Pembroke College Cambridge Gift Acceptance Policy
Charity law places certain constraints on charities, and in recommending acceptance of any benefaction the Development Director shall make available to the College information under the following headings:
- Are the purposes of the benefaction compatible with the purpose of the College as defined in the Statutes?
- Do the purposes of the benefaction fall within the College's mission and strategic plan?
- What additional costs or burdens, if any, would acceptance of the benefaction create for the College?
- Is there published evidence that the proposed benefaction arises in whole or in part from activity that:
- evaded taxation?
- violated international conventions that bear on human rights?
- limited freedom of inquiry?
- suppressed or falsified academic research?
In the case of unproven allegations of criminality against a potential donor, no account shall be taken of mere rumour, but care will be exercised in accepting any benefaction, or continuing negotiations towards a possible benefaction, where there is a risk of significant damage to the College's reputation.
- Is there evidence that the proposed benefaction, or any of its terms, will:
- require action that is illegal?
- limit freedom of inquiry?
- suppress or falsify academic research?
- create unacceptable conflicts of interest for the College?
- Is there evidence that acceptance of the proposed benefaction or compliance with any of its terms will damage the College's reputation, including deterring other benefactors?
Where the answer to any of these questions is not provably unequivocal or straightforward, the Development Director must seek the opinion of the Development Committee, providing them with the evidence that they have amassed in relation to the donor or donation in question. If there are restrictions on the gift that are not already agreed by the College, the Development Director must consult and get the agreement of the Development Committee to accept the gift and its terms. The Committee can duly make a recommendation to accept or reject the donation and report this to the College Meeting for final ratification.