Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged.

 

History: The resources of Oak Foundation originated from an interest in the Duty Free Shoppers business which Alan Parker helped to build. Today, the Foundation comprises a group of philanthropic organisations based in various countries around the world.

 

Oak Foundation was formally established in 1983. Early grants were made in Denmark to organisations supporting single mothers and torture victims (1983) and in Zimbabwe to groups supporting vulnerable children and families, primarily at a community level (1984). Grants continued to be made annually in a range of countries until a new phase for Oak Foundation began in the early 1990s, when annual grant-making began to increase and staff were hired to run substantive programmes.

 

The first two programmes to get underway were Environment and Child Abuse, followed by four other programmes – Housing and Homelessness, International Human Rights, Issues Affecting Women and Learning Differences. There is also a Special Interest Grants Programme, which funds medical research and various other efforts identified by the Trustees that do not fall into the other programme  areas, and two national programmes in Denmark and Zimbabwe.

 

Since its establishment, Oak Foundation has made over 2,700 grants to not-for-profit organisations across the globe. Oak Foundation has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and a presence in eight other countries: Belize, Bulgaria, Denmark, Ethiopia, India, the UK, the US and Zimbabwe.

 

Partnerships:We value partnerships, both as a funder and as a grant-maker. As a foundation, we participate in the US-based Council of Foundations, the European Foundations Centre and selected groups of donors in areas related to our six programmes. (Visit our Memberships and Associations page for a complete list.)  As a grant-maker, we encourage our partners to work together to leverage programme strengths and resources. 

 

 

The following principles apply to the whole portfolio of our grants. While each programme has its own areas of focus, as a whole, we adhere to six funding principles. These include funding initiatives that:

 

Target root causes of problems

Are replicable either within a sector or across geographical locations

Include plans for long-term sustainability

Have secured co-funding

Strive to collaborate with like-minded organisations

Value the participation of people (including children) and communiti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Financial & Grants Management

Budget Preparation	Steps to be taken while Applying for Grants
Bank Reconciliation	Letter of Intent
AdvancesÂ	Capacity Building
Cost Effective Analysis	Concept Note
How to choosea Bank	Bank Accounts
Cash and Fund flowÂ	Asset RegisterÂ
Financial Statements	Cash and Acrual based AccountingÂ