Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action (OCVA) and Community First Oxfordshire (CFO) are excited to launch the Well Together Programme.
Well Together has now closed to new Expressions of Interest
What is Well Together?
Well Together is a grants programme, funded by the Integrated Care Board, which recognises the essential role that community and voluntary organisations play in addressing health inequalities at a local level. The programme will invest in community-led health and wellbeing activities and projects for all ages – children, young people, and adults. Well Together will provide funding and support for new and existing groups and organisations in 10 priority areas in Oxfordshire. Funding can be used to expand the reach and impact of current existing projects, or to establish new ones. As well as supporting with immediate health and wellbeing needs, the programme aims to address the root causes of preventable health conditions, enabling healthy independent living for longer, whilst helping to build more connected communities. Up to £100,000 is available to apply for until July 2024 in the 10 priority areas. We plan to award funds from April 2024 to November 2024, providing groups with a minimum of one year of funding before the programme closes in November 2025. Please see below for further information, including details on the priority areas, the eligibility criteria, examples of activities that may be funded and next steps.
We are progressing Expressions of Interest (EOIs) according to a place-based schedule – we are now only accepting EOIs for Central Oxford and Abingdon Caldecott.
We will close the EOI form at the end of July 2024.
The 10 priority areas
The Well Together Programme will provide funding for new and existing groups and organisations running activities in the following 10 priority areas in Oxfordshire:
- Abingdon Caldecott , Banbury Neithrop, Banbury Grimsbury, Banbury Ruscote , Barton, Blackbird Leys, Central Oxford, Greater Leys, Littlemore, Rose Hill
Well Together is mainly focused on hyperlocal projects. The majority of attendees would need to be from the priority wards for activities to be eligible for funding. In order to be considered for Well Together, any initiatives based outside of these wards would need to provide evidence of strong existing engagement in the area, or collaboration with existing groups based in the ward. There would also need to be a longer-term commitment to the area to ensure sustainability. As part of our follow-up, we will ask how you know there is demand for your project from the local community. The Well Together programme particularly seeks to support people who might be experiencing poorer than average health access and outcomes, including ethnic minority communities; people with learning disabilities; people with multiple health conditions; people experiencing homelessness; people affected by drug or alcohol dependency; Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities; vulnerable migrants; people who have undergone gender reassignment; people who are pregnant or on maternity leave; victims of modern slavery; people in contact with the justice system, and other groups experiencing exclusion.
Which health inequalities does Well Together aim to address?
Well Together aims to address inequalities identified by the NHS. These include:
- Ongoing maternity care, especially for Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities
- Mental health support for children, young people, and adults
- Early cancer diagnosis
- Preventing health concerns (such as chronic respiratory disease and high blood pressure) by increasing physical activity and promoting healthy eating
- Tackling obesity and encouraging healthy weight loss
- Encouraging people to look after themselves and stay healthier for longer
- Supporting people to stop smoking
- Reducing harmful drinking or drug behaviours
- Helping children to access dental healthcare
The above areas have been selected as they can have the biggest impact on avoidable mortality, helping to narrow health inequalities.
What kind of activities might be funded?
Well Together will fund activities which help to address the health inequalities mentioned above. The fund is available for new activities, or to support groups and organisations to scale up existing activities. Funding is available for at least one year for Well Together examples of activities include, but are not limited to:
- Community initiatives to support healthy eating, such as community larders, mentoring groups, cooking classes, breakfast or afterschool clubs
- Support for parents, mothers and babies, including parent mentoring groups
- Initiatives to promote physical activity, including exercise classes, sports clubs, cycling groups and walking groups
- Activities to support mental health and wellbeing, including community cafes, and walking and talking groups
- Activities which support connection and relieve isolation, including befriending schemes, bereavement support groups, and initiatives encouraging connectedness (such as arts and crafts clubs, community gardening or coffee mornings)
- Life skills mentoring sessions or campaigns,including a focus on health and wellbeing
- Support groups helping people to stop smoking, or which help to reduce harmful drink or drug behaviours
- Initiatives or campaigns supporting community members to attend health checks and receive vaccinations
Please note that funding will only be awarded for regular or ongoing activities, such as weekly, fortnightly, or monthly sessions over a sustained period. Well Together will not fund one-off or short-term events. We recommend that groups focus on 1-2 activities within their application.
What can be covered in our budget for Well Together?
As part of their follow-up, the Well Together team will ask for a budget breakdown for the proposed activities. Funding can go towards costs directly associated with providing the activities, including staff costs to run the activity, volunteer expenses, overhead costs (such as rent and venue hire), publicity costs, and small essential equipment costs. We cannot cover larger capital costs). Funding can go towards costs directly associated with providing the activities, including ongoing running costs, project costs (including staffing), essential equipment, and promotional costs.
How much funding can groups apply for?
We anticipate that the average grant provided to groups and organisations is likely to be in the region of £3,000-£15,000. However, there may be scope for larger grants for activities offered in multiple wards. that address multiple health inequalities, and/or which are present in more than one of the key areas listed. We also encourage hyper-local, smaller groups to apply for funding, which may be less than £3000. The Well Together team will be creating funding plans for each ward, covering a range of health priorities and demographic groups. The amount that we are able to allocate will depend on the number of applications we’ve received in the ward, the impact of the proposed activities, and the priorities in local area.
