Support RBS Students through the Annual Fund Matching-Gift Challenge!


Rare Book School has concluded another successful summer of courses both at home and far afield. We welcomed some 570 students to 43 courses, which took place in Charlottesville, at nine partner institutions—including our first international courses at the Bodleian Library in Oxford—and around the globe with eight course offerings available online. RBS also hosted ten free public lectures, which examined topics such as a Renaissance publisher’s profit/risk strategies and the role that inexpensive editions played in making Jane Austen famous.

Even as our School continues to thrive, we recognize a growing crisis of financial access for our students. As professional development funds have been reduced or eliminated at many institutions, requests for financial assistance from RBS grew significantly in 2025. We anticipate that demand for scholarships and discretionary grants will continue to rise in 2026.

RBS offered scholarships to 21% of our students this year. Your gift to the annual fund before our fiscal year-end is the single best way to see that scholarship assistance increases toward our goal of 30% in 2026.

You can help now. Thanks to the generosity of the RBS Board of Directors, all gifts made to the Annual Fund before September 30 will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $150,000. The Annual Fund is essential to our work, funding scholarships and fellowships. A gift of any amount will help us maximize this opportunity to support RBS students.

Please consider participating in this challenge by making your donation today.

Gifts of any amount can be made online; over the phone at 434-924-8851; or via check, made payable to Rare Book School, mailed to:

Rare Book School
University of Virginia
Box 400103
Charlottesville, VA 22904

Not only will your gift be doubled in amount and impact through this challenge, but it will also doubly serve as an entry into a raffle for one of two bookish prizes:

  • a STILT® Book Cradle* for your book presentation needs, complimentary from our friends at STILT; and
  • an RBS package containing an assortment of our 2025 swag.

Winners will be chosen at random. All gifts made between July 1 and September 30 are eligible to be selected.

For questions or more information, please contact us at 434-924-8851 or rbsdevelopment@virginia.edu.

*STILT book cradles are modular, collapsible supports designed for safe use of rare books in exhibitions and reading rooms. RBS is grateful to STILT and its proprietor, Natasha Herman, for making this raffle opportunity available to our generous community of supporters. Please visit the STILT website to learn more about their products and team.