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Step Change Fund

The Step Change Fund focuses on capacity building and strengthening of Oxfordshire's charitable sector. This fund is for charities with visionary leadership that realise they need to transform the way they are organised in order to create a more solid basis for delivering their core work. The Step Change Fund enables the local charitable sector to be stronger and more sustainable, and therefore better equipped to deal with the hard-hitting social problems faced by Oxfordshire communities. Step Change offers a unique proposition to grant applicants, with the support of a volunteer project manager included with every grant. The project manager, usually someone experienced in business strategy or management, will help you to develop a clear and fully costed plan to realise the step change that you desire. They will work alongside you through the duration of your project to support you in hitting targets and milestones. This fund does not offer core funding simply for the continuance of existing services; grants will be given for projects that can demonstrate realistic plans for increasing reach and impact and for building longer-term resilience for the future. The fund is particularly interested in projects that enable a 'step change' in impact or financial terms, and only funds projects that can demonstrate they bring substantial benefit to the lives of people in Oxfordshire who are facing disadvantage. The Step Change Fund has a three-stage application process, starting with an Eligibility Questionnaire, followed by an Expression of Interest Form, and finally a Detailed Bid Form before any grant is awarded.