Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do we do?  Oxfordshire Community Foundation manages grant giving on behalf of donors of charitable and social funds, by receiving, vetting, processing applications and monitoring the organisations receiving the donations.
2. What makes us different? Oxfordshire Community Foundation aims to deliver best value for the donations by addressing social needs using a grant panel close to those needs who understand the priorities of the communities in which they live. This is unique to the Community Foundation movement, we are at the forefront of this movement by using a panel for multiple donation sources and so maximising the ability of the panels to target varying needs presented by the applications.
3. What vetting do we do in relation to applications? Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s vetting procedure checks the authenticity of the organisations who apply for funds, checking proper constitution, proper accounting records and bank accounts, in addition we will ensure that the organisation has proper policies relevant to their sphere of activity (eg equality, diversity and child protection).
4. What do the grant panels do?  The grants panel are geographically represented and members are drawn from the voluntary sector and the local communities. They meet regularly over the year and consider vetted applications and make decisions/recommendations about every application.
5. Would I lose control of my charitable giving? No, whilst Oxfordshire Community Foundation acts as an administrator of the donation process, the decisions about the focus of the donations or individual donations themselves would still be controlled by you, the donor.
6. What can Oxfordshire Community Foundation do for me?  We provide a tailored service based upon the donors requirements, including managing all aspects of charitable donations (either capital or income/flow through).
7. Would my donations be geographically limited to Oxfordshire? Yes.
8. Can I give anonymously?   Yes, any fund established by you can either be anonymous or have your name or company name attached to it.
9. What can I do for Oxfordshire Community Foundation? In simple terms, channel all or part of your charitable giving through the Community Foundation, by:
   1. establishing a charitable fund or committing an amount of income to support the charitable and social need of Oxfordshire or
   2. making a donation to Oxfordshire Community Foundation direct for its own permanent fund to be applied by our trustees

“Remember! You are not giving to OCF but through it!”