Top UK Universities Received £281 Million in Anonymous Donations Probe Finds

Britain’s leading research universities have received at least £281 million in anonymous donations since 2017, including from overseas donors, an investigation has found. Analysis of financial contributions to Russell Group universities—a group of 24 members that includes the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge—was conducted by openDemocracy. The media platform obtained the data after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the universities. The findings revealed that the University of Oxford accepted more than £106 million from donors who wished to remain anonymous between 2017 and 2023. The money could be tracked back to donors from Azerbaijan (£10 million), a U.S. organisation (£13.3 million) and an organisation in China (£4.2 million)....