Vision

Our vision is for everyone in Oxfordshire to be living fulfilling lives in thriving communities. We believe grassroots charitable organisations supported by effective philanthropy will help Oxfordshire residents reach their full potential. 

Mission

We improve lives and tackle inequality by investing around £2 million a year in Oxfordshire’s dynamic charitable sector. We are the bridge which connects donors with small charitable groups, who would otherwise struggle to find each other. We focus on grassroots organisations because they are best placed to support local communities but are often least resourced.  

1. OCF is raising millions of pounds each year because it is known and respected amongst Oxfordshire donors, funders and professional advisers as the best way to direct local giving.
2. OCF is the leading community grant-maker in Oxfordshire and is known for the way it has embedded equity, diversity and inclusion, environment and innovation into grant-making.
3. Our stakeholders have absolute confidence in our competence and value for money, with our funds and operations aligned with our mission.
4. Our staff, trustees and volunteers have the optimum mix of skills, experience and support to deliver our mission effectively.

We have a set of five values that were devised in collaboration with OCF staff, supporting our goal to be the gold-standard in grant-making.

Our values are the fundamental beliefs and principles that guide us as an organisation. They represent who we are and what we stand for, helping us to make decisions and create a positive work environment for everyone who works with us.

Applying insight

We invest time and money to understand the hidden needs in Oxfordshire and the impact of our funding. We are thoughtful and objective when allocating grants and we are transparent in explaining how we made our decisions.  

Supporting others

We exist to help community groups to thrive and to help donors give effectively. We strive to provide a professional service with regular, open communication. We review our work and seek feedback to check it is easy to work with us.

Being fair 

We want everyone who interacts with us to feel warmly and equally welcomed. We believe that making our services accessible is a key part of being a community funder. We are committed to tackling inequality in Oxfordshire. 

Always learning 

We enter every conversation with the assumption that there is always more for us to learn. We actively guard against complacency or arrogance settling in. We welcome people pointing out our blind spots in the spirit of learning.

Thinking long-term 

We are committed to Oxfordshire for the long-term and we want to make sure future generations can flourish here. We use our funds to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, as well as today.