One Community Foundation Limited

One Community Foundation Limited is an independent grantmaker founded to empower grassroots organizations and voluntary groups tackling social exclusion, disadvantage, and inequality in local communities through strategic endowment funds enabling long-term, place-based philanthropy. Core values emphasize inclusivity, stewardship, community cohesion, well-being, and resilience, with a philosophy rooted in harnessing local knowledge, convening power, and authentic partnerships to drive sustainable impact. They believe lasting change arises from strengthening voluntary sector backbone via capacity building, crisis response, and community-led initiatives prioritizing those closest to local needs.

They fund grassroots interventions addressing mental health through community counselling, peer support groups, and wellbeing programs combating anxiety, depression, and isolation; homelessness prevention via housing advice, emergency accommodation, and tenancy support; food insecurity through food banks and welcome centres serving vulnerable families; youth opportunities including after-school clubs, mentoring, skills training, and employability for young people facing poverty or exclusion; elderly care preventing isolation with befriending, day services, and social activities; family support encompassing maternal health, parenting programs for young women, and carer respite; social cohesion fostering integration for ethnic minorities via inclusive events and advocacy; poverty alleviation through financial hardship relief and crisis aid; arts and culture celebrating local heritage; and sustainable infrastructure like community centres. Supported activities include service delivery, therapeutic outreach, preventative early intervention, trauma-informed care, person-centred advocacy, creative arts therapy, sports programs, and seed funding for emerging social enterprises delivering holistic, evidence-based solutions.

They exclude core costs unrelated to project delivery, national organizations lacking local roots, and duplicative services; prioritize hyper-local grassroots charities, small voluntary groups, and social enterprises with lived experience leadership serving acute needs in borough communities like families in crisis, isolated elderly, care leavers, ethnic minorities, and homeless residents. Distinctive for hyper-local Kirklees focus, neutral donor brokering, and commitment to community resilience over top-down aid, favouring innovation in preventative, community-led models for marginalized groups.