The fund was started in 1998 by Hugh Mackay. The motivation was two-fold: 1) to help University of Edinburgh scientists get to Greenland to undertake scientific research and 2) to experience the pleasure of seeing these expeditions take place during the donors lifetime rather than waiting to make a bequest.

Anyone can make a donation to the fund and you don't have to be called Mackay. You simply have to have an interest in supporting scientific research in Greenland. The size of the fund as at May 2011 was around £55,000. The medium term objective is to raise  additional funding to bring the total to £150,000. This will enable larger contributions to be made to expeditions and will also raise the profile of the fund within the University.

To make a donation please contact the University of Edinburgh and tell them that you wish to make a gift aid donation to the Mackay Greenland Fund at the Weir Fund for Field Studies. Contact them on +44 (0)131 650 2240 or email them at edinburghcampaign@ed.ac.uk   They will provide you with all the necessary paperwork and documentation.

The University of Edinburgh produces an annual fund report, these are provided below: