Giving & Donations
Gifts to the University of Papua New Guinea keep capable students in study, put current books on the library shelf and get PNG research into the field. Anyone can give — graduates, companies, churches, NGOs, development partners and friends of the University.
Why Giving Matters Here
UPNG is a public university, and government funding covers the core of what it does. It does not stretch to the margins that decide individual outcomes: the student whose family circumstances change in third year, the course whose textbooks are two editions out of date, the fieldwork that would answer a question no one else is asking about Papua New Guinea.
That is what giving pays for. Every gift is applied to the fund the donor nominates, is acquitted, and is reported back to the donor.
Who Gives to UPNG
Giving to UPNG is not an alumni activity. Most of what the University receives comes from organisations, and each has a different way of giving.
Individuals and Families
One-off gifts, regular giving and bequests, from any amount. Graduates, staff, parents and members of the public give this way, and small regular gifts are what keep the scholarship fund stable year to year.
Companies and Industry
Named scholarships in the disciplines you recruit from, sponsorship of a prize, a laboratory or a facility, and in-kind gifts of equipment. Corporate giving is usually documented in a sponsorship agreement with reporting attached.
Churches, NGOs and Community Groups
Contributions to the student hardship and scholarship funds, often tied to students from a particular province or parish. Groups raising funds collectively are welcome to nominate what their gift supports.
Development Partners and Foundations
Grants and programme funding for research capacity, postgraduate training and library and laboratory infrastructure, administered under a funding agreement with reporting against agreed milestones.
What Your Gift Supports
Gifts are applied to the fund you nominate. Where a gift is unrestricted, the University applies it to the student scholarship fund first.
Student Scholarship Fund
Fees, boarding and living costs for students who win a place at UPNG but cannot afford to take it up. The fund also carries students whose family circumstances change mid-degree.
K500 covers a semester of textbooks and materials for one student.
Library and Learning Resources
Current editions, journal access and study spaces at the Michael Somare Library and the Taurama medical library, where demand runs well ahead of the shelf.
K2,000 puts a full set of core texts into circulation for a course.
Research and Innovation
Fieldwork, laboratory consumables and postgraduate stipends for research on the problems facing Papua New Guinea — health, environment, governance and language.
K10,000 supports a postgraduate research project for a full year.
Ways to Give
Contact the Development Office before making a transfer so the gift is receipted against the right fund and the right donor.
Direct Bank Transfer
The usual method for organisations and for larger individual gifts. The Development Office issues the University's account details and a payment reference so your transfer is matched to your gift.
- Request account details from the Development Office
- Quote the payment reference you are given
- Nominate the fund your gift supports
- Receipt issued within five working days
Payroll Giving
Staff of the University and of participating employers can give a fixed amount each pay. Regular giving is what allows the scholarship fund to make commitments to students for a full degree.
- Complete a payroll giving authority
- Choose an amount per fortnight
- Change or stop it at any time
- Annual statement issued for tax purposes
Named Scholarships and Sponsorship
Fund a scholarship, a prize, a chair or a facility under your organisation's name, with selection criteria agreed with the University and reporting on the students it supports.
- Minimum term of three years for a named scholarship
- Selection criteria agreed in writing
- Annual report on recipients and outcomes
- Recognition agreed with you before it is published
Gifts in Kind
Equipment, books, software licences, laboratory instruments and professional services. The University accepts gifts in kind where it can house, maintain and use them.
- Describe the item, its age and its condition
- The receiving School confirms it can use and maintain it
- Valuation agreed for receipting purposes
- Delivery and installation arranged with the School
Bequests
A gift in your will, either unrestricted or directed to a named fund. The Development Office can provide the wording your lawyer will need.
- Standard bequest wording available on request
- Your gift can be directed to a named fund
- Notify us if you would like your intention recorded
- Bequests may be made anonymously
Volunteering and Non-Financial Support
Not every contribution is money. Mentoring a student, hosting an intern, guest lecturing or serving on a School advisory board costs time and is worth as much.
- Mentor a student through the Alumni Office
- Host an intern through Career Services
- Guest lecture in your field
- Serve on a School advisory board
How Gifts Are Handled
Every gift is receipted, recorded against the fund the donor nominated, and acquitted through the University's Bursary under the same audit requirements as public money. Donors of K5,000 or more receive an annual statement showing how their gift was applied.
Donors may give anonymously, and no donor's details are sold, shared or published without written consent. Recognition — naming, listing, a plaque — is agreed with the donor before anything is published.
The University does not accept gifts that carry conditions on academic appointments, on student selection beyond agreed scholarship criteria, on research findings, or on the right of its staff to publish. Gifts are declined where the source or the conditions would compromise the University's independence.
Talk to Us About Giving
The Development Office, working with the Alumni Office and the Bursary, handles gifts, pledges, sponsorships and bequests. Talk to us before you give — it is the quickest way to make sure your gift does what you intend.
Development Office
- [email protected]
- +675 326 7000
- Administration Building, Waigani Campus
Gift amounts, impact figures and fund names on this page are indicative and are being confirmed with the Development Office. Bank details are issued directly by the University and are never published on this site — if you receive account details purporting to come from UPNG, confirm them by telephone before transferring anything.