Having a place to call home, which is warm and with readily available food, is something many of us take for granted. Yet for the most vulnerable in our county this may be unaffordable. Food insecurity, keeping warm and having stable housing continue to be a huge challenge for some Oxfordshire residents.

OCF’s Living Essentials Fund makes grants to grassroots charitable organisations working to help the most disadvantaged in our county who are struggling to afford the basics for living a stable and safe life. We fund charitable organisations that are helping people now with issues such as homelessness, food insecurity and warmth, as well as debt advice. Each year we award a new round of funding that delivers the following outcomes:

• Basic services for those in crisis to prevent them slipping into greater need
• Schemes that improve home comfort and efficiency and address housing insecurity
• Support for community resilience, including mitigating summer heat or autumn/winter cold
• Preventative solutions that help individuals build financial stability.

Thanks to your generosity we have been able to support Oxfordshire’s grassroots charities with over half a million pounds that is helping to put food on the table, keep a home warm and take away the constant worry of debt. 

In early 2025, we awarded 33 grants totalling £270k to charitable organisations and groups across Oxfordshire. This was thanks to a collective approach that brought in funds from Oxfordshire County Council’s Household Support Fund, several other local grant-making foundations, and generous local businesses and individuals.  Read the full story here.

January 2026 saw our next round of grants where a total of £250k was distributed to 31 grassroots charitable organisations. Funding is helping people with unaffordable essentials such as housing, food and warmth as well as debt advice as demand continues to surge in the county. Over 13 organisations, including Oxfordshire County Council, businesses, grant-making foundations and individuals came together to make an even bigger difference together. Read the full story here.

We are now fundraising towards our third year of grants that will help local charities support people that are struggling to make ends meet. More families than ever are going without the basic essentials (JRF). Applications for funding will open in winter 2026 with grants paid in early 2027. With your help we would like to fund even more of the grant applications that we receive this year. 

Please give what you can to support people to have better lives across our county:

• If you think you can help, you can give smaller amounts online now on our Living Essentials Enthuse donation platform. Enthuse gathers Gift Aid for us and makes the process easy for you.
• For donations over £500, we would love to have a conversation with you! Please contact OCF’s Deputy Chief Executive Kate Parrinder.
• Payment by bank transfer can be made. Please contact the team on 01865 798 666 or ocf@oxfordshire.org and we will share our bank details.
• If you would prefer to donate by CAF or cheque, please make it payable to “Oxfordshire Community Foundation”, write “Living Essentials Fund” on the reverse, and post it to us at 3 Woodin’s Way, Oxford, OX1 1HD.

If you donate by bank transfer, CAF or cheque please don’t forget to complete a Gift Aid form to really boost the value of your donation.

A 25% uplift is also added to your donation via Gift Aid wherever possible. 

Thank you so much for supporting us in this appeal.

Our recent research report Oxfordshire Uncovered showcases the fact that too many of Oxfordshire’s residents are facing a daily struggle to secure a safe place to call home, which is warm and with readily available healthy food.

National research shows millions are going without essentials, and those on the lowest incomes will be poorer in 2029 than today (Resolution Foundation; JRF). In Oxfordshire, general affluence hides deep inequality: 17 neighbourhoods in the county rank among the most deprived nationally (Oxfordshire County Council), and demand for advice and emergency support has surged across the county (Citizens Advice). A recent survey found 30% of East Oxford residents can’t cover rent and half can’t afford healthy food – many would go hungry without local help (HealthWatch Oxfordshire).