What is the eligibility criteria to apply for Well Together?
To be considered for Well Together, groups need to meet the following criteria:
- Be operating in at least one of the priority areas. Well Together is a predominantly hyperlocal programme, which welcomes applications from groups with strong existing engagement in the priority wards.
- Be a non-for-profit group or organisation. Funding can be allocated to the following types of organisations: charities, community interest companies (CIC), registered companies with charitable status, co-operative community benefit societies, social enterprises, and community groups. Where informal community groups exist that are addressing health inequalities in the key areas, we recommend seeking out an eligible ‘host’ organisation who can jointly apply with you, acting as a collaborative partner or to provide governance for an informal community group. Well Together will not fund private organisations or individuals.
- Be submitting an idea for an activity which supports health and wellbeing within the community, and which meets locally identified needs and priorities.
If you aren’t sure if you meet the eligibility criteria and want to discuss your project with us before applying, please contact the Well Together team, who will be happy to help.
What are the requirements for reporting?
Showing the impact that community-based activity can have on preventing ill health and reducing inequality is an important part of the Well Together programme. If you are awarded funding, you will be asked to engage with collecting data and measuring the impact of your work. The Well Together team will support with this process, ensuring groups and organisations can focus on the delivery of activities. The monitoring process will include:
- A mid-point and end of programme survey, providing an overview of the number of activities delivered, attendance at activities, and working with attendees to identify other impact measures most suited to your group and activity.
- Sharing a short, optional questionnaire with attendees, which will be anonymous.
- Working with us to gather stories of impact.
We will also be looking for groups and organisations in each area who are open to more in-depth focus groups and case studies – which will be created in partnership with the relevant organisations. If you would be interested in participating, please let us know in the Expression of Interest form.
What support is available from the Well Together team?
Groups and members of the community are encouraged to come forward with their ideas and any questions about Well Together or the application process. The Well Together team can provide support with the application process where needed. The team will offer ongoing support at the later stages of the programme, for example helping organisations to gather stories of impact, advising groups on how to reach a wider audience, supporting ongoing collaboration, and helping to signpost groups and organisations to further networks and support.
How is Well Together working in partnership with the Community Insight Profile work?
The Well Together programme is working in partnership with the existing Community Insight Profile programme of work in the 10 priority areas across Oxfordshire where people are more likely to experience health inequalities. In addition to the Well Together funding, there is currently £25,000 of Community Insight Profile grant funding available in Littlemore and Central Oxford to take forward activities based on the outcomes as detailed in the Community Insight reports (provided by Oxfordshire County Council). If you apply for funding through either the Community Insight Profile grant fund or the Well Together Programme your application may be considered for either one of the two funding streams. Please note that the two funds have different criteria and selection process which can be found on the individual websites. Further details of the Community Profile Fund can be found here Community Insight Profile Grant Funding – Oxford City Council. The Community Insight Grant funding will be working with the steering groups to help them reach a decision on which projects will be funded. They will need to share summary information about your organisation and your application with these groups to enable us to do this. Any sharing of information between organisations and partners will be for the purposes of consideration for the two funding streams and your personal details will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (2018) and will not be used for marketing.
What are the next steps, and how do I apply?
We are progressing Expressions of Interest according to a place-based schedule – we are no longer accepting new applications for activity in Blackbird Leys/Greater Leys, Barton, and Littlemore. We anticipate closing the EOI form for all 10 wards by the end of July 2024. A member of the Well Together team will be in touch to follow-up on your application. The follow-up process will involve:
- supporting you to define the specific 1-2 activities that you’d like to deliver through Well Together,
- understanding how your activity meets priorities identified within the local community and the criteria for Well Together
- exploring potential partners and collaborators
- assessing the budget.
Once your activity is clearly defined, we’ll need to know how your group or organisation meets the following requirements:
- a bank account in the group’s name
- Relevant policies and procedures linked to the activity (e.g. safeguarding, health & safety, diversity and inclusion) and insurance
- your governance
We can signpost to further support for this where needed. The Well Together team will work with local networks as part of their process for developing Well Together funding plans in each local area. The first 20% of the Well Together funds have been allocated, with further funding being released later in June/July. There will be ongoing conversations at a local level, identifying remaining priorities for the community which may require further support. We aim to distribute all funds by November 2024. The Well Together programme will close in November 2025. If you have any questions or if you need the application form in a different format, please email [email protected] or telephone: 01865 251946. You can read the Oxford City Council Privacy Policy at: Our Data Protection Policy | Oxford City Council You can read Oxfordshire County Council’s Privacy at: Privacy notice | Oxfordshire County Council The Well Together Programme is administered jointly by OCVA and CFO. OCVA’s privacy policy can be accessed here: Privacy Policy – Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action (ocva.org.uk) and CFO’s here: Privacy Policy | Community First Oxfordshire (communityfirstoxon.org) 
