Community foundations in Europe have been working together to react to the refugee crisis, with a pan-European collaboration and a new UK-based charitable fund established to support frontline care and longer-term integration into our communities.
Crowdfunding initiative The Funding Network will be holding its next event at the Old Fire Station in Oxford on 5th May 2016, and is now looking for nominations for local charitable projects to pitch for £4,000 in funding to an audience of donors.
OCF’s corporate engagement initiative now boasts 30 members, including Allen Associates, Withy King, Unipart, Bicester Village and Finders Keepers – and now First Line IT. One of the group’s first projects will be to audit the existing community activities of its members as a benchmark for future achievements.
Oxfordshire Sport and Physical Activity (OxSPA) has launched a new charitable fund, hosted by OCF – saving OxSPA the cost and hassle of establishing their own charity. OxSPA aims to increase participation in sport and physical activity in Oxfordshire, and the OxSPA Trust is its new charitable arm.
Donors used to gifting their Winter Fuel Payment to the community foundation’s Surviving Winter appeal can now donate to our new Health and Wellbeing Fund, which has a wider remit to support anyone living in Oxfordshire in isolation, leading to loneliness and ill health.
The awards recognised dynamic and successful organisations in the Thames Valley, and in particular those who had excelled against their business plans in the past year. OCF was a finalist for Charity of the Year, which was won by Thames Valley Air Ambulance.
Speakers for the opposition defeated the motion at our debate on Tuesday, as a 380-strong audience voted against the suggestion that “there is nothing wrong with spending more on looking good than doing good”.
The new responsible business group Reciprocate will be hosted by Oxfordshire Community Foundation, and aims to help the local business community become more strategic in their thinking about community engagement, realising their good intentions through the power of many.
OCF is delighted to welcome retired local businessman John Taylor as its new Chair of Trustees. John is working with our current Chair Anna Moon during a handover period, before officially taking the reins on 1st January 2016.
Oxfordshire’s Lord Lieutenant (and OCF President) Tim Stevenson and his team have set up a scheme to assist voluntary organisations in the county, by extending the range of potential candidates from whom they may wish to select trustees or chairs.