Funding Opportunities

• South Oxfordshire have a capital grant scheme open until July 25th for voluntary and community organisations to help build local thriving communities.
• Westhive supports community projects in West Oxfordshire. Local businesses, the council and other organisations can pledge money to crowdfund projects that improve local places. 
• Opening in August 2025, each South Oxfordshire district councillor has £7,500 to award to projects or services that offer community benefits in their ward area, budget permitting. See the South Ox Councilor Community Support Grants.
• Grants are available for new community centres in Cherwell through Community Association Grants. The Cherwell Lottery also supports the local community. 
• Oxford City Council has curated a variety of funding ideas and opportunities.  
• The trustees of the Doris Field Charitable Trust support a diverse range of charities and projects, ranging from small individual grants to contributions to large projects. Further details and application forms are available from Emily Greig.  
• The Special Projects Grant is a fund administered by CAG Project staff. It is available to all CAGs within the network. 
• Each year, Blenheim Palace provides funding to local charity and community projects.  
• OCVA provides funding advice to Oxfordshire voluntary organisations, sending out a weekly newsletter containing updates on available grants and funds.  

• ACRE’s Platinum Jubilee Fund provides grants of up to #75,000 to support 20% of the costs for larger improvement projects for rural community buildings such as full refits and extensions.
• Awards for All England funds projects that support people and communities across the UK and one of the criteria is ‘improving the places that matter to communities.’ 
• The Bernard Sunley Foundation supports village hall projects around the country but only assists registered charities. 
• Biffa’s Community Buildings Scheme supports projects within five miles of a significant Biffa Operation or within 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill Site. 
• Big Issue Invest offers loan finance to social enterprises and charities in England, for energy efficiency and renewable energy installations. 
• The B&Q Foundation supports UK registered charities with grants, volunteers and home improvement resources. 
• FCC Communities Foundation run a ‘Community Action Fund’ for England, to support community projects within 10 miles of a landfill site. 
• The Garfield Weston Foundation offer capital grants for halls, community centres and churches. 
• The Landfill Communities Fund is a scheme for funding community and environmental projects, predominantly within ten miles of landfill sites. You can use Entrust, the landfill regulatory body, to identify funders in your area. 
• The Midcounties Co-operative offer small ‘Local Community Grants’ and larger ‘Community Funding’ grants to community groups in the trading area. 
• The Morrisons Foundation offers grants to charities for capital spend. 
• The Postcode Society Trust awards unrestricted funds and grants, but projects must match at least one of the organisations funding themes. 
• The National Churches Trust offers grants for halls attached to the church building or as an extension- but not separate halls.  
• Reaching Communities England fund projects and organisations that work to make positive changes in their community. 
• The Screwfix Foundation offers small grants of up to £5,000 to local charities, including projects that fix, repair, maintain and improve properties and community facilities for the benefit of those in need.   

When preparing an application, it’s useful to note that:  

• Grant aiding bodies will want to see efficient forward planning of your project and evidence of the consultation that has taken place. 
• If an individual taxpayer or a company gives a lump sum donation of any size to a charity, the charity can reclaim tax from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on its ‘gross equivalent – its value before tax was deducted at the basic rate if a Gift Aid Scheme is used. 
• Routine repair and maintenance work is not usually eligible for grant aid. 
• All Councils expect the Town and Parish Councils to provide help for the project, and grant aid is only available for work which has not yet been contracted or started.   
• Keep your community informed of your plans and progress from the outset. Appeal for help ‘in kind’ as well as donations and fundraising support. There may be professional expertise or skilled labour you can call on! 
• Parish Councils may be able to apply for and pay for work on your behalf and claim VAT in return. Further information on this is available in our Affiliation Scheme toolkits.