Strategic cultures of philanthropy: English universities and the changing geographies of giving

In this paper, we undertake a critical examination of the official publications of 17 diverse English HEIs which participated in the MFS 2008-2011. Particular attention is paid to the differentiated levels of participation by universities with the MFS and the ways in which donations were represented in their public documents. We argue that diverse cultures of HEI engagement with philanthropic giving are critically linked to their: location in conventional institutional hierarchies; integration in professional knowledge networks; and ability to mobilise strategic connections across geographical scales. In doing so, we advance theoretical work on the role of philanthropic giving in reconfiguring contemporary geographies of HE.