DAVIS-UWC IMPACT Challenge

How does the Davis Challenge gift matching work?
To qualify for this matching funding, each college must increase its total number of gifts from parents, alumni, friends and family compared with the previous year. Once the college reaches that number, all eligible gifts given during the challenge period will be matched.

Is my gift eligible?
Gifts must be a personal donation from a UWC alumnus, parent or friend of UWC. Major gifts from foundations, companies, organizations and governments are not included. However, contributions from employer gift matching programmes which are attributed to individual employees will be included – please see question on employer matching below. Gifts from current UWC students are not included – current students become eligible for gift matching on the day of their UWC graduation.

I give through Furusato Nozei. Will that count toward the challenge?
Yes, your Furusato Nozei tax contribution will count toward the Davis Impact Challenge.

I would like to set up monthly giving. Will that count toward the challenge?
Yes, monthly giving will count toward the challenge. At the end of the period, your monthly gifts will be tallied and we will receive a match for the entire amount.

How is a “new” or “existing” donor defined?
An existing donor is one who has made a gift to the same college in the previous three years. A new donor is someone who has never given to that college before, or who made their last gift more than three years ago.

By how much will each gift be matched?
If you haven’t made a gift to the college in the last three years, your gift will be matched 100%. If you have made a donation in the last three years your donation will be matched 50%.

What date does gift matching start?
From 1st August 2017, all eligible donations will be match funded by Shelby Davis.

Is there a time period during which I need to make my gift?
Yes. Gift matching will generally run on a one-year cycle, from 1st August to 31 July. This means your gift must be received by the college before 31 July to be counted in the relevant claim period. Gifts reaching the college after 1st August will be matched the following year.

Is there a time limit to the gift matching?
No, the challenge will run at each college until the one million target has been reached. After the million has been claimed further gifts will not be matched.

Is there a limit to the amount that will be matched per gift?
Yes. Major gifts over USD $250,000 are not eligible for matching to encourage a focus on mass participation and sustainable improvement. All gifts from the same donor over the course of a year count as one gift regardless of the method of giving.

My employer also offers matched giving, will this be included?
Yes. If you are able to get your gift matched by your employer the recipient college will be able to claim a Davis match based on the total you transfer to them. This means that your gift could be multiplied by up to four times if you are giving for the first time, or three times if you are an existing donor.

I give to my national committee, can my gift be matched?
Only gifts made to UWC schools and colleges are eligible for matching. A gift to a national committee can be matched only at the point it is passed on to the college to support scholarships. The college will use the matched funds towards its own scholarship fund so it may not be used for scholarships for the national committee passing on the gift. However, your initial gift will be used as requested by you when you donate to the NC. Gifts that are used by the national committee for their operational costs or to cover pre-college student expenses cannot be matched.  Neither can parental contributions paid to a national committee to cover their child’s school fees at a UWC.

Please be aware that not all national committees will be able to pass gifts to colleges due to complex and time-consuming administration. UWC appreciates gifts to all parts of the movement! Please also see the question on tax benefits below.

I would like to claim tax benefits on my gift, is this possible?
This very much depends on the country where you pay tax and on the proposed destination of the college. UWC can currently offer tax benefits in the US and the UK for gifts of all sizes. For larger gifts we can help obtain tax benefits in most EU countries. Excellent tax benefits are also available for Singaporean tax payers wishing to support Singaporean scholars (only) at other UWCs.

The following national committees may also be able to accept donations for colleges and help with tax benefits in country: Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, France, Denmark and Mexico. Please note that each National Committee will be subject to a different set of regulations regarding tax regulations and passing on gifts. Contact the relevant national committee or UWC International to find out more.

UK tax payers are also eligible for “gift aid” which is a 25% top up paid directly to UWC International or UWC Atlantic College if the donor signs a simple declaration. This bonus is also eligible for the Davis-UWC IMPACT match which could boost your gift by an additional 25-50%.

More information about tax efficient giving can be found here.

Can gifts in kind be matched?
No, only cash gifts are eligible.

Are legacy gifts eligible for matching?
No, unfortunately not.

Over the years Shelby Davis’ support has helped UWC to thrive.Thousands of students and alumni have benefited directly from his funding for UWC scholarships, university fees and multiple other projects. Mr. Davis now invites our community to pay it forward. Mr. Davis believes that it is increasingly important for UWC to build a solid funding base in order to guarantee that schools and colleges can continue to offer a life-changing education to every student, regardless of their financial situation. Our commitment to scholarships and financial assistance is what sets us apart from other schools.

In August, 2015, Shelby Davis launched the DAVIS-UWC IMPACT Challenge across the then 15 UWC schools and colleges, offering a total of $15 million USD in additional resources to be used toward additional scholarships for UWC students.

On September 2017, Shelby Davis announced that he would extend the DAVIS-UWC IMPACT Challenge to UWC Thailand and UWC ISAK Japan, giving us the opportunity to unlock $1 million USD in matched funding to be used to support new scholarships. Mr. Davis shared the exciting news at our official opening ceremony on September 23, 2017.

Across the UWC movement, the generosity of Shelby Davis and the IMPACT Challenge will ensure that hundreds more young people will be empowered to become leaders for change in their own communities.

Shelby Davis is one of UWC’s greatest-ever supporters, with his family’s involvement with the UWC movement going back to the year 1998.

With a highly successful investment and fund management career, Davis devoted his personal and financial energies to a number of philanthropic aims, focusing on education.

Since the late 1990s, Shelby Davis has provided the funds for 50 scholarships per year for US American students to attend UWCs, of the 50 recipients, 25 attend UWC-USA; the rest are offered places at one of the other UWC schools. In 2000, adding to his involvement with the UWC movement, Davis started the Davis-UWC Scholars Program, which, to date, has provided need-based university scholarships for more than 7,500 UWC graduates enrolled at over 90 U.S. colleges and universities.

Shelby Davis continues to support UWC in many different ways, including the DAVIS-UWC IMPACT Challenge.