Active Oxfordshire

Registered charity 1179040 · since 2018activeoxfordshire.org·Oxfordshire·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

2 weeks

Typical decision time

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Active Oxfordshire's stated geographic focus is Oxfordshire, so only groups working there are a fit.
Its three funds have different eligibility: the Community Outreach Active Travel Fund is open to charities, constituted community or resident organisations, Community Interest Companies and a limited range of statutory bodies, for projects within identified areas; the YouMove Early Years Small Grants Fund needs a group, organisation, setting or partnership with a clear Early Years focus, and does not accept individuals; the Safeguarding and Welfare Support Fund is open to sport or physical activity clubs and organisations based in the Oxfordshire County boundary that have a named Safeguarding or Welfare Officer, safeguarding policies reviewed within the last 3 years, and DBS-checked staff and volunteers.
Published ranges are £100 to £1,000 for YouMove and £500 to £1,000 for the Safeguarding fund, and the Active Travel fund states no amount, so keep requests within the relevant range.
Check the window first: Active Travel closes on 1 November and Safeguarding closes on 30 January, and the charity says decisions come within 14 days.
The Safeguarding fund decides on relevance, feasibility and anticipated impact, and YouMove may prioritise families eligible for or engaged with YouMove, so write your request around those points.

Overview

Active Oxfordshire is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1179040).

Active Oxfordshire is a charity whose objects are to promote community participation in sport and healthy recreation for the benefit of the inhabitants of Oxfordshire. It works with partners to reduce inactivity and make sport and physical activity part of everyone's lives in Oxfordshire. It co-ordinates the countywide YouMove programme, which provides low cost and free activities for families with children on benefit related free school meals, as well as children who are otherwise vulnerable. Its funds include grants of between £100- £1,000 for simple, practical local ideas, and £500 to £1,000 for clubs' and organisations' welfare and safeguarding work.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Active Oxfordshire's grants support locally delivered activity and participation. Its funding programmes back community projects that help people walk, wheel or cycle, practical ideas that enable Early Years children and their families to be more active, and clubs' and organisations' safeguarding and welfare work. The organisation's broader interventions focus on increasing physical activity opportunities for children and young people, older people, people living with health conditions or disabilities, and people affected by mental health difficulties. It works through local partners and community organisations, with place-based efforts concentrated on deprived neighbourhoods in Oxfordshire. Its approach values inclusion, accessibility, reducing barriers, responding to local needs, and developing safe, supportive environments for sport and physical activity.

Themes

Active travel
Early years activity
Safeguarding and welfare

Geographic Focus

Oxfordshire.

What they don't fund

Community Outreach Active Travel Fund only: Applications are invited from Charities, Constituted community/ resident organisations, Community Interest Companies (CIC) and limited range of statutory bodies (e.g. Parish Council or school); Projects must be within or serve those who are in one of the identified areas
YouMove Early Years Small Grants only:
- Individuals cannot apply in a personal capacity
- Applications must be made on behalf of a group, organisation, setting or partnership
- All applications must demonstrate a clear Early Years focus
- Applicants must be able to demonstrate appropriate governance, safeguarding arrangements, and permission or authority to manage and spend the grant funding
Safeguarding and Welfare Support Fund only: Applications are invited from all clubs and organisations delivering sport or physical activity and based within the Oxfordshire County boundary

How to apply

For the Community Outreach Active Travel Fund, applicants complete the application form and submit it by the fund deadline.

Deadlines: Each application round has a stated deadline.

Application windows:

Community Outreach Active Travel Fund: Launches on 1 October and applications close on 1 November.
Safeguarding and Welfare Support Fund: Opens on 1 November and closes on 30 January.

Who can apply:

Community Outreach Active Travel Fund: It will work with Charities, Constituted community/ resident organisations, Community Interest Companies (CIC) and limited range of statutory bodies (e.g. Parish Council or school).
Safeguarding and Welfare Support Fund
- Applications are invited from all clubs and organisations delivering sport or physical activity and based within the Oxfordshire County boundary.
- Clubs and organisations applying for the fund must have the following in place: A named Safeguarding / Welfare Officer. Current Safeguarding policies and procedures reviewed within the last 3 years. All relevant staff must have completed the appropriate safeguarding training within the last three years. Staff and volunteers are DBS checked in line with DBS Adult and Child Workforce.

What to send:

Safeguarding and Welfare Support Fund
- A description of the welfare project and its objectives
- Evidence of the need for the project and anticipated impact
- A breakdown of the projected costs
- A project timeline, including key milestones
- A brief explanation of how learning and impact will be measured
- Your club or organisation must complete a survey as part of the application.

Applying again: YouMove Early Years Small Grants Fund: One application per group, organisation, setting or partnership may be submitted in any six-month period.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The Community Outreach Active Travel Fund prioritises projects meeting at least one of its listed criteria.
YouMove may prioritise activity supporting Early Years families eligible for or engaged with YouMove.
Safeguarding and Welfare Support Fund decisions are based on relevance, feasibility and anticipated impact.
YouMove funded projects are asked to monitor their impact on the children and families they support.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Oxfordshire

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Active Oxfordshire.

Community First OxfordshireRollingGave £12,742 The Stanton Ballard Charitable TrustFixed deadlinesGave £148k Oxfordshire Community FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £2.5M Oxfordshire Homeless MovementNo public process Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary ActionRollingGave £1.1M The City of Oxford CharityFixed deadlinesGave £27,392 Ewelme Exhibition EndowmentRollingGave £91,366 The Oxford Diocesan Board of FinanceNo public processGave £1.6M Doris Field Charitable TrustRollingGave £326k Janet and Bryan Moore Charitable TrustRollingGave £44,000

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£922,911	£872,539	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£1,142,893	£1,197,746	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£1,262,864	£1,187,134	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£1,430,567	£1,238,878	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£2,139,931	£2,016,970	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.