A reception and dinner, hosted by The Lord Verdirame KC (AD ’89) in the Peers’ Dining Room at the House of Lords in London on 18 October, celebrated the launch of the UWC Endowment Fund in 2024. 

The fund represents a major step towards securing the financial future of UWC, and the provision of scholarships for deserving UWC students, in perpetuity. The event in London celebrated this milestone - but also looked forward as UWC aims to grow funds under management from the current 50 million USD to at least 300 million USD. Our movement has been greatly encouraged by the generous donation from Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo, which will match new gifts to the UWC endowment made by the end of 2025. 

The reception was attended by senior alumni and major supporters of the UWC movement, and specifically of the UWC Endowment Fund. UWC schools and colleges also participated, with key supporters and school delegates amongst the attendees. Keynote speakers included: Li Lu, the Founder and Chairman, Himalaya Capital and Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, Chair, UWC International Board

Securing a future for UWC and its students

Every year, UWC raises funds to provide scholarships for our students. In 2023, we raised 73m USD to provide much-needed financial aid - and to ensure we can keep supporting students, the UWC endowment will become a perpetual source of funding. 

UWC began formally fundraising for its endowment in January 2024, to be managed by an experienced team of investment professionals. The launch of UWC Endowment Management - a subsidiary of UWC International - has allowed us to establish a robust governance structure that will protect the value of donations and provide an annual source of income, now and in the future. This will enable us to:

• invest in young people: the fund belongs to current and future UWC students. It will provide needs-assessed scholarships to deserving young people, maintaining multi-generational equity
• drive education innovation: as the world evolves, UWC continues to lead in curriculum innovation and experiential learning. The fund will ensure we can go on preparing young people to tackle the most complex global challenges

UWC 2030: a strategic vision

The UWC endowment celebration in London comes as UWC also launches its 2030 Strategic Vision.

This aims to understand the direction of the world leading to the end of the decade, and imagines the role that the UWC movement will play in shaping a more peaceful and sustainable future. The strategy is both bold and ambitious and will guide UWC’s work for the next six years, as the UWC endowment looks to underpin much of the financial muscle that will be required to ensure the 2030 vision is clearly realised.                                                            

Dr Musimbi Kanyoro, Chair of the UWC International Board said: “We are immensely grateful to Eijk and Rose-Marie van Otterloo for their great generosity and passionate belief in the UWC mission, not just through this pledge to the UWC Endowment Fund, but in many ways over the years.” 

UWC International’s Executive Director, Faith Abiodun said: “The UWC Endowment Fund is a significant milestone both in our efforts to provide long-term scholarships for students to study at UWC schools and colleges, and to bring together our movement to fundraise in a unified and more collaborative way.”