Our Grants Process
The Room funds exceptional small local charities working to improve the lives of women, children and young people across Oxfordshire.
We look for organisations with deep knowledge of the issues and communities they serve, whether gained through lived experience, professional expertise or both. Our grants are unrestricted, giving charity leaders the flexibility to use funding where it is most needed and invest in the long-term strength of their organisations.
Our annual grants cycle runs from autumn to late spring. Each year, we award one larger Impact Grant, which may be paid over one or several years, alongside Investment Grants to the other charities reaching the final stage of our process. The amount available for grants varies each year according to the size of our collective grants fund.
Members are involved at key stages of the process, from sharing their priorities through our Member Interest Survey and taking part in our Open Grants Meeting to selecting the recipient of our Impact Grant through the final Member Vote.
Our grants process is currently by invitation only. However, if you’re an Oxfordshire charity working with women, children or young people and meet our funding criteria, we’d be very happy to hear from you and learn more about your work.
Our grants process is outlined below, and you can read our Grants Process Policy here.
Who We Support
The charities we support typically:
- have an annual income of approximately £50,000–£1 million;
- are registered UK charities;
- have been operating for at least two years and have at least two years of accounts;
- support women, children and/or young people; and
- work in Oxfordshire for the benefit of local communities.
All charities we fund must operate inclusively and must not discriminate on the grounds of race, religion or political affiliation.
We have a FAQs page where you can find out more. If you still have questions please get in touch.
