** Coming autumn 2026 **
The Skills for Impact Fund supports small charities and community organisations to invest in training and development for their staff, volunteers and trustees.
We know that limited funding often means training is postponed or treated as a “nice to have”, even when it could strengthen organisations and improve the quality of their work. Over time, this lack of investment can affect confidence, capacity and long‑term sustainability.
This fund is designed to help organisations build skills, strengthen leadership and develop confidence, enabling them to deliver their work more effectively and sustainably. By investing in people, we aim to support organisations to have a lasting and meaningful impact on the communities they serve.
We can fund practical training and development, including:
- Leadership or management development
- Trustee or governance training
- Finance, safeguarding or compliance training
- Project management or strategy development
- Accredited or non‑accredited training for staff or volunteers
- Facilitated team or strategy awaydays
This fund is designed for Oxfordshire’s smallest charities and community organisations.
Your organisation must be structured as follows:
- Registered Charity
- Charitable Incorporated Organisation
- Charitable Company (Limited by Guarantee)
- Community Interest Company
- Community Benefit Society
- A Constituted but Unincorporated Club or Association (i.e. it has a constitution but is not one of the other entities listed above)
It should also:
- Already be operating in Oxfordshire
- Have income under £250,000
Please also read our updated Grants Policy which sets out in detail the criteria that apply to all OCF grant-making.
The Skills for Impact Fund is to enable training only for your organisations staff, volunteers and trustees.
We will provide further information about the fund, including guidance notes and how to apply, closer to the round launch date.