#MeetTheTrustees Our new young Trustee is Oxana, a Sociology student at the University of Bristol going into her final year. Oxana joined the Board of reading list foundation in October 2025 after previously being awarded the scholarship. We are particularly pleased to have her on with us to give an "insider", student perspective during discussions. She also runs our Instagram page where we hope to create a community of scholarship winners. Oxana says "The Reading List Foundation scholarship has had immense impact on my university career, and I joined the Reading List Foundation to ensure that the support the RLF provides students like myself continues and expands".
reading list foundation
Higher Education
Exeter, England 146 followers
We help exceptional students succeed at university, by paying for their textbooks in their first year of study.
About us
The reading list foundation helps exceptional students from lower-income families succeed at university, by paying for their textbooks in their first year. Why is this a particular issue? Many students at university receive some form of financial help from their parents however students from lower-income families often can’t get this additional financial support and as a result, face a higher level of financial pressure. Our initial research showed that 40% of such students had to cut back on textbooks because of financial issues, and even if they prioritised books, 79% had to cut back on some form of essentials. So we help them academically, financially and emotionally - as well as providing a welcome boost to their CV. And in fact 87% of students we helped said it made a big difference to their first year. Where do you cover? We cover state-funded schools and colleges in England, from Newcastle to Penzance. Our origins are in Exeter though, and our heart has always been in the South West, so we support a relatively large number of schools in Devon and Cornwall. How do we choose the schools? Most of our Scholarships are directed to particular schools by donors, but we do have a pool of discretionary funds, where we choose schools ourselves to make sure we have a good geographic spread across England, and a good mix of city and rural schools, grammars and Academies etc. How do we donate? If you go to our website - www.readinglistfoundation.org - there are direct donation links on every page that take you to our VirginMoneyGiving page
- Website
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http://www.readinglistfoundation.org
External link for reading list foundation
- Industry
- Higher Education
- Company size
- 1 employee
- Headquarters
- Exeter, England
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2015
- Specialties
- Sponsorship, Charity, Further Education, Grants, Reading, Textbooks, Support, Students, and University
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
11 Earl Richards Road North
Exeter, England EX2 6AQ, GB
Employees at reading list foundation
Updates
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💡 How it works You can help us in one of three ways: 👤 funding a Scholarship yourself 👥👥 getting together with family, friends, colleagues to fund a Group Scholarship 📚 or donating a smaller amount that will go to fund a book or books as part of a ‘Bookshelf Scholarship’. 💷 Our Scholarships are for £275, around the average cost of a student’s first year Reading List. 👏 Your gesture will help a student and will make a difference (79% of last year’s Scholarship winners said the award made ‘a big difference’ to their first year of study). 🏫 If you nominate a school or college – your old school perhaps, or one in your community – we will contact them and ask if they would be willing to award the Scholarship to a high-achieving student (most, but not all, schools are happy to). Just let us know which school or college you’d like it directed to. 🎓 We will let you know (in October) where the student is going on to study, and what subject, so you get a strong sense of who your Scholarship will help. 👣 Your generosity will help someone follow in your footsteps or have an opportunity you didn’t. Donate 👉 https://lnkd.in/eqJvxGhK
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👏 Thank you to a grant from the London Luton Airport Community Fund administered by Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation to support Reading List Foundation scholarships in communities around London Luton Airport. #CommunityTrustFund
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👏 Thank you to the Sir James Reckitt Charity who are supporting Reading List Foundation scholarships in Hull and East Yorkshire in 2026. The Sir James Reckitt Charity who have a broad interest in needs in their local geography. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eDta7K3s
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📚 Amelia, a recent scholarship award winner, appreciates the financial help as well as the confidence boost. Books - like so much - are expensive. Help us to help more students like Amelia that deserve the best start at University, visit our website https://lnkd.in/eqJvxGhK
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💡 How it works You can help us in one of three ways: 👤 funding a Scholarship yourself 👥👥 getting together with family, friends, colleagues to fund a Group Scholarship 📚 or donating a smaller amount that will go to fund a book or books as part of a ‘Bookshelf Scholarship’. 💷 Our Scholarships are for £275, around the average cost of a student’s first year Reading List. 👏 Your gesture will help a student and will make a difference (79% of last year’s Scholarship winners said the award made ‘a big difference’ to their first year of study). 🏫 If you nominate a school or college – your old school perhaps, or one in your community – we will contact them and ask if they would be willing to award the Scholarship to a high-achieving student (most, but not all, schools are happy to). Just let us know which school or college you’d like it directed to. 🎓 We will let you know (in October) where the student is going on to study, and what subject, so you get a strong sense of who your Scholarship will help. 👣 Your generosity will help someone follow in your footsteps or have an opportunity you didn’t. Donate 👉 https://lnkd.in/eqJvxGhK
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👏 Thank you to the Norton Foundation who are supporting Reading List Foundation schloarships in Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire in 2026. The Norton Foundation "provide financial assistance for young people under the age of twenty-five whose personal development and progress will benefit as a result..."
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📸 We're on Instagram too! If you prefer your updates from us to be in a square image format and amongst your videos of puppies, cleaning and things that make you chuckle...follow us there too. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e8FXuSSx
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👤 Meet Daisy - she has received a Reading List Foundation scholarship thanks to people like you donating. Many of our scholarship winners value the acknowledgment of their efforts - as much as the financial support. We love that the impact the scholarships have is longer lasting than the voucher itself. Can you help someone like Daisy? Donate here: https://lnkd.in/eqJvxGhK
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