Funder plus
In addition to our grant funding, we are committed to using all of our available assets to help our funded organisations
Applying for funding
Our rolling grants programmes closed to new applications in October 2024. We will open a new funding programme to applications in autumn 2025. This page outlines the application process for applicants who applied to the previous grants programme.
Funding closed to new applications
Having committed exceptional levels of funding to London’s charitable sector until 2026, we closed our rolling grants programmes to new applications in October 2024.
This closure allows us to manage our existing grants and pre-closure applications, while reviewing and developing our new funding policy. Our new policy, Standing with Londoners, was published in March 2025.
What’s on this page:
Standing with Londoners – our new funding policy
City Bridge Foundation has a new ten-year funding policy, called Standing with Londoners. Our new policy will focus on changing the systems that keep people marginalised, while also addressing the issues communities are facing right now. We will launch the first of our new funding programmes in autumn 2025.
Who we fund (archived)
What types of organisations are eligible to apply?
- A charity that was established and registered in the UK
- A registered charitable incorporated organisation
- A charitable company
- A registered charitable industrial and provident society (IPS) or charitable community benefit society (BenCom)
- A CIC (community interest company) limited by guarantee with at least three directors
- Constituted voluntary organisations can apply for our Small Grants programme, but not our other funding programmes.
An organisation that is both a limited company (usually a private company limited by guarantee) and a registered charity.
All charities with an annual income over £5,000 are recommended to register with the Charity Commission.
A co-operative that may be established by a geographical community or people with common interests.
The application process (archived)
Before our rolling grants programme closed to new applications, applicants completed an online application form. These five steps explain the application process and the information required to apply.
Step 1
The first step was to check you selected the most appropriate grant from our available funding programmes. All our rolling grant programmes are now closed to new applications.
Step 2
Our eligibility checker was a simple five-step check to to make sure your organisation met our basic eligibility criteria.
The eligibility checker is no longer available.
Step 3
Lastly, applicants completed an online form on our application portal. Help is provided at every step, with supporting information.
Applications must have been received by noon on Tuesday, 8 October 2024 to be considered for funding.
If you have an application in process, you can access it via our application portal.
Other useful links.
Step 4
As part of each application, we asked for a number of supporting documents. There is full guidance about supporting documents below. All applicants needed to supply a copy of their:
organisation’s constitution
safeguarding policy
most recent signed audited or independently examined accounts
relevant job description/s, including rate of pay, if your application included costs for any job roles of 17+ hours per week
monitoring framework — help included in the guidance
Step 5
After your online application and all supporting documents have been received, your application is reviewed by our team. As part of this assessment process, one of our team may contact you for more information.
We have seen a surge in the number of funding applications, and we are working hard to process as many applications as quickly as possible, but please plan on the basis of a decision taking seven months.
We are working to reduce this turnaround time and will post further updates here. Thank you for your patience.
Approval rates
The approval rate of applications to our rolling grants programmes has recently been between 75 to 90%, depending on grant programme. However, the recent increase in applications is well beyond our ability to fund, and this approval rate will fall.
Alternative formats
If you require our application form or related guidance notes in alternative formats, to make them more accessible, or require any type of adjustment, please contact us at funding@citybridgefoundation.org.uk or on 020 7332 3710 to discuss your needs.
Reapplication criteria (archived)
The closure of our rolling grants programmes in October 2024 affected reapplication criteria. To learn more please use the link below.
The following text about reapplication criteria is archived and no longer represents current practice
When can organisations re-apply?
Previous grant holders:
- At the end of your revenue funding you may apply for a further grant for a different purpose (i.e. one with significantly different outcomes) one year after we receive a final and satisfactory monitoring and evaluation report on the original grant
- If you wish to apply for the same purpose, you can do so two years after the final, satisfactory monitoring & evaluation report is received
- In the case of capital grants one year must have elapsed since the final payment of that grant and receipt of a satisfactory monitoring and evaluation report
Unsuccessful applicants:
- You can re-apply one year after the date that the original complete application was submitted. This date is included in the letter sent to you after the application has been considered
What we don’t fund (archived)
We cannot fund:
- Political parties
- Part political campaigning / lobbying
- Non-charitable activities
- Work which does not benefit those who live in Greater London
We do not fund:
- Individuals (except through selected strategic partners as part of a collaboration)
- Grant-making bodies to make grants on our behalf (except through our nominated agencies)
- Schools, PTAs, universities or other educational establishments
- Work taking place in schools, except for the delivery of non-statutory mental health services
- Medical or academic research
- Churches or other religious bodies where the monies will be used for religious purposes
- Hospitals or primary healthcare providers
- Community amateur sports clubs
- Projects which have already taken place or building work which has already been completed
- Statutory bodies, such as local authorities
- Profit-making organisations, except social enterprises
- Charities established/registered outside the UK
- Festivals or events which last no longer than a few days
- Activities or projects which incorporate an overnight stay
- Residential care services
- Residential facilities (except where they provide short-term emergency accommodation)
- CICs (community interest companies) limited by shares
- Vehicles (purchase or leasing)
Frequently asked questions (archived)
Frequently asked questions about City Bridge Foundation funding and grants
Frequently asked questions about City Bridge Foundation’s application portal
Leave a review
All grant applicants, whether successful or not, are welcome to leave an anonymous review of City Bridge Foundation at GrantAdvisor UK
Main image credit: wocintechchat.com
Grants awarded
Details of grants awarded and organisations funded by City Bridge Foundation