Oxfordshire Community Foundation

Who we are

Oxfordshire Community Foundation is a charity that builds thriving communities through effective philanthropy, matching investment to the needs of small charities. We fund around 200 grassroots charitable organisations each year, giving around £2 million annually to tackle priority issues. 

Our culture and values

Our small team covers our core functions of grant-making, financial management and donor care. We are focused on providing a first-rate service with a personal touch to our donors and local charitable organisations. 

We have a set of five values that were devised in collaboration with OCF staff, supporting our goal to be the gold-standard in grant-making.

Applying insight - We invest time and money to understand the hidden needs in Oxfordshire and the impact of our funding. We are thoughtful and objective when allocating grants and we are transparent in explaining how we made our decisions.  

Supporting others - We exist to help community groups to thrive and to help donors give effectively. We strive to provide a professional service with regular, open communication. We review our work and seek feedback to check it is easy to work with us.

Being fair  - We want everyone who interacts with us to feel warmly and equally welcomed. We believe that making our services accessible is a key part of being a community funder. We are committed to tackling inequality in Oxfordshire. 

Always learning  - We enter every conversation with the assumption that there is always more for us to learn. We actively guard against complacency or arrogance settling in. We welcome people pointing out our blind spots in the spirit of learning.

Thinking long-term  - We are committed to Oxfordshire for the long-term and we want to make sure future generations can flourish here. We use our funds to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, as well as today.