The Didcot Powerhouse Fund Opens for Grants Applications

A new Fund with Didcot at its heart, The Didcot Powerhouse Fund will formally launch on 26 January 2022 by inviting community focused organisations inside the Didcot Garden Town Area of Influence to apply for grants. The theme for 2022 is ‘Supporting Children, Young People and Families as we Emerge from the Pandemic.’

The Didcot Powerhouse Fund is a ‘Donor Advised Fund’ and was founded to address inequality in Didcot, a town that has a mixed profile of neighbourhoods where affluent areas adjoin those with greater need, placing some of Didcot’s wards in the top 20% of the Index of Multiple Deprivation in England which encompasses seven key social measures.

Fuelled by financial donations from an initial core group of businesses and individuals in 2021, the Fund is managed by the Oxfordshire Community Foundation. An annual grant-giving process will be used to help community support bodies sustain their important work, sharing £80,000 across eligible organisations in 2022.

The Fund is keen to attract many more local business donors, churches and individuals to help fundraise, either by making donation or by offering their services or fundraising efforts in support. 

Donors already committed to The Fund are:

• Quantum: Didcot First, MEPC Milton Park and Soha
• Dynamo: Evotec, Harwell Campus and Ipsen
• Joule: Asda, CTS, Diamond Light Source, Hachette UK Distribution, Infineum, RWE and Reef Group
• Turbine (in kind support): Carbon Colour, Didcot Chamber of Commerce, Indigo Dingo, The Grey Square Studio, Rebellion and Syndicut.

Philip Campbell, Commercial Director for Milton Park commented “We are delighted the Fund will shortly be open for grant applications. Good luck to all those applying for the funds. We are looking forward to seeing the impact of the grants in due course. A huge thank you to all those companies that have donated so far. We hope that the fund will go from strength-to-strength attracting new donors and support.”

Richard Kennell, Director of charity SOFEA said “Even thought SOFEA is now too large to apply, we welcome this new source of funding for Didcot. We provide education, employment, and wellbeing programmes for vulnerable youngsters as well as tackling food insecurity. Funding is always a primary concern for charities such as ours to be able to plan forward.”

Ann Middleton, President of the Didcot Chamber of Commerce said “This is really positive news for Didcot and very soon we will be reaching out to invite Didcot businesses to engage with The Didcot Powerhouse Fund. I am confident there will be a willingness to support these collaborative efforts to build a better town for everyone to enjoy.”

Charities and community organisations can go to The Didcot Powerhouse Fund application to make an ‘Expression of Interest’ and the closing date for applications is 17 February 2022.

Oxfordshire Community Foundation – The Didcot Powerhouse Fund is held and managed by Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Charitable Incorporated Organisation no 1151621 (England & Wales).