In response to the Covid 19 pandemic, Oxfordshire County Council allocated funding from the Department for Health and Social Care Contain Outbreak Management Fund to support grassroots organisations across Oxfordshire with the aim to deliver activities that would help to reduce COVID-19 outbreaks and the spread of infection. Community First Oxfordshire (CFO) and Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action (OCVA) jointly administered the £256,000 pot of funds, using their reach into the voluntary and community sector to distribute funds to 26 groups and charities. The funding also came with dedicated support from a Community Development Programme Officer who adopted a ‘Grants Plus’ approach, providing capacity building as well as funds. The projects covered a wide range of themes from support for refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants; digital inclusion; under fives provision for children and families and youth activities; community food and transport; befriending and information/ guidance to Covid 19 type support which included elements of the other themes such as befriending, community transport, prescription/ food deliveries and exercise. Please click here to download the full report – CFO and OCVA Supporting Communities through Covid 19 Fund Report or view directly below to find out what happened and…
- Why a ‘grants-plus’ approach is important for supporting groups and charities in Oxfordshire
- What the grantees learnt delivering projects throughout the pandemic
- The impact of the projects on the people they supported
- Recommendation for what needs to happen to effectively support grassroots organisations and charities to continue to make a difference
In their own words…watch the videos below to hear grantees talk about their projects and the benefits of the Grants Plus approach. Supporting Communities through Covid 19 Fund: How the funding was used and the difference it made:
Supporting Communities through Covid 19 Fund: The benefits of a Grants Plus approach:
In their own words… read powerful, personal case studies telling the story of the difference the projects made to peoples lives in Oxfordshire.
Connect – Dora story Home-Start.
Barton Community Association Family Stories
Volunteer Link Up. Sophies story
Click the document below to scroll through the full report:
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