Impact and learning
Applying a learning ethos to everything we do
Financial support
Working to reduce inequality and grow stronger, more resilient and thriving communities across Greater London
We are London’s largest independent charitable funder, and our vision is for London to be a city where all individuals and communities can thrive, especially those experiencing disadvantage and marginalisation. Our mission is to reduce inequality and grow more cohesive communities for a London that serves everyone.
Financial support available to London’s communities:
Bridging Divides
Our Bridging Divides funding strategy outlines our approach, using all of our knowledge, networks and assets to champion London’s biggest asset — our people. The City of London Corporation (CoLC) is our trustee, and supports us to serve Londoners and the communities they are part of. We make connections directly, as well as through civil society, local, regional & national Government, the private sector and the wider funding ecology.
Our funding and grant making
Once the charity has met its responsibilities of managing and protecting the five bridges, we are able to distribute the surplus income for charitable purposes benefiting the people of Greater London.
We award over £30 million a year to charities across London, and support over 500 organisations at any one time.
As a funder working in London, we support organisations to do great work in pursuit of our vision, mission and values. Our aspiration is to support work that enables individuals and communities to thrive and we do this through:
Responsive grant making: Funding programmes and grants to support individual charitable organisations working to tackle poverty, disadvantage, need and inequality.
Funder collaborations: Partnerships, collaborations and one-off programmes that increase the reach and impact of grant-making, enhance London’s voluntary and community sector, and make support available to those that need it most.
Our social investments
We invest in a diverse range of organisations who work to support a variety of different beneficiary groups across the UK. This includes investing in a wide range of different types of social investments, from secured and unsecured loans to traded bonds and listed charitable securities.
- Social Investment Fund: Our £21.7m Social Investment Fund invests in projects which are making a positive contribution to society, promoting equity and fairness and reaching under-served communities.
Since 2012, the Fund has committed a cumulative total of £19.5m and invested in 29 ventures across the UK, but with a particular focus on work that benefits communities in Greater London.
- Stepping Stones Fund: A unique grant programme in partnership with UBS, to support charitable organisations in Greater London looking to access social investments as a funding source in the future.
It has awarded £4 million to 88 organisations across 24 London boroughs.
Central Grants Programme: funding from the City of London Corporation
Our trustee, the City of London Corporation, has a strong track record of charitable giving over many centuries. Together, we reach far beyond the Square Mile’s boundaries and across the private, public and charitable community sectors.
The Central Grants Team are responsible for managing the grant-making within the City Corporation and work closely with our funding team, ensuring together we practise philanthropic excellence.
The Central Grants Programme has four funding areas:
Non-financial support
We invest our time as well as our money, using our people, networks and experience to expand our impact