GrantRadar

Oxfordshire County Council

Councillor Priority Fund

Each Oxfordshire county councillor has a £10,000 budget for 2025-2027 to award to community projects in their own division, and councillors can pool funds for larger projects. Charities, community groups (constituted or not), parish councils, schools and PTAs can apply for at least £500, but only with written support from their county councillor. Applications close at 5pm on 30 November 2026 and projects must be finished by 31 March 2027; funding is awarded on a rolling basis, so applying early is strongly encouraged.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
From £500
Deadline
43 days left
30 November
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Organisations with a committee and a constitution or appropriate rules setting out their aims and how they operate: registered charities; not-for-profit companies (including CICs and CIOs); constituted and non-constituted community or voluntary groups; town or parish councils and parish meetings; schools, academies or educational institutions; and parent teacher associations
  • Not eligible: individuals or sole traders, profit-making organisations, organisations not established in the UK, organisations that give funds to other charities, individuals or organisations, organisations at risk of closure or bankruptcy, and private limited companies with share profits
  • Projects must benefit communities in the supporting councillor's division of Oxfordshire, be inclusive, give good value for money, and be completed by 31 March 2027
  • Every application needs evidence of support from the local county councillor(s), as an email or letter from their Oxfordshire County Council address
  • Projects that change land or buildings need proof of landowner, ownership or planning permission

What it funds

Community projects that address recognised needs of local communities of Oxfordshire, such as:

  • Village hall refurbishment
  • Purchase of equipment
  • Community activities that are open to all
  • Play equipment for playgrounds
  • Provisions for food banks or community larders
  • Tree planting or community gardening schemes

councillors may also put funding towards small-scale highways and infrastructure projects, but only once agreed with the relevant county council services; these take much longer than 28 days to develop.

What it will not fund

  • Projects that duplicate an already existing service
  • Projects that do not have specific costs, timescales or end dates
  • Projects that seek to recover lost income
  • Perishable or single-use items for celebratory events
  • Projects that cannot evidence appropriate permissions from landowners or the planning authority (if required)
  • Activities which a statutory body is responsible for
  • Activities with a religious or political purpose
  • Holidays, trips or overseas travel
  • Activities that contradict the council's agreed policies, such as Equalities and Safer Recruitment, or fail to comply with statutory requirements such as health and safety legislation

How to apply

  1. Read the guidance and consult your Oxfordshire county councillor(s) about the project
  2. Get an email or letter of support from each councillor, sent from their Oxfordshire County Council email address
  3. Create an account on the council's grants system
  4. Complete the online application form in one go (it cannot be saved), uploading the evidence of councillor support, by 5pm on 30 November 2026
  5. The supporting councillor approves or declines the application before it is processed
  6. Grants of £5,000 or more need a grant funding agreement with the council

the council's application guide (odt) lists every question, with word limits, so you can draft answers first. Funding is awarded on a rolling basis, so applying early is strongly encouraged.

Have ready

  • Document or email showing you have discussed the project with each councillor
  • Full bank details (account name, sort code and account number), which must exactly match the organisation's account
  • Total project costs and a cost breakdown
  • An email address

projects that change land or buildings also need evidence of permission from the landowner, ownership, or planning permission.

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