City Bridge Foundation Grants: A Guide for London

City Bridge Foundation is a London grant maker that only funds work benefiting Londoners. In 2025 it launched Standing with Londoners, a ten-year funding policy focused on advancing social justice across the capital. If your organisation works in London, it is one of the most important funders to understand. This guide covers its programmes, who can apply, what it will not fund and how the application process works. All details come from the Foundation's own website, checked on the date shown on this page.

How City Bridge Foundation funds

City Bridge Foundation says it uses a range of approaches across its programmes, from responsive and strategic grants to partnerships, enterprise support and social investment. Its programmes are built around four visions for a fairer London:

Programme	What it supports	Status when checked
Access to Justice	Social welfare advice, social action and systems change, so people can access their rights	Closed
Climate and Environmental Justice	Communities most affected by climate change and environmental harm shaping solutions	Closed
Economic Justice	Tackling poverty and reducing income and wealth inequality	Open (Communities Building Economic Change)
Racial Justice	Collective action on racial disparities in areas such as employment, housing, education and mental health	Opening in 2026

It also runs the Social Investment Fund for London, which had £22 million available and was open on a rolling basis for established social purpose organisations when we checked. City Bridge Foundation also provides funding for two Trust for London programmes, on disability justice and racial justice.

You can see City Bridge programmes we list on our City Bridge Foundation funder page, alongside other community grants in London.

Who can apply

City Bridge Foundation can only fund work that is charitable, as defined by the Charity Commission. Its general eligibility says the applicant must be one of:

• a charity established and registered in the UK
• a registered charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
• a charitable company, both a limited company and a registered charity
• a registered charitable industrial and provident society
• a charitable community benefit society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority
• a community interest company (CIC) limited by guarantee, with at least three directors
• a constituted voluntary organisation, with a fiscal host as the named applicant

It funds organisations, not individuals. The work must take place in London's 32 boroughs or the City of London and benefit Londoners. It must not duplicate or replace statutory services.

The last two organisation types are worth noting. Unlike many trusts, City Bridge Foundation will consider a CIC limited by guarantee. If you are a CIC limited by shares, you cannot apply. Our guide to CICs limited by shares or guarantee explains the difference. If you are a constituted group without a charity number, you need a fiscal host to apply for you. Our guide to host organisations and accountable bodies explains how that works.

The London Living Wage rule

City Bridge Foundation funds organisations that pay the London Living Wage to all London-based staff, or that commit to doing so if they receive a grant. The Communities Building Economic Change eligibility checker gave the rate as £14.80 an hour from April 2026. Build this into your budget before you apply, because it is a condition, not a preference.

Who and what it will not fund

The general exclusions say City Bridge Foundation cannot fund:

• capital costs
• non-charitable activities
• retrospective costs, meaning work already completed
• vehicles
• work that does not benefit people living in Greater London
• work that duplicates or replaces statutory services

It also cannot fund charities established or registered outside the UK, CICs limited by shares, hospitals or primary healthcare providers, individuals, political parties, private organisations limited by guarantee, profit-making organisations (except social enterprises), schools or PTAs, and statutory bodies such as local authorities.

The Foundation says these lists can vary by programme, so always read the page for the programme you want to apply to.

Communities Building Economic Change

At the time of checking, Communities Building Economic Change was the open grant round. It is the first round of the Economic Justice programme. It offers core and flexible five-year grants for small and medium-sized, community-rooted organisations tackling economic injustice in London, with an annual income of £50,000 to £1.5 million.

The fixed amounts on offer were:

• £150,000 over five years (£30,000 a year)
• £200,000 over five years (£40,000 a year)
• £300,000 over five years (£60,000 a year)
• £450,000 over five years (£90,000 a year)

Total funds were up to £6 million, with around 20 to 25 grants expected. The deadline was 12 noon on Tuesday 3 November 2026.

To be eligible, your organisation must meet all three of its criteria: a track record of working towards longer-term change in one of the programme's three priorities, being a small or medium-sized community-rooted organisation delivering frontline services, and meeting City Bridge Foundation's general criteria. The programme page says it expects at least two years' evidence of working with communities affected by economic injustice. It is not intended for organisations that plan to start this work in future.

The eligibility checker asks ten questions. They include whether you can provide at least one year's audited or independently examined accounts, and whether you have at least three directors or trustees.

You can find this round on our Communities Building Economic Change listing.

How to apply

City Bridge Foundation sets out a clear sequence:

1. Find the right programme and check eligibility. Read the general eligibility and exclusions, then the programme page, guidelines and FAQs.
2. Watch the webinar. Programmes run webinars when rounds open, and recordings are available.
3. Use the eligibility checker for that programme.
4. Book a pre-application call when rounds are open, for short guidance from the funding team before you apply.
5. Create an account on the Application Portal and download the sample application form to see the questions in advance.

The application form has sections on your organisation, contact information, the application itself, the DEI Data Standard, and a declaration. The portal does not save automatically, so click Save and Continue regularly.

The two-stage decision process

Stage 1 is an application review against the programme's criteria. If you are shortlisted, the funding team contacts you by email and phone. If you are not, you get an email and can request written feedback.

Stage 2 is a conversation and assessment, which may include a visit. The team then writes a report, and the final decision is made by senior staff, the Funding Committee or the Board, depending on the type and size of the grant.

City Bridge Foundation says its programmes usually take between three and six months from application to decision.

Writing a strong application

The current programmes ask about systems change and lived experience as well as delivery. Some practical points:

• Show you are rooted in your community. For Communities Building Economic Change, the Foundation says one-off consultation alone is not enough. Give examples of ongoing accountability, such as community forums or people with lived experience on your board.
• Connect delivery to wider change. Explain how insights from your frontline work shape campaigning, advocacy or policy work. A short theory of change helps.
• Get your diversity data ready. The application includes the DEI Data Standard. Our guide to equality, diversity and inclusion in grant applications explains how to prepare.
• Check your safeguarding. Governance and safeguarding requirements are part of the general criteria. See our guide to safeguarding policies for grant applications.
• Pick the amount that fits. Our guide on how much to ask for in a grant covers how to size a request against your income.

Support beyond funding

City Bridge Foundation also offers Funder Plus support for grant holders, covering skills development, peer learning and tailored guidance. If you are funded, it is worth using.

For other London funders, browse our London grants and the charity grants listings.