Grants & support for London’s charitable sector

This spring we aim to announce City Bridge Foundation’s new funding policy, which will shape our future as London’s biggest independent funder for the next 10 years.

The new policy will reflect how London has changed due to the significant issues we’ve seen in recent years, with a focus on systems change and tackling the root causes of inequality.

We will also change how we fund, with a more flexible, more relational approach to working with our partners.

In this video, our Chief Funding Director, Sacha Rose-Smith, reflects on what we’ve learned in 30 years as a funder, how we’ve developed our new funding policy and what happens next.

Learn more: Developing a new funding policy for 2025

Community Power: partnering opportunities with The National Lottery Community Fund

The National Lottery Community Fund are looking for 10–15 partners to work with them in developing their new Community Power fund.

They want to support local communities in being able to influence and change the places they live, as well as the services they use, and the decisions that affect their lives.

Each partner organisation will receive between £50,000 and £80,000 for the development stage, expected to run from spring 2025 for one year. This work will shape how the Community Power fund runs in the future.

As a partner you’ll deliver activities in and with communities to increase their agency, power and control. This can be new or existing work.

A broader, £100 million, ten-year Community Power fund is scheduled to launch in 2026.

If interested in applying, please submit an expressions of interest by midday on Wednesday, 5 February 2025.

Learn more: www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding

Sustainable Future programme from Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust

This programme can fund imaginative and inclusive approaches to tackling the climate crisis and building a just and equitable economy, in order to protect the planet for future generations.

The overall focus for this programme is on developing and promoting sustainable, low-carbon alternatives to the current model.

JRCT wishes to prioritise support for charitable work on the following issues:

• Better economics
• Beyond consumerism
• New voices

JRCT encourages applicants to ask for the funding they realistically need. Actual grants (across various programmes) range from a few thousand pounds to £100,000+ and can be single payments or spread over a number of years.

Register for an account by Monday, 17 February 2025 and apply by Monday, 3 March 2025.

Learn more: www.jrct.org.uk/sustainable-future

Small grants to support young people and early-career professionals

CET, the Commercial Education Trust, is offering grants from £500 to £10,000 to fund projects that strengthen the concept of Commercial Ability, covering one or more of these five key components:

• Basics for Life: Foundational skills everyone needs.
  
• Sector-Specific Know-How: Knowledge tailored to different industries.
  
• Essential Transferable Skills: Skills like communication, problem-solving, and adaptability.
  
• Workplace Attitudes & Behaviours: Developing a productive and positive approach to work.
  
• Organisational Know-How: Understanding how businesses operate and succeed.

Whether you’re pioneering a new project or enhancing an existing programme, if your work can make a meaningful impact, CET want to hear from you. This fund is open for applications until Monday, 31 March 2025.

Learn more: www.thecet.org/grants/small-grants

Holiday grants from the Henry Smith Charity

Grants towards recreational trips and holidays for groups of children aged 13 and under who are disabled or experiencing financial hardship, systemic inequity, or living in areas of high deprivation.

The Henry Smith Charity can offer grants of £500 to £2,750 to help with the costs of day trips or residential trips up to seven days.

Their funding can cover one-off recreational trips, such as camping, adventure activities, and seaside visits). They do not cover high-cost trips such as theme parks, musicals, sporting events, or trips with educational or religious aims.

These grants are aimed at schools, youth groups and not-for-profit organisations.

Funding is offered on a rolling basis, with the next deadline on Wednesday, 19 March 2025.

Learn more: www.henrysmithcharity.org.uk

Social investment funding from City Bridge Foundation

Social investment is a funding source that can complement existing grant funding and other income strands, while enhancing an organisation’s sustainability and impact.

Like our funding, our social investments are aimed at organisations that support Londoners and London’s communities to thrive, especially those that experience disadvantage and marginalisation.

However, social investment differs because it is a repayable form of financing provided in the form of a loan or equity. We seek to recover our capital but we are flexible when it comes to interest, investment size and duration.

We can consider both direct investments (providing returnable funds to organisations which pursue charitable, community or social objectives) and indirect investments (into funds managed by others to reach a greater number of charities and social enterprises). In all instances, our key concern is the benefit to Londoners.

Applications are open and assessed on a rolling basis. Learn more: www.citybridgefoundation.org.uk/social-investment-fund

Small grants for charities operating across the spectrum of social need

The Hedley Foundation can offer grants of up to £5,000. Occasional larger sums are given to charities where high impact can be achieved.

Small charities can also benefit from smaller grants of £250 upwards.

The Foundation seeks to help and improve the quality of life of people in the UK, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is achieved by making grants to charities for the benefit of young people, disabled people, elderly people, the terminally ill, the homeless, ex-offenders, and otherwise disadvantaged people and their carers.

Applicants should be from a charity with an annual income below £1m. Community Interest Companies cannot apply. Grants cannot cover core salaries, building construction, general running costs, or transport.

Grants are awarded every three months. The next application deadline is Wednesday, 26 February 2025.

Learn more: www.hedleyfoundation.org.uk

Energy Resilience Fund

The Energy Resilience Fund provides a blended funding package comprising a 60% loan and 40% grant to enhance the energy resilience of eligible charities and social enterprises in England.

