Ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of resources, opportunities, and economic benefits in society so that all Londoners can thrive by tackling poverty, reducing income gaps and wealth inequalities.
Economic Justice
In London, too many people are struggling financially, forced to make hard choices between essentials such as food and heating, and struggling to cover the costs of rent and bills. Low pay, insecure work, and inadequate social security levels mean that incomes are no longer sufficient to meet the rising costs of essentials. Arrears and debt are too common a day-to-day reality. At the same time, inequality means wealth is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Whilst these might look like isolated issues, we believe they have common root causes and drivers.
Economic injustice falls unequally across London’s communities; most of the time, those most affected are already facing inequality due to racism, disability, gender, class, migration status, age, health, or other forms of discrimination and exclusion.
Addressing the root causes of economic injustice
Tackling economic injustice requires more than responding to immediate hardship. We need to highlight and challenge the policies, practices, power dynamics, and mental models that create these structures. Everyone should have the foundations of a dignified life, where economic systems support prosperity and wellbeing, and where resources, opportunities and power are equally distributed across society.
We believe the people most affected by these challenges are best placed to shape the solutions.
The Economic Justice programme sits within our ten-year funding policy, Standing with Londoners. As London’s largest independent funder, we’re continually learning from the organisations, communities and partners we work with, and our funding will continue to evolve in response to emerging needs and opportunities.
Funding opportunities
We are not currently receiving applications.
We’ll share details of future funding opportunities on this page as they’re confirmed.
Sign up for our newsletter for updates
While this funding programme is still in development, we’re not able to respond to enquiries. From September 2026, we’ll offer webinars and pre‑application support sessions. Please keep an eye on our website for the latest information.
Programme team
Our Economic Justice team assess applications and manages grants, working closely with applicants, funded organisations and partners to strengthen our offer, gather feedback and identify emerging trends and opportunities across the sector.
Meet the Economic Justice team
- Lily Davies, Programme and Partnerships Lead (maternity cover for Abigail Sommers)
- Hannan Ali, Programmes and Partnerships Manager
- Matt Robinson, Programmes and Partnerships Manager
We are currently working with People’s Economy to help develop and shape this funding programme. People’s Economy brings expertise in economic change and experience of working with communities and funders.
Funded work, stories and updates
In May 2026, City Bridge Foundation awarded £500,000 to ‘Making London Work for All’ – a three-year, London-wide partnership between Citizens UK, Living Wage Foundation, Trust for London, the Greater London Authority, and City Bridge Foundation.
We’ve co-funded this partnership, working with London’s civic and employer institutions to improve pay, hours, and job security for thousands of workers.
City Bridge Foundation has also contributed to a number of co-funded initiatives working to tackle economic injustice for Londoners:
Communities for Children (BBC Children in Need)
Alongside the National Lottery Community Fund, Pears Foundation, and BBC Children in Need, City Bridge Foundation has committed £1.09m to this £15m+ UK-wide programme. Together, the partners are supporting community-led approaches to tackling child poverty and improving outcomes for children and young people living in the most economically deprived areas.
Disability Justice Fund (Trust for London)
City Bridge Foundation has committed £3.62m to this fund, which supports Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPPOs) in strengthening the disability justice movement in London.
Racial Justice Fund (Trust for London)
Alongside Lloyds Bank Foundation and Trust for London, City Bridge Foundation has committed £2m to support the economic empowerment of Black and racialised communities in London.
Local Resilience Fund (Smallwood Trust)
City Bridge Foundation committed £864k to this £1m partnership with Smallwood Trust, which focuses on tackling gendered poverty in Hackney and Newham through community-led grantmaking, collaboration, and systems change, alongside three other place-based networks outside London.
Stay updated
Applications for the first round open in September 2026. We will update this page and share news via our newsletter and LinkedIn as future rounds become available.
If you have any general questions regarding this programme, please contact us: funding@citybridgefoundation.org.uk or 020 7332 3710. (Please note, we can’t respond to specific enquiries about the first round of funding at this point.)
More on our approach to funding
We use a range of core and flexible funding approaches across our programmes – from responsive and strategic grants to partnerships, enterprise support and social investment – depending on what best supports London’s communities.
Our approach to funding