Foundation For Future London

Charity Number: 1160948

Annual Expenditure: £2.4M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2,350,000 (charitable activities expenditure 2023-24)
  • Success Rate: Data not publicly available
  • Decision Time: 10 weeks (for Capital Grant Scheme)
  • Grant Range: £1,000 - £100,000
  • Geographic Focus: East London (Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.future.london/

Email: info@future.london

Grants Email: Grants@future.london

Phone: 020 3288 1473

Application Portal: foundationforfuturelondon.flexigrant.com

Capacity Building Support: capacitybuilding.ffl@outlook.com

Overview

Foundation for Future London is an independent charity established in 2015 by the Mayor of London and the London Legacy Development Corporation. With an annual expenditure of £2.35 million on charitable activities, the Foundation works with over 400 grassroots organisations across East London, having provided 35,000+ training, employment, and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Foundation's mission is “to be the first-choice organisation for servicing the building of partnerships, funding programmes, investment strategies and models of excellence.” Led by CEO Sarah Nelson, with HRH The Princess Royal as Patron and Co-Chairs Sir David Bell and Baroness Lola Young, the Foundation connects local talent and ambition in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest to businesses and organisations funding projects in arts, creative industries, heritage, local environments, sport, and digital sectors. Their flagship programme is the £10 million Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund, which has awarded £4.2 million to 250 projects over five years.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Westfield East Bank Creative Futures Fund - Community Grant Scheme (Year 5 format)

  • £1,000 - £20,000
  • Simplified Expression of Interest process
  • Combined grant scheme approach for final year
  • Projects must run 6-12 months

Small Grant Scheme (Earlier years)

  • £1,000 - £5,000
  • For individuals, groups, and organisations
  • Rolling basis when open

Medium Grant Scheme (Earlier years)

  • £1,000 - £15,000
  • For schools and non-profit organisations
  • Requires minimum of three outcomes
  • Historical awards: Year 1: £160,000 to 11 projects; Year 2: £385,243 to 29 projects; Year 3: £209,864 to 14 projects; Year 4: £155,752 to 12 projects

Large Grant Scheme (Earlier years)

  • Up to £50,000
  • For schools and non-profit organisations
  • Must demonstrate partnership/consortium approach
  • Requires attendance at Capacity Building Programme workshops
  • Historical awards: Year 1: £150,000 to 3 projects; Year 2: £482,746 to 11 projects; Year 3: £394,225 to 10 projects; Year 4: £382,098 to 9 projects

Capital Grant Scheme (Now closed)

  • £3,000 - £100,000
  • For buildings, spaces, infrastructure, assets, and equipment
  • Year 2: £268,121 to 11 projects; Year 3: £786,000 to 11 projects

COLLABORATE: SAFER SPACES Commission

  • Up to £50,000 per team (four shortlisted teams)
  • Includes development grant component

City of London Corporation Partnership

  • £1 million four-year programme
  • Focus on creative skills and learning

Priority Areas

Four Core Themes:

  1. Employment opportunities
  2. Learning opportunities
  3. Young people support
  4. Business and entrepreneur support

Sector Focus:

  • Arts, culture, and heritage
  • Creative industries
  • Innovation and digital/data
  • Education and skills
  • Public realm and creative placemaking
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Sport

Priority Communities:

Equality, diversity, and inclusion are central to funding decisions, with active encouragement for applications from:

  • Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse communities
  • Disabled and learning disabled people
  • LGBTQ+ communities
  • Unemployed and/or low-waged individuals
  • People without qualifications
  • Vulnerably housed people
  • Gypsies and Travellers
  • Children and young people
  • Older people
  • People with mental health or long-term health issues

What They Don't Fund

  • Core curriculum activities (for school applications)
  • Organisations outside the four East London boroughs
  • Projects not demonstrating community benefit and local engagement
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Governance and Leadership

Patron: HRH The Princess Royal

Co-Chairs:

  • Sir David Bell: Non-Executive Director of the Economist, former Director of Pearson plc and Chairman of the Financial Times
  • Baroness Lola Young: Independent crossbench peer, former Professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University, former Head of Culture at Greater London Authority, Chancellor of University of Nottingham

Chief Executive Officer: Sarah Nelson (appointed 2024, previously Director of Programmes and Communications from 2020)

Board of Directors (14 members): Abul Khoyer Hussain, Andrew Adedipe, Anne Mullins, Ciara Solmi, Hal Khanom, Joseph Lyons, Lauren Gee, Louise Jeffreys, Sarah Lockhart, Sophie Beagles, Vaibhav Negi, Charlotte Thomson

Working Groups: 4 Board Working Groups

Community Ambassadors: 4 active ambassadors

Staff: 7 employees (4 earning over £60,000 annually)

