We are excited to unveil our grants for the year ahead, as well as our new OCF values which are shaping our grant-making.
Our objective in grant-making is to be the leading community grant-maker in Oxfordshire. We want to be known for the way we have embedded equity, diversity and inclusion, environment and innovation into grant-making.
This year, you will see us piloting changes in grant-rounds, driven by our values.
These include:
- Multi-year, flexible investments focused on outcomes and covering core costs
- Ring-fenced funding to help the smallest organisations take risks to grow
- An early Expression of Interest stage to minimise time spent applying
- Extra support to applicants throughout the whole process, from drop-in sessions, simplified monitoring forms, feedback and mentoring.
Grant-making in 2024
Over the next year we will be launching the following grants rounds for Oxfordshire’s charitable organisations:
- April 2024 – Thriving in Nature Fund (now open): This fund will help more people prosper by engaging with green spaces and the rural environment. The focus will be on improving health and wellbeing, and nurturing work opportunities, by supporting charitable organisations to unite people with nature.
- April 2024 – Better Mental Health Fund: This fund will focus on preventing poor mental health and cultivate good mental wellbeing for the people of Oxfordshire in their communities.
- Autumn 2024 – Living Essentials Fund: Building on our earlier cost-of-living grant-making, we will help charitable organisations to provide this crucial ongoing support, working together to ensure people have the basics needed for living a stable and safe life.
- May, August and October 2024 – The Step Change Fund: This fund focusses on capacity building, helping charities to transform the way they are organised in order to make their desired step change to increase reach and impact.
- December 2024 – Didcot Powerhouse Fund: Groups in the Didcot area are able to benefit from this fund to create a more inclusive and sustainable community, helping to level up the pockets of deprivation.
In addition, we hope to build on previous Community Capacity funding to help people live happily and independently in their own communities as long as possible.
OCF’s values
Our set of five values were devised in collaboration with OCF staff, supporting our goal to be the gold-standard in grant-making. They will stretch us and take time to achieve, but we are committed to work towards them over many years.
Here at OCF we are committed to Oxfordshire for the long-term. Our recent publication, Oxfordshire Uncovered, has been vital in making the case for support, and helped us to unlock new donors to Oxfordshire who are passionate about supporting our mission.
Find out about our upcoming grants in Oxfordshire and get in contact with our Grant team (call 01865 798666 or email ocf@oxfordshire.org) if you have any questions.