B4, connectors of people in business, have recently made a commitment to improving lives and tackling inequality by becoming members of the fund. They join leading medical consultancy Oxford PharmaGenesis in supporting Oxfordshire’s dynamic charitable sector with grant funding.
OCF is delighted to welcome B4 to their Collective Business Fund. Through a collective fund, local businesses significantly increase their positive impact by combining contributions in one place, from which grants are made annually to Oxfordshire charitable organisations.
B4 actively connects people in business who value being part of a collaborative, supportive community, running a number of events and networking opportunities for their members. They wanted to add a charitable giving element for their members and make a positive impact on the community in which they work. They are now able to do this through contributions from members, who will be offered the opportunity to make a donation to the Collective Business Fund when attending B4 events, many of which are free to attend. B4 aims to raise at least £2,500 for OCF, and will also be running a festive fundraiser for OCF and other charities connected with B4.
The Collective Business Fund offers a flexible approach to corporate charitable giving. Donations from staff fundraising, corporate or colleague donations enable organisations to fulfil their CSR and charitable giving objectives, knowing that their funds will be combined together with other businesses to amplify their reach and impact.
Oxford PharmaGenesis joins local companies Prodrive, RWK Goodman, Allen Associates, Mills and Reeve, Olamalu and Wise Funds in making a significant corporate donation to the Collective Business Fund. This will enable Oxford PharmaGenesis to be more strategic with the company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals as they work towards the betterment of health, people and society.
Since its inception in 2022, the Collective Business Fund has helped to tackle the increased cost of living in Oxfordshire. Donations from businesses have been pooled together with those from other funders to distribute nearly £550k in grants to grassroots charities combatting food and fuel poverty, debt, domestic abuse and mental ill health.
Just one of the charities funded was The Gatehouse, a small charity in Oxford that supports people who are homeless or vulnerably housed. This grant enabled their casework team to provide a holistic, personalised approach to around 140 people. One of these people was evicted from a private tenancy, and ended up in a Local Authority flat. He couldn’t afford to furnish it or cook meals, which was exacerbating his mental health. The Gatehouse arranged not just a food parcel for him, but also cooking equipment, a programme of counselling, and internet access, so that he could join other support networks. He is now in a stable situation, and says that he feels safer, more confident and able to tackle his own problems as they arise – all of which will prevent him falling into homelessness again.
Kate Parrinder, Head of Development at OCF, says: “Businesses like B4 and Oxford Pharmagenesis are part of a powerful collective movement to provide support to the most urgent issues, directed at the charities that are making a genuine difference to people in Oxfordshire. We are so very grateful for their support.”
Richard Rosser, CEO of B4, says: “Throughout B4’s 18-year history we have been involved in or arranged a wide range of charitable initiatives ranging from bike rides from Edinburgh to Blenheim Palace, running the London Marathon three times, making hundreds of donations and organising initiatives such as NEXUS, which gave charities free access to B4. Being part of OCF’s Collective Business Fund provides us with the opportunity to do something on a consistent basis and bring our members on the journey with us. The way we generate donations for OCF requires a culture change and a recognition from our members that the benefits they derive from the growing number of free-to-enter B4 events merits a small contribution to the Collective Business Fund. We hope to smash through our target of £2,500 and re-set a new target well before the end of the year.”
Paul Farrow, Executive Director at Oxford PharmaGenesis, says: “Oxford PharmaGenesis is committed to ESG, promoting employee-driven fundraising activities and supporting charities in communities local to our global offices and beyond. We’re looking forward to working through the Oxfordshire Collective Business Fund to make a powerful difference to people’s lives as we continue to build a company that we can be proud of.”
To donate to B4’s fund, go to www.oxfordshire.enthuse.com/cf/b-4, or to find out how your organisation could become part of OCF’s Collective Business Fund, go to www.oxfordshire.org/giving/collective-business-fund.