As part of our mission to continuously increase investment in Oxfordshire, we work with charitable trusts and statutory funders that would like to outsource part or all of their grant-making. We are also able to handle the transfer of dormant or moribund trusts.
We often work on behalf of other funding bodies enabling them to support many smaller local Oxfordshire-based projects. Our partnerships with organisations such as the National Emergencies Trust and Oxfordshire County Council helps them to channel vital funding into our network of local causes. They use OCF’s local knowledge and administrative services to make grants that fit their criteria and strategy.
Various different models of outsourcing are possible, and they all depend on the budget available. More intensive processes are only possible with larger amounts of grant funds. These can be summarised as follows:
Type |
Amount |
Description |
Pooled |
No fixed amount |
Third-party funds are used to contribute towards an existing round of funding that OCF is already planning to administer with other funders |
Bespoke/open |
£100,000+ |
An open round of funding is run solely for the funder, with the opportunity to apply advertised publicly on OCF’s website, e-newsletter and socials |
Closed |
£50,000–£100,000 |
A hand-picked longlist of groups is invited to apply, based on the interests of the funder and OCF’s advice on the potential grantees in our database |
Donor-advised |
Under £50,000 |
The funder selects a small group of charities for funding, following agreed criteria, and makes a request to OCF |
Many private charitable trusts become dormant because they have difficulty identifying beneficiaries, or because the trustees and founders find the administration and responsibility of running a charity becoming too onerous. A dormant trust’s funds can be revitalised by being released to OCF, where they can be used to support areas of current need in Oxfordshire.
This service is endorsed by the Charity Commission (see acknowledgement below).
Contact our Head of Development Kate Parrinder
to set up a conversation or meeting.
“OCF has been a key partner in delivering efficient, effective and independent rounds of community funding. Their evidence-based approach and broad reach into the community sector has helped us deliver support across Oxfordshire’s communities in a way that is transparent as well as fast.”
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