Oxford City Council to pilot an innovative online grant-giving and fundraising platform

From January until March 2018, the City Council will offer local charities and communities groups grants of up to £1,000 through The Good Exchange.

In total, the City Council will provide £5,700 through the platform. Grants will be available to organisations based in Oxford that promote equality, community cohesion, health living, or tackle poverty and deprivation.

Local charities and community groups can apply for grants on The Good Exchange, those that meet the criteria will be automatically matched and shortlisted to the City Council – and to other grant givers with the same criteria on the platform.

Furthermore, only one application will ever be required for each charitable or community project on the Good Exchange, reducing the need for multiple applications.

The Good Exchange, which was created by The Greenham Common Trust in September 2016, also provides charities and community groups with the ability to manage fundraising events and public donations on the platform.

Oxford City Council provides £1.4m of grants every year to local charities and community groups. The grants are provided to organisations to help tackle inequality, deprivation and homelessness, and promote arts and culture.

Councillor Dee Sinclair, Board Member for Culture and Communities, said: “We are really excited to be working with The Good Exchange to help local charities and community organisations to fundraise more effectively. By offering our grants as match funding, we can give communities the extra boost that they need with their fundraising and it gives us an opportunity to create new partnerships with other funders and the voluntary sector.”

Ed Gairdner, Chief Executive of The Good Exchange, said: “It is great that we can help Oxford City Council to bring the community together to support the causes which matter the most to them. The Good Exchange is a great opportunity for local authorities to work in partnership with charitable trusts, local companies, philanthropists and the public to support charitable projects that make a difference and improve the lives of local people.” 

All applications for the City Council’s Small Grants Scheme, which is now open, should be made through The Good Exchange website.

Applications will be decided upon by the City Council as they come in, so charities and community groups are encourage to submit applications early. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date, 28 February 2018, or if the funding has been fully allocated before then.

For more information about eligibility criteria for funding please visit www.thegoodexchange.com and search for Oxford City Council’s Small Grants 2018 funding scheme.