City Bridge Foundation

Registered charity 1035628 · since 1994citybridgefoundation.org.uk·Greater London·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£53.4M

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From filed accounts

20 weeks

Typical decision time

Open to applications

Fixed application deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

If your work is based in Greater London and fits one of its four themes (access to justice, climate and environmental justice, economic justice or racial justice), it is worth considering, as the foundation funds charitable organisations rather than individuals.
For its Communities Building Economic Change programme, stated grants run from £150,000 to £450,000, and no general grant range is given, so plan any request within that scale and bear in mind that the foundation values depth of work over breadth.
Organisations that do not pay the London Living Wage to all London-based staff and will not commit to doing so, statutory bodies, individuals, and groups seeking capital or retrospective costs should not apply, and Communities Building Economic Change also excludes groups with income outside £50,000 to £1.5 million, groups without frontline services, and groups with under two years' work with affected communities.
Check the programme's priorities and eligibility, book a pre-application call when a round is open, and note that only one application per organisation per round is accepted.
Deadlines are fixed for each round and published on its grant page, and decisions take between three and six months, so build that wait into your planning.

Overview

City Bridge Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1035628).

City Bridge Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales whose primary purpose is to support and maintain five bridges, with surplus income able to go to transport for elderly and disabled people in Greater London and to other charitable purposes for the general benefit of its inhabitants. It was first supported and funded by mediaeval Londoners to maintain the first stone London Bridge. The annual report records £53,400,000 paid out in grants. One programme offers core and flexible grants of £150,000 to £450,000 over five years, with up to £6 million available and approximately 20–25 grants expected.

What they fund

Priority Areas

City Bridge Foundation uses surplus funds after maintaining its bridges to support organisations working for a fairer, greener London, strengthening communities and challenging systems that marginalise them. Its funding policy seeks to advance social justice and address the root causes of inequality, with programmes shaped around access to justice, climate and environmental justice, economic justice and racial justice. It supports charitable organisations rather than individuals, and funds work that benefits people in Greater London. Its approach varies by programme: it uses responsive and strategic grants, partnerships, enterprise support and social investment. Alongside funding, it works with funded organisations to build skills, confidence and connections, and supports collaboration, peer learning and shared goals. Its economic justice funding prioritises community-rooted organisations combining frontline support with longer-term systems change.

Themes

Access to Justice
Climate & Environmental Justice
Economic Justice
Racial Justice

Geographic Focus

Greater London.

What they don't fund

Capital costs
Non-charitable activities
Retrospective costs
Vehicles
Work that does not benefit people living in Greater London
Work that duplicates or replaces statutory services
Charities established or registered outside the UK
Community Interest Companies (CIC) 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
Statutory bodies, such as local authorities
Organisations that do not pay the London Living Wage to all London-based staff and will not commit to doing so in receipt of a grant
Communities Building Economic Change only:
- Organisations that do not have an annual income of £50,000 to £1.5 million
- Organisations that do not provide frontline services
- Organisations without at least two years’ evidence of working with communities affected by economic injustice
- Organisations that wish to begin economic justice work in the future but are not yet doing so

How to apply

Check the relevant programme’s priorities and eligibility, then apply through its dedicated online application form in the Application Portal.

Deadlines: Each grant round has its own timeline, published on its dedicated grant page.

Applying again: Communities Building Economic Change: Only one application per organisation per round is accepted, whether submitted in partnership or independently.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

For Communities Building Economic Change, it prioritises small- and medium-sized organisations rooted in affected communities that provide frontline support, understand systemic causes and have a track record of longer-term change.
It values depth of work over breadth; applicants may focus on a single priority and a small part of London.
It expects funded organisations to participate in learning, connecting and convening activities with it and other organisations.
Applicants can book a pre-application call for short, constructive guidance when rounds are open.
Shortlisted applicants may be asked to discuss their organisation’s work and approach further or host a visit from the funding team.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Greater London

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to City Bridge Foundation.

The London Community FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £8.5M London Cycling CampaignFixed deadlinesGave £71,218 Foundation for Future LondonFixed deadlinesGave £626k Illuminated River FoundationNo public process Drapers' Charitable FundFixed deadlinesGave £2.6M Wembley Stadium FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £499k Groundwork LondonMixed deadlinesGave £9.5M Trust for LondonRollingGave £13.1M The Earl of Northampton’s CharityRollingGave £549k Charity of Sir Richard WhittingtonNo public processGave £5.3M

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£47,400,000	£89,600,000	£58,600,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£3,410,000	£66,600,000	£33,300,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£35,300,000	£103,700,000	£60,000,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£40,100,000	£118,900,000	£82,900,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£42,600,000	£120,800,000	£53,400,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2021

£58.6M grants

YE 2022

£33.3M grants

YE 2023

£60M grants

YE 2024

£82.9M grants

YE 2025

£53.4M paid

In 5 of the 5 years shown, grants paid exceeded income.

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2021; year to 31 March 2022; year to 31 March 2023; year to 31 March 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants paid out in the year.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.