A significant donation from Beard Construction has boosted the Beard Charitable Foundation, a donor-advised fund held by Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF), considerably increasing its ability to support charities and communities across Oxfordshire and the wider south of England.
The funding represents a major long-term commitment by Beard and is a powerful example of how business success can be translated into lasting benefit for local communities.
Turning success into lasting impact
The donation follows a very pleasing year of project delivery and profitability for the company. Choosing to prioritise community impact, the company’s shareholders took the decision to donate half of 2025 annual profits to Beard Charitable Foundation and Beard Construction Charitable Foundation, a separate charitable foundation set up by Beard and administered by Wiltshire and Swindon Community Foundation. These two donations will help to improve the lives of thousands of people over the next 20 years.
Founded in 1892, Beard operates across the south of England and has a long-standing commitment to creating social value alongside its construction work – investing in skills, young people and the communities where it builds. Beard’s donor-advised fund was set up in 2016 to support initiatives driven by its people and construction education projects within the communities where employees live and work.
Mark Beard, Chairman of Beard said:
“Giving back has always been part of our ethos. This gift allows Beard Charitable Foundation to go further – supporting young people, opening up opportunities and creating a lasting legacy in the communities we’re proud to be part of.”
Supporting young people to thrive
Beard Charitable Foundation grant-making is focussed on supporting young people from challenged backgrounds to help them develop the life skills to access employment opportunities, and particularly jobs that have a positive impact on the built environment. In addition, Beard Charitable Foundation invests in improving the provision for amateur sport in the area.
The impact of this funding can be seen in the lives of the young people it reaches. A grant was awarded to One-Eighty, which provides therapeutic support for young people aged 4-18 facing barriers to education in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. In one case, a young person had been out of education for nearly two years and faced permanent exclusion. With regular support involving their carer and school, they rebuilt trust, returned to learning, and now attend full-time.
Another grant has supported ARCh (Assisted Reading for Children), which provides one to one reading support for primary school children, working with those who lack confidence in reading, need additional support or may not have support at home. With a trained volunteer by their side, children are given the time and encouragement they need to practise and improve, often transforming how they feel about school. Grant funding is enabling volunteers to continue providing regular one to one support in schools. One child described these sessions as the highlight of their week.
Funding has also supported grassroots sports clubs and inclusive programmes, helping more young people – particularly those who might otherwise miss out – to take part in regular physical activity. These experiences can be life-shaping; building friendships, teamwork and aspiration.
Building a fund for the future
This seven figure gift marks a major uplift in the scale and sustainability of the Beard Charitable Foundation’s impact. By investing the capital and using the returns to fund grants, OCF will create a long-term source of support for local community organisations. It builds on a strong track record of giving. In 2025, the fund distributed over £150,000 to charities and community groups supporting young people, education, wellbeing and sport.
Working together for greater impact
The Beard Charitable Foundation is a donor-advised fund, meaning funding decisions are shaped by the fundholder’s priorities and guided by local insight. OCF works closely with the fund’s advisory panel, meeting regularly to review opportunities, carry out due diligence and ensure funding reaches organisations where it can make the greatest difference. This partnership approach combines thoughtful philanthropy with deep local knowledge and robust grant-making processes ensuring funds are well managed and genuinely impactful.
Zoe Sprigings, Chief Executive at OCF, said:
“This is an incredibly generous and forward-thinking commitment from Beard. We have worked closely together over many years, building a strong and trusted partnership grounded in a shared desire to create opportunity for local people.
“This significant investment will have a lasting impact – supporting charities to reach more young people, strengthening communities and helping many more people to build brighter futures.”
Find out more about donor-advised funds at Oxfordshire Community Foundation