This initiative supports projects aimed at improving energy efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and lowering energy costs. Funding can be between £25k and £250k.

This initiative supports projects like installing solar panels, upgrading insulation, and transitioning to electric vehicles.

Eligible organisations can access support from The Ubele Initiative throughout the application process. Eligible activities include:

• Reducing carbon emissions.
• Lowering energy costs.
• Meeting future energy efficiency regulations.
• Improving building use or comfort.
• Replacing older vehicles and equipment

Applicants must have a minimum turnover of £100k and be unable to access mainstream bank lending for this purpose.

Learn more: www.ubele.org/our-work/energy-resilience-fund

Small grants for small organisations

Grants for Good offers a limited number of grants to small and growing local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises that are making a big impact on communities, people or the environment.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be a local community group, charity, voluntary group or social enterprise that has a positive impact on communities, people or the environment
  
• Have an average income of less than £50,000 in the last 12 months

This programme, funded by the John Good Group, offers unrestricted funds that you can use for any of your organisation’s costs, including core running costs. The applications process is short and simple.

Every three months, £15,000 is split between five shortlisted projects. Awards range from £2,000 to £5,000.

The next deadline is Saturday, 15 March 2025.

Learn more: www.matthewgoodfoundation.org

Flexible Finance Fund for Black and Racially Minoritised charities and social enterprises

The Flexible Finance Fund is a £4m programme that will offer a package of grants, loans and tailored support to 15–25 Black and Racially Minoritised charities and social enterprises, to help them grow, acquire assets, and enhance resilience.

Loan amounts can range from £50k to £1.5m, with repayment terms of one to six years.

The Flexible Finance Fund is a partnership between Social Investment Business, The Ubele Initiative, and Create Equity. The fund is backed by the Government’s Growth Guarantee Scheme.

Learn more: www.ubele.org/our-work/flexible-finance

Partnership project grants for museums and community organisations

Esmée Fairbairn’s Communities and Collections Fund offers partnership project grants for museums and community organisations working equitably to achieve shared aims for inclusion.

They are also offering core grants to single museum organisations for strategic development of their inclusive collections work.

The fund has a twin focus on inclusion and collections. Esmée Fairbairn anticipate this will result in work that explores and influences key themes in social and climate justice, such as wellbeing, decolonisation, climate crisis, antiracism and others.

Grants of up to £l00k over a maximum of three years are available. Esmée Fairbairn expect to award around 12 grants per year in two funding rounds.

The next deadline for submissions of interest is Wednesday, 5 February 2025.

Learn more at: www.museumsassociation.org/funding/efccf

Grants for capital projects

The Bernard Sunley Foundation is a family grant-making foundation which supports charities working to raise the quality of life and provide greater opportunities for the young, the elderly, the disabled and the disadvantaged.

Each year the foundation gives about £4.5 million to capital projects that deliver a real community focus or provide facilities to support those in need.

Typical funding might be for new buildings, extensions, refurbishments and recreational spaces, or for new minibuses and other vehicles that provide a vital service to those most in need in their local community.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Learn more: www.bernardsunley.org

Small grants to support young people, aged 16 years and under

The7stars foundation offers grants of up to £2,500 to deliver projects for young people.

These grants are targeted to further the potential and opportunity of children who are surviving abuse, at risk of or experiencing homelessness, caring for a loved one, and challenged by addiction (either personally or through a member of their family).

Typical grants might be for a charity seeking to take a group of young carers on a day trip, another might look to fund a counselling service for children and young people surviving sexual assault or domestic violence.

Applicants must have a turnover of under £1.5m, and to have been delivering services since before 2020. Grants are offered on a rolling basis, with funding decisions made four times a year.

Learn more: www.the7starsfoundation.co.uk

The School Holiday Activity Fund

John Lyons Charity offers grants of up to £5,000 to enable organisations to deliver fun and accessible activities for children and young people during the school holidays.

The grant can be spent over multiple school holidays within a 12-month period.

Suitable examples could include (but are not limited to): Holiday drop-in activities / Arts activities / Sports projects / Family activities / Trips out of London / Camping trips.

Grants could be used for: Sessional staff / Transport / Venue hire / Other direct project costs etc.

Application deadlines are Saturday, 1 February 2025, then 1 May and 1 October 2025.

Learn more at: www.jlc.london/grants/charities/school-holiday-activity-fund

London Calling: funding opportunities, events and training

London Calling is a free platform connecting London’s charities, CICs and social enterprises to relevant events, training, funding opportunities and other resources.

Although we always try to point to free resources, some of the events and training opportunities do come at a cost. Others are free.

The platform is an initiative of Resource for London and London Plus.

See: www.london-calling.org.uk

Free business support for your organisation

Every organisation funded by City Bridge Foundation can apply for free, additional support that goes beyond funding. We call this offer the Bridge Programme.

For instance, we can support your organisation’s development and governance, fundraising or business planning.

The Bridge Programme can include free access to training courses, attendance at conferences, or peer-to-peer learning. Many more support options are available. City Bridge Foundation offers all of this at no financial cost to your organisation.

