The Oxford Community Impact Fund (OCIF) was established following a grant review conducted in 2021 to find better ways of supporting community groups and individuals to deliver projects for wider community benefit.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must:
- Operate on a not-for-profit basis
- Have a governing document
- Have a bank account with at least two signatories required to approve expenditure
- Be financially viable
- Deliver the funded activity in Oxford - see our boundary map
If after reading these pages you have any queries, please email the Grants Team: grants@oxford.gov.uk
How much is available?
The Oxford Community Impact Fund (OCIF) programme will run for a minimum of three years, starting in 2025-26, and will be reviewed annually. Currently there are 2 grant application strands:
Small Grants (2 rounds each year)
The total annual value of these grants is expected to be £84,000 per year. There will be a single pot which Small Grant applicants can bid against. Not for profit organisations can apply for up to £3,000 per round.
Big Ideas (3-year funding) Big Ideas grants page.
Big Ideas Grant has allocated funding of £338,000 per year. The application period for Big Ideas Grants 2025-26 to 2028-29 is now closed and we are not accepting further applications.
Small Grant
Applications for Small Grant Round 2 will open on Monday 15 September 2025 at 3pm - see our Small Grants page for details.
What we are looking to achieve
We are looking for this grant programme to help deliver the following key interconnected priorities, in line with the Council's Strategy:
- Support thriving communities
- Enable an inclusive economy
- Pursue a zero carbon Oxford - including sustainable projects in natural environments e.g parks, woods, meadows, rivers and allotments etc
We understand that you may feel that some of these priorities may not directly apply to you.
However, we are looking to encourage all our grant applicants to think about the wider impacts of their work, even if it's in small and modest ways.
