The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland is a charitable trust

Charitable trust

A charitable trust is an irrevocable trust established for charitable purposes, and is a more specific term than "charitable organization".-United States:...

 established by Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...

 in 1901 for the benefit of the universities of Scotland, their students and their staff.

The incorporation of the Trust was by royal charter

Royal Charter

A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...

 in August 1902, later replaced in July 1978. The endowment

Financial endowment

A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....

 of the Trust on establishment was $10million (several times larger than the governmental funding of the four Scottish universities at the time). In 2004-5, the assets of the Trust amounted to £58million, which enabled awards of £1,667,540 to be made. Under the terms set down by Andrew Carnegie, one half of the Trust's income is reserved for "the improvement and expansion of the Universities of Scotland" with the other half to go towards "the payment of fees of students of Scottish birth or extraction in respect of courses leading to a degree of a Scottish University".

The ex–officio Trustees of the Trust are: the Principals of the Universities of Scotland; the First Minister of Scotland

First Minister of Scotland

The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...

 and the Lords Provost

Lord Provost

A Lord Provost is the figurative and ceremonial head of one of the principal cities of Scotland. Four cities, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, have the right to appoint a Lord Provost instead of a provost...

 of Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 and Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

. (Prior to Scottish devolution, the Secretary of State for Scotland

Secretary of State for Scotland

The Secretary of State for Scotland is the principal minister of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom with responsibilities for Scotland. He heads the Scotland Office , a government department based in London and Edinburgh. The post was created soon after the Union of the Crowns, but was...

 held the ex-officio post currently occupied by the First Minister.) There are fourteen nominated Trustees, made up of esteemed Scots from various fields. The Executive Committee, which manages the Trust itself, consists of five of the nominated Trustees and four of the Principals of the Scottish Universities in rotation.

The Trust is well-known for not spending large amounts of its income on administration: although the Trust gives £2 million a year to several hundred beneficiaries, it does so with only two part-time and two full-time employees. The Trust also enjoys many voluntary repayments by beneficiaries (mainly through legacies) which go towards the Trust's general fund - in 2004-5, these repayments amounted to £134,850.

Carnegie Scholarships

The Trust funds a small, prestigious group of scholarships for Scottish graduates with at least first-class honours degrees who are working towards a doctoral degree. The Trust intends such scholarships to be the "premier award in Scotland" and they are generally more generous awards than the equivalent from a Research Council

Research Council

The UK Research Councils, of which there are currently seven, are publicly-funded agencies responsible for co-ordinating and funding particular areas of research, including the arts, humanities, all areas of science and engineering...

. The scheme is highly competitive: although the number of scholarships awarded each year is not fixed, it is usually around 12-15, and the number of applicants is usually many times this. (For example, in 2008, only 15 out of 142 applicants were successful). All applicants must be nominated by an academic at a Scottish university. Holders of scholarships generally pursue their degrees in Scotland, but the award can be held at any UK university.

Caledonian Scholarships

The Caledonian Research Foundation since 1990 has funded scholarships identical to the Carnegie Scholarships, except that they must be held within Scotland. The scholarships are administered by the Carnegie Trust on the Foundation's behalf.

Henry Dryerre Scholarship

On behalf of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Royal Society of Edinburgh

The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...

, the Henry Dryerre Scholarship is for postgraduate study by a graduate of a Scottish university in medical or veterinary physiology. It is only offered every three years.

Fee Assistance

Undergraduates undertaking first degrees at a Scottish university whose tuition fees are not met by the governmental Student Awards Agency for Scotland can apply to the Trust for fee assistance. These awards are means-tested, and it is a requirement for assistance that paying fees would cause the applicant hardship such that they would not be able to continue with their degree. In 2004-5 there were 211 applicants and 163 awards made.

Vacation Scholarships

Undergraduates of Scottish extraction can apply for a competitive Vacation Scholarship to undertake a short, full-time research project during their summer vacation. Candidates must be nominated by a university Dean of Faculty, and are for maintenance awards of up to eight weeks. The scholarship can be held in the United Kingdom or abroad. In 2004-5 there were 116 applicants and 89 awards made.

University Expeditions

The Trust funds grants towards the cost of expeditions for undergraduates supported by a Scottish university. Such expeditions are to have "a coherent research programme and must be accompanied throughout by a member of staff or someone of equal standing acceptable to the Trust".

Carnegie Research Grants

Staff and graduates of Scottish universities are eligible for the Trust's Research Grant Scheme which awards grants of up to £2,000 for personal research and/or support towards illustration and publication costs.

Larger Grants

A Larger Grant Scheme (grants up to £30,000) awards funding for "joint programmes of collaborative research projects from groups within the Scottish Universities".

Carnegie Centenary Professorships

In 2001, the Trust established a Centenary Fund to celebrate the centenary of Andrew Carnegie's original 1901 endowment. The yearly income for this fund (£80,000 in 2004-5) goes towards the appointment of two world-class Carnegie Centenary Professors per year for a sabbatical period in Scotland.

Development Grants

The Trust allocates Development Grants to each of the thirteen Scottish universities for the improvement of facilities for students or research.

External links

• History of the Trust
• Annual Report of the Trust, retrieved 17 July 2006