities and facilities for the students through the Students’ Union.
The Trust can also arrange special campaigns, for example the 2024 Memorial Restoration Fund to finance the reinstitution of the RCS World War One and World War Two memorial plaques.
And the Trust administers a special ‘Jezebel Fund’, which is a ‘restricted’ fund into which anyone can donate. Called The Derek J. Toms Fund for Jezebel or ‘Toms Fund’, it is named for Derek John Toms, the founder of the RCS Motor Club in 1955 and is an emergency fund, and a
special-projects fund designed to support the RCS Motor Club. You can donate here……
Unfortunately there is evidence that more students are facing unusual hardship these days. Although the College does have a hardship fund, the Trust is much more nimble, and focussed on scientists. Additional support from the Trust can make a major difference. Our support of expeditions is always gratefully received (and recent examples can be found here); however, this is only one facet of support for student activities. Travel bursaries, and hardship support are supplemented by the Levy Awards (helping with urgent cases of hardship), the Randerson Awards (supporting RCSU Exec members) and the Ellingham Awards (making formal dinners accessible to students in hardship).
Whether you are a member of the RCSA or not, please consider making a donation to the Trust. Any amount, however small, will be gratefully received and faithfully applied to assist the students of the Royal College of Science – the scientists of the future from Imperial College London. There are many ways of contributing, the simplest is using the one-time direct debit buttons below. Try it, it’s really slick. Other methods being: cheque, funds transfer, charity voucher, bequest, gift aid, payroll giving and more. Please contact the Trust for further information.
You can can a good feel for the activities that the Trust supports by looking at these posts….. and if you would like us to continue, then please consider making a donation. And remember, every penny of your contribution goes to where it is needed – with no accommodation or administration costs and no salary costs to be subtracted from it!
If you are a student considering applying for a grant, please read the Trust’s guidance before submitting your application. You can then apply by submitting this form. The Trust’s next meeting is scheduled for early October 2026. It is advised that petitions and supporting documents should reach the trust’s secretary comfortably in advance to allow time for them to be circulated and read by all the members, and for preliminary discussions to be concluded before the meeting.
The Trust is a registered charity (Number: 803790) and you can view a list of our Trustees on our People page, and you can review the financial activities of the Trust on the Charity Commission website.
Links for One-off donations from your bank:
For one-time donations sent directly from your UK bank account or sent from an international bank account that has an IBAN number. These links set up a ‘Monthly’ direct debit, but which operates for only ONE month. Suitable if you are not eligible for gift-aid, and if one of these amounts matches your generosity. For other amounts, please get in touch.
Links for Annual donations from your bank:
For annual donations sent directly from your UK bank account or sent from an international bank account that has an IBAN number. Suitable if you are not eligible for gift-aid, and if one of these amounts matches your generosity. For other amounts, please get in touch.
Link for monthly or quarterly donations of various values. Suitable for Gift-Aid. Credit/Debit cards and PayPal accepted:
For other frequency of donations such as monthly, quarterly or half-yearly donations sent directly from your UK bank account or sent from an international bank account that has an IBAN number. Suitable if you ARE eligible for gift-aid. You may choose ANY amount that matches your generosity. For one-time payments you also have the option of paying with your credit or debit card, or of paying from your PayPal of CAF account.
