Get involved with Participatory Grant Making
Whether you have an idea in the back of your head that you need some help to make a reality or you just need some funding to make your idea happen or carry on, we want to hear from you!
Spread the word – share this page with anyone you know who might have an idea or could make something amazing happen, with a little support.
Apply for funding - We are currently not open for funding applications but please keep an eye on this page for information about our next round of grant funding! Or send any questions to [email protected].
Donate to the fund and be part of this exciting work to put funding decisions in the hands of local people.
How does Participatory Grant Making work?
A key aspect of putting people in the lead is to give them control of the money that makes things happen. Across the world, participatory grantmaking has been used to shift power from funders to communities, and we have been inspired to test this approach locally.
We ran the first round of the Community Fund in 2021 with support from Lankelly Chase and local residents in Blackbird Leys and Northfield Brook. This supported local activities in some of the areas of Oxford that are most affected by poor social mobility.
By devolving power to residents and communities in this way, grantmaking can be much more effective and informed. Residents will often know what their community needs and can listen to find out when they don’t quite know. They can get people the support that they need quickly and efficiently. We are looking forward to working with other local partners to shift power in funding decisions to communities. We will be sharing our learnings from the programme as it evolves.
Read more about our approach and past projects we have funded here.
