International agency Oxfam announced today the creation of a £20,000 fund to support local groups fighting poverty in Oxford. Although Oxfam has given grants to city groups in the past, the establishment of this protected fund is a further recognition of its responsibility as a local employer to support anti-poverty work in the city where it was founded and is still based.

"Oxfam fights poverty all over the world, including in the UK," said Kate Wareing, Director for UK Poverty, Oxfam. "And although it is thought of a rich city, Oxford has pockets of serious deprivation: 10 of the city's 85 neighbourhoods are in the 20% most deprived areas in the UK1; and some groups in the city, including asylum-seekers and refugees, experience serious hardship and may rely on the support of local charities to meet their basic needs."

"I am delighted that Oxfam will now be able to work with community groups to tackle poverty in Oxford through the Corporate Social Responsibility Fund and I urge groups to find out more about the grants available through the fund," continued Ms Wareing.

Interested groups or charities should be working in the areas of livelihoods (including benefits advice and workers' rights), asylum, participation, gender equality or race equality issues. The maximum grant will normally be for £3,000; the grant cannot support individuals directly. For further details on how to apply, groups should email: ukpoverty@oxfam.org.uk. The closing date for applications is 31 May 2008.

The first meeting of the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (which was to become Oxfam) was held in Oxford in 1942 to help civilians affected by the Greek civil war. Oxfam started working to tackle poverty in the UK in 1996 and now runs anti-poverty programmes in England, Scotland and Wales.

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For more information contact:
Louie Fooks
Tel: 01865 473280
Mob: 077899 46562
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Notes for editors

1. Indices of Deprivation 2007 figures, produced by the Department of Communities and Local Government. The City of Oxford has 10 of its 85 'super output areas' (a geographical unit used to measure deprivation) in the 20% most deprived areas in the UK.

2. Oxfam's work in the UK. Oxfam works to overcome poverty all over the world. Millions of people in the UK don't have enough money to live on. Oxfam believes that in a rich country this is completely unacceptable. That's why we work in the UK.

Oxfam works to overcome poverty in the UK in three ways. We develop projects with people living in poverty to improve their lives and show how things can change. We raise public awareness of poverty to create pressure for change. And we work with policymakers to tackle the causes of poverty.

The focus of our work is ensuring that everyone in the UK has a secure income which gives them enough money to live on. We also tackle the discrimination which makes women, ethnic minority groups and others more vulnerable to poverty. And we work on public attitudes to ensure that people experiencing poverty are treated with dignity and respect.