** opens 4th June for Expressions of Interest **
The Domestic Abuse Community Innovation Fund aims to strengthen preventative and early intervention domestic abuse support in Oxfordshire.
The focus is on reaching people experiencing emerging abuse, where timely support can reduce harm, improve safety, and prevent escalation to crisis. This includes people experiencing controlling or coercive behaviour, emotional or psychological abuse, financial or other non-physical forms of abuse, or those at an early stage of recognising abuse and seeking help.
The overall aim is to reduce harm and improve safety for people experiencing domestic abuse before crisis point is reached. Specifically, funding will achieve:
- Stronger community-based organisations delivering impactful, survivor-centred and culturally appropriate services for people experiencing emerging domestic abuse
- Increased access to early support and preventative domestic abuse services, helping to reduce harm and prevent escalation to higher-risk situations
- Increased early intervention, prevention and awareness of domestic abuse within marginalised communities
The Fund will support a balanced mix of established, evidence-informed approaches and new or emerging innovative ideas. Approximately 60% of the available funding will support tried and tested approaches and approximately 40% of the available funding will support innovative approaches.
Project activities could include:
- Support Services
-
- Casework, advocacy, counselling, therapeutic or peer support.
- Holistic wrap‑around services improving survivor safety and wellbeing for low and standard risk.
- Prevention & Awareness
- Community education, prevention campaigns, culturally specific outreach.
- Innovative projects promoting earlier help‑seeking or reducing stigma.
- Capacity Building
- Staff/volunteer training, leadership development, partnership strengthening.
- Tools/systems that enhance organisational capability to deliver domestic abuse support.
The beneficiaries for this fund are people in Oxfordshire experiencing emerging or ongoing domestic abuse, who would benefit from early intervention and support before crisis.
Priority will be given to organisations that demonstrate reach into underserved communities, as identified in the Oxfordshire Overarching Domestic Abuse Strategy Needs Assessment. These are:
- Black, Asian and minoritised communities
- People with disabilities or long-term health conditions
- LGBTQIA+ people
- Older people (61+)
- People with mental health or complex needs
- People with drug or alcohol misuse needs
- Pregnant people
- Men experiencing domestic abuse
- People living in rural or isolated communities
Thursday 4th June: Round opens for Expressions Of Interest (EOI) submissions
Midday Thursday 25th June: EOI closes
w/c Monday 6th July: Applicants notified of EOI decision
Thursday 9th July: Detailed Application opens
Midday Thursday 6th August: Detailed Application closes
w/c Monday 21st September: Funding decisions announced
By Tuesday 29th September: Successful applicants provide required financial and governance evidence
By 30th October: Grants paid
Applicant organisations must fulfil the following criteria:
- Be a:
- Registered Charity
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Charitable Company (Limited by Guarantee)
- Community Interest Company; or
- a Constituted but Unincorporated Club or Association (i.e. you have a constitution but are not one of the other entities listed above)
- Already operating in Oxfordshire
- Income under £1 million
- At least one year of operation; if constituted for less than one year but active for longer, evidence should be provided
- Have a bank account in the organisation’s own name with at least two unrelated signatories, open for three months or more
- Have at least three trustees/committee members/directors who are not related to each other
- Have at least three months’ running costs in reserves (if there are more than 12 months’ reserves, an explanation may be requested)
- Up-to-date accounts – annual accounts for the financial year ending 31st March 2025, plus management accounts or an income/expenditure document covering the last 12 months, as provided most recently to your trustees/directors or equivalent
- Up to date monitoring and reporting to OCF for any previous grants received from OCF
The following costs are eligible:
- Project costs; all costs associated with delivering the proposed activity including:
- Staff costs (including staff doing delivery, and staff doing management and supervision)
- A proportion of organisational annual running costs that support project delivery (also known as “overheads” like insurance, training, energy bills)
- Monitoring and evaluation of the project
Costs incurred within the agreed grant period