“It is so uplifting to meet so many people blessed with generous hearts and a deep sense of community.”

The Westgate Fund is an opportunity for the Oxford business community to create a city that is about more than shopping. The fund brings together companies that want to make Oxford an inclusive, healthy and happy place where everyone thrives and no-one is left behind.
Grant Thornton’s 2018 Vibrant Economy Index shows that Oxford already ranks in the top 20 areas nationally in terms of dynamism and entrepreneurialism, and is the number one ranking place in terms of trust, belonging and cultural life. However, Oxford falls down when it comes to measures of equality and social inclusion, reflecting the levels of child poverty, a lack of affordable housing, and joblessness amongst disadvantaged people in the city. The PDF download below gives a full report of the social problems affecting the city of Oxford.
The Westgate Fund provides a charitable vehicle for businesses to give something back – in particular via financial support for local charities, as well as places for interesting and diverse things to happen, or time and talent shared with the community. The companies that support the Westgate Fund are based in the Westgate shopping centre and across the wider city, and are demonstrating that they are good neighbours through their philanthropic support.
The Westgate Fund was established in 2017 with a £125,000 donation from John Lewis, and is held and managed by Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF). It has since been supported by Westgate landlords Landsec, and city centre law firm Royds Withy King. We are working closely with city charities, in particular Aspire and Homeless Oxfordshire.
In the video below, John Lewis Oxford Branch Manager Julie Blake explains why the company is working with OCF.
Grants are made from the Westgate Fund via OCF’s Delivering Impact grant programme. Note that charities cannot apply directly to the Westgate Fund.
Some of the charities supported by the fund include:
For these organisations, the Westgate Fund was able to provide match funding for a grant from the Big Lottery/Home Office #iwill fund, which promotes social action amongst young people, such as volunteering, campaigning or fundraising. The Westgate Fund will award grants to organisations that are tackling the issues identified in the Oxford City research summary paper below.
“It is so uplifting to meet so many people blessed with generous hearts and a deep sense of community.”
“I really appreciate your work on what for my parents is such an important project. I am glad that the fund has been developing so positively and swiftly.”
“The huge satisfaction to be gained from spending one’s time in giving in your later years far outweighs any pleasures that you can possibly gain on the golf course, on the beach or on the back of the yacht in the Mediterranean sipping martinis.”
“I like to have something worthwhile to get up for each morning… I find that the larger and more strategic the gift, the more pleasure I get out of it.”
“I can’t get over it; I’m still shaking when I talk about it. It’s just incredible… I feel a bit guilty about getting so much pleasure out of giving!”
“Generosity is the best investment.”
“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”
“It is more difficult to give money away intelligently than to earn it in the first place.”
“I feel passionately that so many more people could be philanthropists and are a bit afraid of it. What we need to do as Beacon Fellows is go out there and talk about it. One of the things I want to do is to share the joy that I’ve had!”
“Every act of philanthropy touches a life. Deprivation is not destiny. If you come from a disadvantaged background, you just need to be given an
opportunity.”
“It’s really important to tell the world about what you’re doing. You’ll be naturally quiet and modest, and it’s not very British, but it is very important, so put your modesty aside, tell the world what you’re doing, because they’ll be interested!”
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
The Ark T Centre is an arts project in East Oxford, and is situated in a high-risk area for Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). Ark T is an open and inclusive community, where people, art, and powerful ideas come together, using the transformative powers of creativity to change lives.
SOFEA’s mission is to enable the transformation of people’s lives, and their communities, with a major focus on young people. They enable people to fulfil their potential through work, wellbeing, study and purpose projects, providing the means of reducing the immediate effects of disadvantage by relieving food insecurity in the wider community.
Good Food Oxford supports the existing work of many organisations in and around the city working to make our food system more nourishing, less wasteful and more sustainable.