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Online Application System: All applications submitted through Flexigrant portal at foundationforfuturelondon.flexigrant.com

Expression of Interest (EOI) Process: Recent years have implemented a simplified EOI process as the first step, with shortlisted applicants invited to complete full applications

Pre-Application Support Available:

  • Initial conversation via email encouraged (Grants@future.london)
  • Free Capacity Building Programme workshops offered to all applicants
  • Step-by-step guidance on answering application questions
  • Interactive workshops with award-winning social entrepreneur Lisa Stepanovic MBE
  • Advice drop-in sessions when programmes are open

Application Requirements:

  • Good financial management procedures
  • Comprehensive safeguarding policy (if working with children/vulnerable adults)
  • Demonstration of partnership/consortium approach (for Large Grant Scheme)
  • Minimum of 3-5 outcomes from predefined framework
  • Alignment with Foundation's four core themes

Decision Timeline

Capital Grant Scheme: Grant Committee assessment within 10 weeks of submission

Large and Medium Grant Schemes: Multi-stage process

  • Internal review by team members
  • Final selection by community panel
  • Board of Trustees ratification

Notification Methods: Via Flexigrant portal and direct email communication

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly disclosed. However, historical data shows:

Year 4 (Westfield Fund): 26-28 projects funded out of total applications received

Year 5: 15 projects funded from applications received

Overall Programme Impact: £4.2 million awarded to 250 projects over five years, benefiting 30,000+ people and creating 407+ jobs

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants is not explicitly stated in public materials. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation directly for guidance.

Application Success Factors

Foundation Advice

The Foundation explicitly states: “Our grants are designed to support local people and act as a catalyst for action.”

The Foundation wants to “make sure funding opportunities reach a wide audience and serve to support locally rooted charities and community focused initiatives.”

Capacity Building Programme

The Foundation offers free capacity building support that “can make a significant difference in terms of application advice, practical support, and sharing of best practices.” Participation in these workshops is strongly encouraged and, for some schemes, required.

Successful Project Examples

Year 5 Funded Projects:

  • DICE Ambassadors: Research and Podcast Project (Dipped In Creativity Engagement CIC) - Engaging 15 young individuals aged 18-30 from Hackney and Waltham Forest
  • Side Hustle Accelerator Programme (Beyond the Bias) - Empowering 15 BAME, working-class young women to develop entrepreneurial ideas
  • HERstory in the Making (The Lady Powerhouse CIC) - Mini-series showcasing under-served female founders
  • Goal Diggers: Amplifying Diverse Voices in Women's Football (NOT/NOWHERE Ltd)
  • Beats Boroughs East London Music Meet Up (True Cadence CIC)

Earlier Year Examples:

  • Performance Infinity Creative CIC: Play with Your Food Creative Incubator
  • London Rhymes Limited: The Magpie Mums EP release
  • Mindful Peak Performance CIC: BAM! Boxing & Mindfulness Courses for Young Carers
  • Stories & Supper: Cultivating Solidarities project with young people and refugees

Key Language and Terminology

  • “Life-changing projects”
  • “Catalyst for action”
  • “Inclusive and sustainable opportunity”
  • “Creative placemaking”
  • “Diverse-led organisations”
  • “Locally rooted charities”
  • “Community-focused initiatives”

Strategic Guidance

  1. Demonstrate Community Impact: Applications must show clear outcomes from the Foundation's predefined framework (minimum 3-5 outcomes required)
  1. Partnership Approach: Large grants particularly value consortium/partnership models
  1. Diversity and Inclusion: Strong focus on diverse-led organisations and projects serving priority communities
  1. Employment and Learning: Projects creating jobs, training, and skill development opportunities are highly valued
  1. Local Connection: Must demonstrate strong connection to and understanding of the four East London boroughs

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Take advantage of free support: The Capacity Building Programme provides valuable application guidance and is strongly encouraged (sometimes required) - contact capacitybuilding.ffl@outlook.com
  • Emphasize local impact: Foundation prioritizes “locally rooted charities and community focused initiatives” serving Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest
  • Demonstrate diversity: Applications from diverse-led organisations and projects serving priority communities (BAME, LGBTQ+, disabled, unemployed, young people) are actively encouraged
  • Focus on outcomes: Applications must demonstrate minimum 3-5 measurable outcomes aligned to the Foundation's impact framework, which was co-developed with grantee partners and community members
  • Show job creation potential: Projects that create employment, learning, training, and educational programmes are particularly valued - Year 4 projects created 407 new jobs
  • Consider the Expression of Interest route: Recent funding rounds use simplified EOI processes, making initial applications less burdensome
  • Use creative sector framing: Frame projects through arts, culture, innovation, or creative placemaking lenses where possible, as these align with the Foundation's East Bank cultural district mission

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