The results are in for the 2023 Foundation Practice Rating (FPR), and we are thrilled to announce that Oxfordshire Community Foundation has scored an overall ‘A’ rating alongside the Wellcome Trust, a score only achieved by 7 out of 100 foundations.
The FPR is a ground-breaking project that each year picks 100 of the UK’s foundations and assesses them in relation to transparency, accountability and diversity. The research process is designed to mimic the experience of prospective applicants by acting as they do: only using information in the public domain. OCF did not know it was being assessed and had no control over the process.
OCF was one of only seven foundations to receive an ‘A’ rating, out of a sample of 100 foundations. The top seven were the Wellcome Trust, Blagrave Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Walcot Educational Foundation and Oxfordshire Community Foundation.
OCF scored the following in each category:
A – Transparency
A – Accountability
B – Diversity
Our strengths in transparency and accountability are due to activities like publicly sharing information about how we work, what grants are available, and how to contact us. The research noted that disappointingly diversity, which includes accessibility for people with disabilities, is the weakest pillar for all foundations. No foundation scored an ‘A’, and only seven out of the 100 scored a B, which included OCF. This reminds us that there is more to be done to ensure we live and breathe inclusivity in everything we do.
Zoe Sprigings, OCF’s Chief Executive Officer, said:
“We are delighted with the ‘A’ rating OCF have been given and it’s a great endorsement of the donors who choose us to manage their funds. I’m very proud that we appear alongside billion-pound foundations like the Wellcome Trust. But there is no complacency, especially on diversity, and our new Head of Grants and Inclusion role underlines our material commitment to improve. Our job is to support Oxfordshire’s fantastic grassroots charities, and I want our funding to be the gold standard of accessibility.”
Take a look at the full report and watch the launch video: