City Bridge Foundation

City Bridge Foundation, London’s largest independent charitable funder and historic owner of five iconic Thames bridges (Tower, London, Southwark, Millennium, and Blackfriars), traces its origins to around 900 years ago for bridge maintenance, formally established by royal charter in 1282. Governed by the City of London Corporation, it evolved in 1995 to address inequality and injustice across Greater London using surplus from investments and properties. Its mission, "Standing with Londoners"—a 10-year strategy launched in March 2025—champions equity, diversity, inclusion, climate action, collaboration, innovation, and ambition, funding systemic change through grants, social investment (£22m fund), and partnerships for resilient, diverse communities.

It prioritizes alleviating poverty, marginalization, and exclusion for all Londoners—youth, disabled people, BAME communities, refugees, homeless, domestic violence survivors—via direct services, capacity-building, advocacy, research, infrastructure, and environmental resilience. Funded activities span mental health, arts access, leadership development, women’s safety, and climate justice, favoring long-term, systems-level interventions over short-term aid.

Eligible applicants are UK-registered charities and community groups (small grassroots to large infrastructure bodies, no strict income limits) delivering benefits exclusively in Greater London; no religious restrictions apply. Currently closed to unsolicited applications since October 2024, programmes reopen autumn 2025 with two-stage online process: Expression of Interest (EOI) via portal, then full applications for shortlisted. Typical grants £5,000–£500,000 (multi-year possible); social investments £150,000–£5m. No open deadlines yet—check website for rounds. Distinctive for its scale, endowment-enabled patient capital, dual infrastructure-charity role, and catalytic focus on root causes, it excludes non-London work and favors strategic, collaborative impact.