Oxfordshire Community Foundation
About
Oxfordshire Community Foundation is a charity that builds thriving communities through effective philanthropy.
For over 25 years we’ve improved lives and tackled inequality by investing in our dynamic charitable sector. We distribute around £2 million in grants every year across Oxfordshire. We work with philanthropists, businesses and the public sector, pooling funds to make a bigger difference together.
Team Members
Content
Join us to help disadvantaged people in Oxfordshire this winter
Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) have launched an appeal to raise £60,000 towards its Living Essentials Fund. The Living Essentials Fund will help the most disadvantaged people in our county who are struggling to afford the basics – housing, food and warmth. Grants will be made to grassroots charitable organisations across Oxfordshire working to support them […]
Businesses urged to join together to make Oxfordshire a better place...
The new Oxfordshire Collective Business Fund is a way for businesses to make a genuine difference to communities by investing in local charitable organisations.
Grants of up to £25k available for Oxfordshire charities encouraging healthier...
Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s Healthy Hearts grants aim to improve cardiovascular health by funding charitable organisations that are promoting positive behaviour, such as increased physical activity and reduced smoking.
Donate your unwanted laptops to those in need
The Getting Oxfordshire Online partnership is encouraging businesses to donate unwanted laptops to be refurbished and passed to disadvantaged school students, older people and job seekers across the county.
Responsible Business
Businesses have a responsibility to their communities, to be supportive and at the very least not actively cause harm. Here you will find content relating to businesses being a Force for Good, supporting charities and their local communities.
Digital Inclusion
Digital exclusion is not just a Covid-19 issue! However, the pandemic has highlighted that lack of online access is a serious issue that limits people’s life chances and wellbeing. As we come out of lockdown, we must not lose focus on this ongoing problem.
Oxfordshire Community Foundation opens search for Chair
Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) is seeking a Chair with the enthusiasm and ability to enable the foundation to succeed in reaching the next stage of its development.
Digital Poverty
Many of us take connection to the internet for granted…we have phones, laptops and plenty of them. We all know what it’s like when we lose our mobile or, heaven forbid, internet connection. So imagine living in a world where you don’t have a phone, a laptop or internet connection… how would you get by?
Digital Poverty
On this episode of The Business Brunch guests will be discussing the issue of Digital Poverty in the UK, as 2020 illustrated the need for better connectivity for many who are now WFH or taking classes online.
Digital Poverty
On this episode of The Business Brunch guests will be discussing the issue of Digital Poverty in the UK, as 2020 illustrated the need for better connectivity for many who are now WFH or taking classes online.
Charity warns of epidemic of loneliness in Oxfordshire as lockdowns reduce...
A new report from Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) suggests that loneliness is driven by feelings of disconnection from civic life rather than distance from people, with urban residents most likely to feel lonely. It says charities are reporting increased demand for support.
Requests for COVID-19 charitable funding soar as philanthropists urge people to...
Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s latest grants round, opened last week in response to lockdown 3, has been overwhelmed with applications from local charities, indicating a great continued frontline need. The charity and its donors are therefore appealing for the public to give in support of this response.
Why should a white guy care about diversity? And what can...
I grew up feeling like a bit of an outsider. I have carried that with me throughout life, and always tried to think about who isn’t here, or who we aren’t talking about or including. That can be a challenging question, but I think it’s an important one for all organisations and people to think about.
The B4 NEXUS Webinar hosted by Adrian Sell
B4 NEXUS webinars give local charities, social enterprises and up and coming businesses the opportunity to tell us more about what they do and how they work. They’re also an opportunity to hear from experts with advice for third sector organisations to help them develop and flourish.
A Focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
I was delighted to co-host the B4 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion live broadcast at the Ashmolean Museum. The purpose of the initiative was to help organisations and its people to thrive through putting a spotlight on this increasingly important topic.
B4 Community Building Day
It’s B4 Community Building Day at B4. So we’re highlighting some recent and not so recent articles and press releases posted by B4 members over the past year or so.
B4 Responsible Business Day
It’s Responsible Business Day at B4. So we’re highlighting some recent and not so recent articles and press releases posted by B4 members over the past year or so.
Help close the education gap with our match fund
Every pound donated up to £30,000 will be doubled to help disadvantaged communities improve children’s school readiness with our match-funding initiative on The Good Exchange. The match starts on Giving Tuesday and runs for the next 10 months.
OCF names Adrian Sell as CEO
Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Adrian Sell as CEO.
Closing the attainment gap: the importance of reading event
With Oxfordshire already facing a larger attainment gap at age 16 than the rest of England, what will the impact of lockdown be?
Age Friendly Banbury helping you Connect!
Age Friendly Banbury partners are involved in a joint project to support local people to get connected and answer their technology questions.
The Westgate Fund enables John Lewis to be a good neighbour...
The Westgate Fund was established in 2017 with a £125,000 donation from John Lewis, and is held and managed by Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF). Since then it has funded 18 different community initiatives across Oxford.
Age Friendly Banbury pop-up on International Day of Older Persons
Age friendly partners are holding an event at Banbury market on Thursday 1st October 9am to 2pm to celebrate International Day of Older Persons.
Charity appeals to public to plug £30k funding gap for local...
In August, Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) invited small charities and community groups to apply for up to £2,000 of grant funding to support grassroots responses to the pandemic. The scale of applications received shows that the immediate crisis is far from over, and that communities urgently need more financial support.
An audience with Mark Beard of Beard Construction
Throughout its 125 year history, Beard Construction has prided itself on building relationships as well as buildings and perhaps the three words that best describe the way in which they do everything are friendly, efficiency and committed.
