University of Bristol - Philanthropy challenge begins

A campaign to raise £100 million from philanthropic sources by the end of 2012 has been launched by the University of Bristol. Eric Thomas, the vice-chancellor, said: "We are currently raising £5 million per year, so this is an ambitious target." Only donations from charities or individuals "with no strings attached" would be counted towards the target, he said. He was optimistic that the financial downturn would not affect donors' generosity. "In spite of the economic conditions, we are getting more people giving more money." Professor Thomas said that Bristol would not be including its own cash in the campaign total, as other universities have done. The University of Edinburgh has contributed £35 million in discretionary funds towards its £350 million fundraising campaign.