A new partnership is helping expand the reach of the Matthew Good Foundation’s Grants for Good programme, bringing another £12,000 each year to small non-profits making a vital difference across the UK.
The Oades Family Trust has become the latest partner to join Grants for Good, establishing a dedicated fund in the programme to direct charitable support to grassroots organisations across the UK. What makes this partnership distinctive is not just the funding, but the wider philanthropic purpose behind it.
The fund has been set up with a clear purpose: to cultivate philanthropy by creating meaningful opportunities for incoming generations of the family to engage with giving and community impact. Through the Grants for Good process, the family will be presented with applications from a shortlist of small charities each round, learning about the work each organisation does before voting on where the funding goes and how much each receives.
How the Oades Family Trust Partnership Works
The Oades Family Trust fund will run two rounds each year, with £6,000 available in each round. Three charities will be selected to receive grants, with individual awards ranging from £1,000 to £3,000 depending on how the family votes. Over the course of a year, that means up to six small charities receiving a total of £12,000 in unrestricted funding.
Grants for Good provides businesses and philanthropic partners with an accessible route to strategic charitable giving. Because the core costs of the programme are funded by the John Good Group, every pound contributed by the Oades Family Trust goes directly to the charities themselves. There are no administration fees or programme costs to absorb – the full amount reaches the organisations that need it most.
“As a family we were keen to make a contribution to small local charities that we could identify with and which were making a difference to people’s lives in local communities. The Matthew Good Foundation has helped us to realise that ambition by identifying and screening legitimate organisations that meet the criteria we proposed and thereby simplifying the whole process.”
Stewart Oades – Oades Family Trust
The First Grant Recipients
The first funding round took place in early 2026, with three organisations selected to receive £2,000 each. Together, they offer a glimpse into the breadth of grassroots work happening across the country.
Barefooted – Coventry
Barefooted uses movement, music, and storytelling to improve wellbeing in hospital settings, delivering creative sessions bedside across children’s wards, oncology units, and older care – engaging more than 1,100 patients, visitors, and staff in just two years. Their grant will support the expansion of this work across additional wards, a new staff wellbeing programme, and a festive performance co-created with families in hospital over the holiday season.
Bees & Refugees – Otford, Kent
Bees & Refugees uses beekeeping and nature-based activities to support the mental health and wellbeing of refugees, asylum seekers, and marginalised communities from a five-acre farm in Otford. Their grant will fund a series of workshops benefiting at least 75 people directly, alongside work experience days with local businesses, opening real pathways to employment and integration. Learn more.
Bearded Fishermen – Gainsborough, Lincolnshire
Bearded Fishermen is a volunteer-run suicide prevention charity operating a 24/7 peer support helpline and crisis response teams working directly alongside the police, fire service, and housing teams. Their grant will help establish a dedicated bullying helpline for under-18s, fund the recruitment and training of new volunteers, and support school assemblies and wellbeing ambassador programmes to intervene early.
With the first round now complete, the Oades Family Trust fund is already making a difference to UK communities. The second round will follow later in the year, bringing three more organisations into the fold.
To keep up to date with all the latest projects funded by this charitable partnership – visit the Oades Family Trust fund project feed on our website.
Grants for Good is open for more partnerships
The Oades Family Trust is the first external partner to join Grants for Good since the programme launched in 2021. In that time, through the John Good Group programme, it has awarded over £250,000 to more than 100 grassroots charities and non-profits.
Today, the Grants for Good programme receives up to 900 applications per quarter – all from UK-based organisations with annual incomes below £50,000.
For businesses seeking credible charitable partnerships that deliver measurable grassroots impact, Grants for Good offers a fully managed solution. 100% of partner funding reaches grassroots organisations that can be harder to access, with no fees or administration costs.
To explore partnership opportunities, contact Kathryn Biggin, Strategic Partnerships Manager at the Matthew Good Foundation.