Crosby Hall showing the Lantern.
Photographer: Morley Archive circa 1989
"One of the greatest achievements of The British Federation of University Women in its first 50 years was the creation in 1927 of Crosby Hall as a residence in London for women from all over the world.”
(Nancy Catchpole and Cynthia Short - "The Story of the Second Fifty Years")
Read about the First 50 years of the British Federation of University Women (BFWG) 1907-1957 here.
Funds For Women Graduates (FfWG) is the trading name of BFWG Charitable Foundation.
It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). Registered Charity No. 312903.
FfWG is an educational charity whose objective is to promote ‘the advancement of education and promotion of higher education and wider learning of women graduates’ by providing grants specifically for living expenses to women during their postgraduate studies in Great Britain, with the aim of positively impacting their future career and our society as a whole.
Links with BFWG
The BFWG Charitable Foundation has a long-standing and close association with the British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG), with which its history is closely entwined.
Until December 2025, the Charity was a subsidiary of the British Federation of Women Graduates (BFWG). However, in December 2025 the Charity Commission approved BFWG Charitable Foundation’s conversion to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
Although independent, the Charity maintains a close and positive relationship with BFWG. BFWG is the sole member of the CIO and plays a role in governance by appointing up to three trustees. The majority of trustees are independently appointed, and the Charity is governed by its own Board, which is responsible for its strategy, funding decisions, and operations.
Chair
Shirley-Anne Sherriff, BA (Hons)
Chair of Funds for Women Graduates
Shirley-Anne has worked in the global manmade fibres business for more than 35 years. With extensive experience in product commercialisation and management of textile chain activities, she moved into independent consulting in 1994. She co-founded Opus Business Consultants, a specialist fibres consultancy with a particular focus on market research, strategy and sustainability. Born in South Africa, she is committed to women having access to the transformative powers of good education, as well as valuing the benefits that they can, in turn, bring to their families, communities, and broader society.
BFWG Representatives
Jennie Landsberg
BFWG President
BFWG Canterbury Local Association Member
Margaret Middlemass
Elected Representative Member for BFWG at the FfWG AGM
BFWG Vice President and Chair of Finance, Scholarship Fund Trustee
BFWG Independent Member
BFWG Appointed Trustees for FfWG
Gill Ramsay
BFWG Constitutional Adviser, North Eastern LA
I have been a member for 45 years and am a retired civil servant, working first in London and then in Newcastle. As the Constitutional Adviser I was on the Working Group on FfWG becoming a CIO, and on the Working Group for setting up the Josephine Marshall Trust. Then I was on the sub-group which worked on the legal agreement with FfWG for them to administer the JM Trust scholarships.
So I have been quite involved for some years in a role which worked closely with FfWG. It therefore seemed a natural step to apply to be one of the BFWG nominated Representatives when the opportunity arose, and I was delighted to be elected.
Dr Nikita Hari, MEng, PhD, FFF, SFHEA
Independent Member