Find out more at www.citybridgefoundation.org.uk/funder-plus

Spotlight Talks: sharing sector expertise in 2024

Our Spotlight Talks are a series of regular online presentations and discussions. Each free session provides a platform for representatives of funded organisations to share their expertise, and to discuss ways of overcoming common challenges.

In our short blog, we look back at the first three Spotlight Talks, provided in 2024. We also link to recordings of each of the three talks. The three talks were:

• March 2024: Celebrating International Women’s Day
• June 2024: Celebrating Small Charities Week
• November 2024: Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers

Read the blog and watch the recordings: www.citybridgefoundation.org.uk/news-and-blog

Our next Spotlight Talk will be in the spring of 2025. If you have any suggestions for future topics, please contact Natalie Heath, our Impact and Learning Officer on Natalie.Heath@citybridgefoundation.org.uk

Charity investments and savings guidelines

If your charity has savings or investments, even if that’s just cash in the bank, this new free guidance is for you.

The Charity Investment Governance Principles Guide offers seven excellent principles for charity leaders and trustees who manage charitable savings and investments. The seven principles are:

1. Purpose of investments
2. Leadership
3. Integrity
4. Decision-making, risk and control
5. Effectiveness
6. Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
7. Openness and accountability

City Bridge Foundation has been pleased to support this work alongside other funders, charitable organisations and advisors.

See www.cigp.org.uk

Free online energy awareness training for organisations supporting refugees and asylum seekers in London.

Empowered by Energy is a unique energy awareness project empowering newly recognised refugees to the UK, who often struggle to survive on extremely low incomes, to overcome the language barrier, understand new energy markets and save money.

National Energy Action will deliver energy efficiency training to frontline professionals supporting refugee and asylum seeker communities in London.

This will allow staff and volunteers to better understand the needs of the households they support and will give them the knowledge and confidence to pass on information to any clients they support mitigating the impacts of fuel poverty within the refugee community.

For more details and to book a place on this fully funded webinar please click see: www.nea.org.uk/empowered-living-with-the-energy-crisis-webinar

National Energy Action are also holding energy awareness workshops for refugees and asylum seekers.

Coming from different climates, refugees won’t automatically know how to keep a home warm, read their energy meter, set up an account or bleed radiators. These free workshops from National Energy Action build a self-sustaining support network to embed useful life skills and make communities more resilient.

The workshops give them the confidence to contact their energy company and get the support they need, take control of their energy bills and join their Priority Services Register.

If your organisation is interested in hosting a workshop then please email bethany.steer@nea.org.uk for more information.

Learn more at: www.nea.org.uk/project/national-energy-action-nea-empowered-by-energy-refugees-project/

Acclaiming future sport and recreation leaders

The Sport and Recreation Alliance is marking its 90th anniversary with a special edition of its flagship awards, celebrating the contribution of young people aged 18–30 to the sector.

There are nine award categories, recognising achievements in coaching, sustainability, inclusivity, fundraising and more, with nominations open until Wednesday, 12 February 2025.

If you know a young person who deserves to be honoured, learn more at: www.sportandrecreation.org.uk/news

Workforce disability data webinar

Collecting good quality disability data and closing disability pay gaps.

This free webinar from the London Anchor Institutions’ Network is on Thursday, 30 January 2025 from 1pm‑1.45pm.

The webinar will be particularly relevant for professionals from across HR, EDI leads, learning and development colleagues, and those from staff disability networks.

Developing an inclusive workplace is key to maximising the talents of a workforce and helps all staff reach their full potential. However, capturing the right information to inform decision making to improve workplace policies and practices can be challenging.

To learn more and register, please email: anchors@london.gov.uk

The Decelerator – free support for when things have to end

The Decelerator is a free support service for civil society organisations. Their aim is to offer information, tools and hands-on support for better endings.

They can support organisations and individuals to anticipate and design closures, mergers, CEO transitions, programming ends, and all sorts of other endings that are inevitable for organisations and civil society.

Support and information is free at the point of use for non-profit organisations. Organisations may be signposted to further paid support if they have the need and means for it.

Learn more: www.decelerator.org.uk

Free support from Neighbourly for small charities from UK businesses

Neighbourly is an online platform which can connect you with businesses that have volunteer time, money or product surplus to donate.

The platform is free and easy to use. The first step is to create a page for your organisation and describe the type of help you need.

Learn more at www.neighbourly.com/solution/good-causes

Charity Governance Awards – last chance to enter

The Charity Governance Awards celebrate outstanding governance and trusteeship in charities across the UK, allowing not-for-profit organisations of all sizes to inspire and learn from one another.

The awards are free to enter (with a free awards ceremony), and do not generate profit for the sponsors or partners. Their mission is simply to celebrate and reward exceptional charity governance, while sharing exemplary work that inspires and informs boards and trustees across the country.

The grand prize for winners is £6,000, with £1,500 for runners-up.

Entries for this tenth and final year of the awards are open until 12 February 2025. The shortlist will be announced in April 2025, with winners revealed during a live ceremony on Tuesday, 3 June 2025.

Learn more: www.charitygovernanceawards.co.uk