In our 55th Anniversary year, every gift to Burgmann is a vote of confidence in the kind of College we are choosing to be.
Burgmann College opened its doors in 1971, and from those earliest days it has relied on the generosity of its community to be more than a residence. Today, our alumni, families and friends help us go on offering the academic support, pastoral care, leadership development and communal life that turn three or four years at Burgmann into a launchpad for a lifetime.
In 2021 — our 50th Anniversary year — the College established its Advancement Office to shape a vibrant alumni engagement program and to lead our annual fundraising and philanthropic work. As we mark 55 years, that work has taken on a new urgency and a clearer focus: ensuring Burgmann thrives as a genuine community for the next 55 years and beyond.
Our 2026 Annual Appeal is focused on the Principal’s Priorities Fund — the most direct way to support the work that defines today’s Burgmann experience.
Your gift to the Principal’s Priorities Fund goes directly to:
Every contribution is fully tax deductible within Australia.
Donors are warmly invited to direct their gift to a specific area of College life. Each of the funds below addresses a different facet of the Burgmann community — and each helps us live out the same commitment to belonging, equity and growth.
General donations to Burgmann College are gratefully received and are directed as determined by the Principal’s priorities. Projects and programs supported by this fund are directed by the Principal and include improving communal spaces and amenities, supporting resident programs and pastoral care.
Burgmann is open to all ANU-eligible candidates on the basis of individual merit. Endowed scholarships and bursaries remove financial barriers and help us welcome a community of residents from every background — enriching the experience for everyone who calls Burgmann home.
Established under our inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan and named after Aidan Hartshorn’s featured artwork, the ‘New Beginnings’ Fund makes Burgmann a welcoming home for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents — supporting travel, transition and the everyday costs of moving to Canberra and settling into College life.
A key deliverable of our Reconciliation Action Plan, this fund supports the ongoing addition of works by First Nations artists to the Burgmann art collection. The display and celebration of First Nations arts and cultures is an essential part of who we are.
Scholarships and bursaries reduce fees, but they don’t cover the smaller costs that can quietly weigh on a resident — a $30 bus fare home, or a $2,000 round-trip flight for a student from rural or remote Australia. Your gift to the Hardship Fund provides discretionary support to residents in moments of critical need, so that no one is left isolated from family or from College life.
The Harriet Nixon Scholarship, inspired by Harriet Nixon, is a scholarship for residents from rural, regional or remote Australian students who otherwise could not afford to attend Burgmann and study at the ANU.
A bequest to Burgmann — of any size — is one of the most meaningful gifts you can make. Members of the St Beryl Society have chosen to remember Burgmann in their Wills, ensuring future generations inherit a College as transformational as the one that shaped them.
If you would like to discuss a gift, direct your support to an area not listed above, or explore options for a multi-year pledge, we would love to hear from you.
