A new initiative which aims to support the development of charities around the world will be launched at Oxford University in 2022.

The Oxford Institute of Charity (OIC) will support the charity sector by encouraging universities to dedicate more to the study and research of charities, organising high-profile events for academics and philanthropists, and helping to link up charities around the world to learn from one another.

The Institute will also draw on academic experts based at Oxford University to develop research to support the global charity community. Through all of this it hopes to raise awareness of key issues facing charities with government and the media, including feeding into government policy in this area.

The OIC is a collaboration between New College, Oxford University and a think tank specialising in the third sector called Charity Futures. The Institute is expected to open its doors at New College in the summer of 2022.

Sir Stephen Bubb, Acting Director of the Oxford Institute of Charity, said:

When there are so many divisions in society, civil society is needed more than ever. And when charities themselves face challenges, research and study of charity is particularly timely.

The Institute will make a major contribution to the sector I love and have worked in for some three decades.

Commenting on the launch, Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said:

I’m very pleased to see the launch of the Oxford Institute of Charity. As the size and influence of the charity sector has grown considerably, it’s right that the attention we give to understanding it also grows.

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