OCF’s latest round of grant funding will help 12 different charitable organisations carrying out hard-hitting work that prevents crime, or deals with the fall-out of criminal activity for families.
At the end of February, OCF awarded £51,948 in grants as part of one of our regular rounds of Delivering Impact funding. The work funded ranges from mentoring programmes for at-risk young people, to support for families visiting a loved-one in prison or dealing with a drug-dependent relative, to help for victims of crime such as domestic violence. Grants will enable projects and core work to go ahead, combining research-led, preventative actions with activity that supports vulnerable people right at the moment they most need it.
One project by Life Education Wessex and Thames Valley will see a mobile classroom visit schools where Harold the Giraffe (pictured) helps deliver thought-provoking workshops that equip children with the life skills, knowledge and confidence to stand-up to peer pressure, navigate through risk in their teenage years and to reach their potential. Another project by Thames Valley Partnership supports families in crisis as their loved ones are convicted in court and when visiting them in HMP Bullingdon. The full list of grants made is below, and will also be published on the GrantNav open data platform.
Groups were selected by scoring and prioritising applications based on a consistent set of criteria. Decisions are made by OCF’s independent panel of volunteers, which on this occasion was complemented by visiting experts with relevant experience of the crime theme. We are keen to find similar experts to help with future grants panels relating to education and loneliness later this year – please contact us if you can help!
OCF uses an endowment-based model in order to provide funding for the grants, with significant gifts made by individuals, families and business, which are then invested in order to provide a funding source for Oxfordshire in perpetuity. Grants from this round were made using the returns on this investment. As usual, the round was over-subscribed with excellent applications for work that tackled crime – and we would very much like to boost future grant-making with further gifts to our endowment or directly to our grant programmes.
Find out how to give something back through OCF
The full list of grants awarded is as follows:
Group funded |
Amount awarded |
Project description |
Aspire |
£3,284.00 |
Parenting courses specifically aimed at ex-offenders both in custody and in the community, helping them manage their feelings and behaviour while becoming more positive and nurturing in their relationships with their children |
Barton Community Association |
£6,400.00 |
Free Homework Club sessions for children living on the Barton estate, including children from the Syrian families who have recently moved into the area; run by a specialist youth worker and incorporating art, sport, bike repair and outings |
Didcot TRAIN Youth Project |
£2,000.00 |
Mentoring programme for young people at risk of child sexual exploitation, including workshops on body image, healthy relationships, cyber safety, drugs and alcohol and more, plus one-to-one follow up support |
Digital for Good |
£2,000.00 |
Number Club, a pilot project to improve numeracy in primary school children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, through a combination of game-based learning and volunteer tutors |
Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee |
£4,000.00 |
Delivery of a community led, parent managed scheme to support the development and wellbeing of disadvantaged children, including those with disabilities and families experiencing complex issues, poverty and social exclusion |
DrugFAM |
£4,555.00 |
Weekly support group in Witney for families, friends and carers who are affected by someone else’s drug dependency, including those who have been bereaved by addiction; helpline support for people in crisis, one-to-one meetings, home visiting and befriending |
Home-Start Oxford |
£5,000.00 |
Support, friendship and practical help to families with a child under five, particularly those who are vulnerable, isolated or under stress; provision of a paid specialist family worker who will tackle the most serious cases before handing them over to a network of volunteers |
Life Education Wessex & Thames Valley |
£2,205.00 |
The ‘Life Bus’, a mobile classroom where specialist educators facilitate fun, interactive and age-appropriate sessions to whole classes from Nursery to Year 6; puppets, music and the latest digital technology are used to explore children’s attitudes and stretch their thinking |
Reducing the Risk of Domestic Abuse |
£5,000.00 |
Independent Domestic Violence Advisor who will work with over 100 victims of abuse at high risk, and 120 children; she will respond within a working day, implement safety measures and represent victims at multi-agency risk assessment conferences |
Thames Valley Partnership |
£8,500.00 |
Immediate and ongoing crisis support to families of people convicted in court; help for families at the Visitors Centre at HMP Bullingdon prior to them going inside the prison; signposting to other services; mentoring to aid resettlement of the offender |
Thrive Leys |
£4,254.00 |
Working with disadvantaged young people from Blackbird Leys through one-to-one and group mentoring to reduce challenging behaviour or address chaotic family backgrounds; this will them sustain relationships, regulate emotions, and make positive choices |
Wolvercote Young People’s Club |
£4,750.00 |
Project working with young men from Cutteslowe to help address challenging behaviour and attitudes to women; 10 hours of youth work per week delivered by two experienced and trained male youth workers |
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£51,948.00 |