A total of 33 charitable organisations have received funding from Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s (OCF) Living Essentials Fund. This is empowering them to deliver their work through the winter months to Oxfordshire residents who are struggling to provide the essentials for themselves and their families.
£270,000 has been distributed to charitable organisations and groups across Oxfordshire. The grants are aimed at reaching the most disadvantaged in our county, who are struggling to afford the basics for living a stable and safe life, and who are being supported by grassroots charitable organisations. Food insecurity, keeping warm and having stable housing continue to be a huge challenge for some Oxfordshire residents.
Following a successful fundraising campaign, OCF was able to bring together funding from a wide range of institutions, trusts and foundations, businesses and statutory organisations. St Michael’s and All Saints’ Charities chose to entrust their 2024 grant-making to us, donating £30,000 to our Living Essentials Fund. £112,000 was also donated by Oxfordshire County Council‘s Household Support Fund to reach those most in need. By pooling these and other donations, donors and funders have achieved a far greater impact together than they could alone. This is the power of collective funding.
The Gatehouse received a grant of £10,000 to fund project workers running the drop-in café for people who are homeless or vulnerably housed. These daily sessions provide a range of free services that meet their urgent, basic needs, as well as giving opportunities for self-improvement and reintegration into the local community through a transition back into permanent housing, employment and independence.
Thanks to a grant of £8,000, Sunrise Multicultural Project is able to run a drop-in session where ladies from minoritised ethnic groups and newly arrived refugees in Banbury can come to keep warm and cook a free, healthy lunch to share. This safe space is enabling the ladies to make new friendships and build support networks, increasing their resilience.
We were particularly pleased to be able to award grants to three charitable organisations not previously funded by OCF. One of these was Love Barton, a charity based in Oxford’s Barton estate that tackles systemic issues keeping people and families in poverty, and enabling them to flourish. A grant of £10,000 is helping them transform their new permanent space at the heart of the community, where they deliver their foodbank, mental health support, debt support and focused support groups.
Find out about all of the charitable organisations who have received a Living Essentials grant.
We are grateful to the generous support of the following individuals and organisations who have enabled us to have an impact across Oxfordshire:
- All Souls College
- Brasenose College
- Christ Church
- Exeter College
- HS James Macnamara Fund
- Ian Mactaggart Trust
- The Macfarlane Family Foundation
- Mills and Reeve Charitable Trust
- New College
- Oxfordshire County Council
- Sovereign Network Group
- St Michaels and All Saints Charities
Plus many other donors and funders who prefer to remain anonymous.
Find out the different ways you can donate to Oxfordshire Community Foundation to enable us to fund groups like Love Barton, or contact our Deputy Chief Executive Kate Parrinder about a funding partnership.