Imperial College Trust

The Trustees of the Imperial College Trust have agreed that it is now in the best interests of the Trust, and of those it supports, for the Trust to be formally closed.

This decision follows careful consideration of the Trust’s current role and reflects the fact that, since 2017, all Trust funds have been managed by Imperial College London under a formal deed of appointment. In practice, this means there will be no change to how the funds are held, managed, or used. The charitable purposes and the activities supported by the Trust will continue exactly as before.

Following closure, oversight of the General Fund will transfer to a new Oversight Panel within Imperial’s governance framework. This panel, which includes current trustees and student representatives, will continue to review applications and allocate grants in line with the Trust’s established principles of fairness, transparency, and support for the student experience. This includes grants for conference attendance, student-led projects and music scholarships. Applications to the General Fund should continue as before, following the same process and criteria currently in place.

The restricted funds, which are held and administered by individual academic leads for specific purposes, will remain entirely unchanged. These funds will continue to operate exactly as they do now, with the same restrictions, oversight, and reporting arrangements within the Imperial College London governance framework.

This step ensures that the Trust’s charitable legacy is fully embedded within Imperial’s structures for the long term, maintaining continuity while simplifying governance. It represents a positive and forward-looking development that honours the Trust’s history and safeguards its impact for future generations of students and staff.

Information for Donors and Supporters

Academic fund holders have been contacted directly regarding this change. In addition, all other friends and supporters of the Trust, whether through previous gifts, planned contributions, or indirect donations such as royalties, have been informed where we have contact details. If you have any questions about this change, please contact the Endowment and Trusts Accountant, Chris Green at c.green@imperial.ac.uk.

This change does not affect the use of funds, which will continue to support the same charitable purposes in line with the Trust’s mission. All future donations should now be made directly to Imperial College London, which will continue the work previously supported by the Trust. For any questions or to make a gift to support Imperial College, please contact the Advancement Office at giving@imperial.ac.uk. They will be happy to assist you and ensure your intentions are properly recorded and honoured.

General Fund

The closure of the Trust does not affect the General Fund, which continues to provide support for students and activities across the University. This includes conference grants for students who have been invited to present their research, as well as student-led projects with a voluntary or charitable purpose. All funding programmes previously delivered through the Trust remain unchanged.

Apply for a conference grant from the General Fund

Applications for conference funding will be considered by the new Oversight Panel, which will ensure decisions remain aligned with the principles that have guided the General Fund’s operation to date. The Panel is seeking applications from students currently enrolled at Imperial College London who have been invited to present their work at an academic conference, up to a maximum of £500 for an individual or a maximum of £750 for multiple applicants to attend the same conference supported by the same supervisor (two applicants will be eligible for up to £375 each, three applicants will be eligible for up to £250 each and so on).

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be currently enrolled as a student at Imperial College London
• Have been invited to present their work at a conference
• Submit their applications at least two months prior to the date of the conference. 

Applicants may not make more than one application per degree programme.

Restrictions:

• Medical students: you may not apply if the work relates to an elective you have undertaken

• Previous awardees: you may not apply to the Trust if you have received a conference grant in the past, unless the conference relates to a higher/different degree you are now taking at the College.  (Medical students who have previously been awarded a grant for a conference relating to their MBBS may not apply for another grant relating to their intercalated BSc or vice versa).

Key Deadlines:

Application Process

1. Complete the Imperial College Trust - Conference Funding form. You will need to upload confirmation that you have been invited to present at the conference and provide contact details for your supervisor. 
2. On submission of your application, an email will be sent automatically to the supervisor email provided with a link where they will need to provide a letter to support your application (full details required given on form). 

Please ensure both the student application and the letter of support from your supervisor has been completed by the relevant deadline, otherwise your application will be considered incomplete and will not be submitted to the Trust for consideration. Applicants will receive an automatic email once the letter of support from their supervisor. 

Please contact the Student Financial Support team if you have any questions. Please note, we are not able to make any exceptions for applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria/restrictions provided above.