Stanton Ballard Charitable Trust

The Stanton Ballard Charitable Trust embodies a legacy of local philanthropy, founded to perpetuate Oxford businessman's commitment to uplifting Oxfordshire communities through selfless volunteerism by unpaid local trustees. Core values prioritize pragmatic responsiveness to diverse human needs, community service, and flexible grantmaking that delivers immediate, tangible benefits via grassroots interventions. They believe change arises from practical, property-sustained support empowering statutory and voluntary agencies to address root causes of hardship, fostering resilience through direct aid to individuals and organizations rooted in local knowledge.

They fund poverty relief and financial hardship support for families in crisis, including emergency food provision and energy cost assistance; homelessness prevention through housing associations, outreach services, and drop-in centres for homeless people; mental health and wellbeing services via dedicated teams offering counselling, therapeutic activities, and peer support groups for those with ill health or isolation; disability support encompassing household equipment, gardening projects, and practical aids for people with physical disabilities or complex health needs; family support programs like Home-Start schemes providing mentoring, befriending, and carer respite for parents navigating poverty or disability; youth work including employment training, mentoring projects, and after-school activities for children and young people at risk of exclusion; older people services addressing social isolation through community outreach and day services; addiction recovery and post-prison reintegration via organizations like ACT Oxford; women's ministry and advocacy; and community development through advice centres, social services, religious groups, and schools delivering person-centred, community-led interventions for immediate relief and sustained wellbeing.

They exclude non-local charities outside Oxfordshire communities and individuals lacking agency referrals, avoiding complex restrictions to maintain flexibility. Distinctive for hyper-local focus on Oxford and neighbourhood residents—prioritizing vulnerable families in crisis, isolated elderly, homeless individuals, disabled people, children and young people in poverty—they champion grassroots organizations with proven direct impact, valuing practical, evidence-informed approaches over innovation, with no faith-based requirements but openness to religious groups enhancing community cohesion.