GroupsNewsOCFHomeless man in green who has been offered support by The Porch, a homeless shelter funded by OCF

Grant applications are now open for our standard grants round, with access to a single online form that allows community groups to apply for support from a collective of different funders.

Our single application form allows groups to apply to multiple funders in one place. You simply tell us about the project you need a grant for, and we will find the right supporter from our portfolio of different funds. This form, which was piloted during the previous grants round, has been perfected in response to feedback from applicants.

By applying in this way, you are being considered for:

  • OCF’s own grant-making funds, which come from income generated on investments we have made on behalf of our private donors
  • The Adult Literacy Fund, which supports any type of education and skills project for any age group
  • The Coventry Building Society Community Fund, which aims to improve the quality of life for disadvantaged people and people living in deprived areas
  • Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee Legacy Fund For East Oxford, which encourages groups that demonstrate partnership working across faiths and cultures in East Oxford
  • The Meech Centenary Trust, which supports young people in finding work or getting back into education in and around West Oxfordshire
  • The Midcounties Co-operative Community Fund, which will support local projects working wherever there is a Mid-Counties store.

We have used this process to make grants to groups that help all kinds of vulnerable people, from young people who risk going off the rails to those struggling with disability, poverty or homelessness.

Before completing the form, community group representatives should check our grant eligibility criteria to make sure they are entitled to apply. The size of your organisation and project are important: the maximum available through this route is £5,000. In particular, if you are looking for funding for a large project that you believe will transform your organisation, you should take one of the following routes instead:

  • The RAISE Challenge Fund is making grants of between £2,500 and £10,000 for new and bold initiatives that demonstrate innovation, piloting, testing or development, and closes on 31st May.
  • The Future-Building Fund offers large grants of between £10,000 and £75,000 for projects that enable an organisation to make a ‘step change’ in financial terms, and is open indefinitely.

If you are unsure about which route to take, or you have a compelling project that doesn’t quite fit the criteria, we would welcome hearing from you! Just contact us.

OCF’s standard grants rounds open and close on a rolling basis, with deadlines occurring every three months. The current round closes on 5th June 2015, and the full list of dates can be found here.

Apply to the standard OCF grants round now