What I have learnt about Oxfordshire with Jayne Woodley of Oxfordshire...
What I have learnt about Oxfordshire with Jayne Woodley of Oxfordshire Community Foundation
Long-term hope for homeless in Oxford in response to Covid-19
Two projects, supported by funds raised through Oxford Homeless Movement, are aiming to help homeless and vulnerably housed people transition successfully from emergency Covid-19 accommodation to an independent life in their own self-supported housing.
NEXUS Webinar Series with Mark Beard, Richard Venables, Jayne Woodley and...
Join us for the first in a series of NEXUS webinars where we will hear from Mark Beard, Patron of NEXUS and High Sheriff in Nomination for shrieval year commencing April 2022, former High Sheriff, Richard Venables, Jayne Woodley of OCF and Grant Hayward, who is well known to businesses across both organisations and will remain proactively involved in the future development of NEXUS.
Coronavirus: OCF launches new Community Resilience Fund for Oxfordshire
Unlocking the power of our community to respond better and recover stronger during this crisis.
We’ve made it! Donor makes up the shortfall!
Last week we announced that we were just short of our target of £150,000 and guess what? A generous donor stepped forward and made up the shortfall so that we’ve made it!
Working with Oxfordshire County Library
Oxfordshire County Library has signed the charter and pledged their support to Oxford Homeless Movement.
Prevention is always better than cure
Partners in Oxford Homeless Movement are continuing ground breaking work to prevent people from becoming homeless by helping them before they reach crisis point.
Help for people experiencing rough sleeping this Christmas
Partners in the Oxford Homeless Movement are providing services for people experiencing homelessness over the Christmas period.
Working together to provide accommodation and services for people sleeping rough...
Partners in Oxford Homeless Movement are working together to provide accommodation and services for people experiencing rough sleeping in Oxford this winter.
Christmas Match Fund doubles the difference your donations will make to...
Residents, visitors and workers in Oxford who want to help people experiencing homelessness can double the difference their money will make by donating to Oxford Homeless Movement this Christmas.
We believe businesses can help a city solve homelessness
Oxford Homeless Movement, an exciting new citywide partnership, is launching on Thursday 10 October. This is an innovative, inclusive Movement aimed at reducing rough sleeping in Oxford which includes local homeless charities, housing providers, Oxford City Council, health providers, funding bodies, community-based organisations and businesses.
Committed to making Banbury Age Friendly
Following last year’s launch event, Age Friendly Banbury is strengthening our commitment to making Banbury become one of Britain’s first age-friendly towns.
Tampon Tax funding reaches Oxfordshire as projects helping women and girls...
More than 400 local projects across the UK working with some of society’s most vulnerable women and girls have received a much-needed funding boost from their local community foundation. In Oxfordshire, four local charities have received over £31k to give girls and young women mental health counselling, empower them to overcome the trauma of sexual violence, and support isolated mothers.
Make a bigger gift to tackle homelessness in Oxford this Christmas
The city of Oxford has one of the most severe rough sleeping and homelessness problems in the UK. We know that on any one night, there are around 100 people sleeping rough in the city, and many more individuals and families in precarious accommodation such as bedsits, friends’ sofas or hostels. The disturbing sight of people sleeping on the streets is just the tip of the iceberg – and we believe we can do better.
Westgate Fund celebrates £14k in grants made to local charities
One year on from the opening of the new Westgate shopping centre in 2017, Oxfordshire Community Foundation is celebrating grants given to five different local charities from the charitable fund established by John Lewis and Partners.
Community foundations across the UK launch Tampon Tax Community Fund
Oxfordshire Community Foundation is helping to allocate funds generated from the VAT on sanitary products to charitable projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls.
Government and National Lottery backed #iwill Fund supported by Oxfordshire Community...
Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF), funded through the #iwill Fund, is working in partnership with not-for-profit, online matching cloud platform.
Community foundations support Office for Civil Society in revitalising trusts to...
The Revitalising Trusts initiative, announced yesterday in the Government’s Civil Society Strategy, will provide a huge boost to local charities by distributing funds from inactive trusts to good causes.
£5 million boost to Thames Valley charities
Small local charities across the Thames Valley have received almost £5 million from four community foundations following a record-breaking year.
Banbury citizens invited to have their say to make the town...
Banbury needs you – to help ensure the town is doing the best it can for older people.
Step Change Fund boosts infrastructure of three more leading community organisations
Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s Step Change Fund has just awarded a total of £146,690 to three local charitable organisations that are leading the way in their fields. The grants will support infrastructure developments that will create radical improvements to the groups’ ability to address issues such as mental health and social cohesion.
Whole community comes together to celebrate diversity
The High Sheriff congratulated 12 different charities and local groups at OCF’s Community Integration Awards last night. The event was a vibrant celebration of different communities coming together.
Thanks a billion! Community foundations hit the one-billion-pound mark
Local charities make up the lifeblood of our communities. They make a daily difference to millions of people. That’s why community foundations across the UK are proud to announce, on Local Charities Day, that collectively we have distributed One Billion Pounds to local charities.
John Lewis launches new fund for Oxford
At an event to celebrate #GivingTuesday last night, John Lewis Oxford’s Branch Manager Julie Blake announced the launch of the Westgate Fund.
Local business choir performs in support of youngsters with autism
Employees of ten local businesses were trained to sing as a choir in a matter of hours, before performing in front of their colleagues and clients at a glittering dinner at Blenheim Palace. The event raised over £7,000 for a charity that uses orchestral music to engage children with autism.