How to Donate

How to Donate introduction

Thank you for choosing to find out how you can give and make a difference to the students at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.   

If you want advice about where your support will make most impact, or the list of options below does not quite match what you had in mind, please contact a member of the Development Team at development@cssd.ac.uk 

There are many ways to donate, including:

  • Donate to the Dream on Bursary Fund

  • Supporting Named Scholarships 

  • Donate to the Central Bursary Fund 

  • Join the Chairman’s and President’s Circles  

  • Join the Pivot Club 

  • Include a gift in your will  

  • Donate in memory of a loved one 

  • Donate from the US 

  • Donate by Cheque 

“As someone at the beginning of their career, I have often faced barriers and ‘closed doors’ when seeking work, so being given the chance to work in an institution such as Central – and at the high calibre of work that it entails – is an absolute privilege. I feel empowered as a young artist on a daily basis, and I can of course see that reflected in the students I work with.”

Fintan Kealy, Associate Musical Director 2021/22, supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation ​

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A student lying down, giving a thumbs up next to rigging

Our Principal, Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE, launched the Dream On Bursaries to support those from groups who have been historically underrepresented at Central, focusing firstly on students from Black and Global Majority backgrounds or with a declared disability.   

Your gifts to our Dream on Bursary made online today will help make a difference to those individuals, welcoming them to Central with support and kindness.

A young woman sitting next to rigging

Supporting Named Scholarships

A donation of £5,000 or more enables Central to create a Named Scholarship which can be directed towards a course or type of student you wish to support.  Find out about the difference that Scholarships make on the How to Make an Impact page.   

For the current list of Named Scholarship available to new offer holders and for continuing students, see Scholarships, Bursaries & Awards page.

For information on supporting a Named Scholarship, please contact development@cssd.ac.uk. 
 

Two female students hug outside Central

The Central Bursaries are awarded annually to students in need, with no restrictions.

“I’ve managed to cut down on my work outside of prop making. The bursary has helped a lot with living costs. I can afford to spend some of the bursary on materials, such as new paints and brushes. It means I can continue to do what I love.” -Grace Dwyer-Cummins, beneficiary 

Student_Performance

Join the Chairman’s or President’s Circle   

All individuals who make a generous donation to any of our key priorities are welcomed to our (of £5,000+) to the Chairman’s or (£10,000+) to the President’s Circles.   

We invite you to contact us at development@cssd.ac.uk to enquire about joining the Chairman’s and President’s Circles.

Josette Bushell-Mingo and Zoë Wanamaker looking at camera

Join the Pivot Club 

By joining as a Friend (£75+), Circle member (£300+) or Principal’s Circle supporter (£1,200) you are helping us to inspire, educate and train the performers, practitioners and change-makers of tomorrow to shape the future of the theatre and the performing arts and join a group of supporters who regularly visit the School to see the students’ work. 

Click here for membership forms and more details.

Two students looking up as a camera is pointed as them

Including a gift to Central in your will 

A gift left in your will has the potential to make a transformational difference to our students for generations to come. 

“My legacy gift to Central is designed to help sustain the understanding of this unique performing art (Puppetry). Today, students are facing such enormous debts that even a relatively small amount given - in particular to arts students – is of real value to the student.” - Penny Francis MBE, Honorary Fellow and former Central tutor 

To find out more, visit the Leave a Gift in your Will page.

Student dressed in black smiling in a workshop

We will work with you to help you make a fitting tribute to help you remember them in the most meaningful way that we can accommodate.  Perhaps they were a Central student, and you want to set up a tribute page to share with your friends and family to fund a bursary in memory of your loved one.  Or perhaps they lived locally and enjoyed watching performances at the Embassy Theatre and you want to make a one-off gift to support our student experience.  

We invite contact us at development@cssd.ac.uk to enquire about donating a gift in memory of a friend or loved one. 

two students look into a miniature prop of a street of Tokya

If you are a US taxpayer, we encourage you to donate to the British Schools and Universities Foundation (BSUF), which will enable you to make a tax efficient donation with preference for The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. You can donate online here. 

If you choose to donate by post, please complete the US Donation form below and send it with your gift to BUSF (details on the form).   

Please contact us on development@cssd.ac.uk if you require further guidance. 

Student performers dressed in period costume with their hands in the air

To donate by cheque, we invite you to download and complete the Donation Form below and send it to us via the address marked on the Donation Form. 

A teacher placing her hand on a student's shoulder

Thank you for considering making a donation of an object or other ephemera, such as programmes, to Central.  We are very pleased to accept objects that will enhance our students’ teaching, learning and research. 

Please contact the Development team on development@cssd.ac.uk  with details of the object(s) that you would like to donate, so that we can consult our colleagues before accepting them. Due to factors such as space constraints, we are only able to accept objects that have been approved by the relevant colleague.