Groundwork London

Registered charity 1121105 · since 2007groundwork.org.uk/sites/london·Greater London·Updated 31 October 2026

At a glance

£9.5M

Annual giving, year to 31 March 2025

From filed accounts

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Groundwork London's grants support grassroots and community-led groups, and its stated themes are mental wellbeing, community connection, social inclusion, creative wellbeing and walking and cycling, so projects in these areas fit best.
Its stated focus is Greater London and Greenwich, and Walking and Cycling Grants London requires organisations to operate within Greater London, so check the programme's rules before you apply.
Programme amounts vary, from micro grants of £500 to £5,000 up to Delivery Strand Small Awards of £5,001 to £20,000, so a modest request suits the smaller schemes best.
The London Communities Micro Grant Fund asks applicants to show previous delivery or an established track record in their community and does not fund entirely new initiatives, so an established group with an existing project is the better fit.
Walking and Cycling Grants London opens in August and closes in September, so plan ahead for that window.

Overview

Groundwork London is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1121105).

Groundwork London is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, and its purposes include promoting the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment, and providing facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure. It administers grant schemes on behalf of partnerships with local authorities and other public agencies, and the annual report records £9.5m paid, supporting nearly 650 grassroots community organisations across London. Its programmes include Community Ideas Grants, Walking and Cycling Grants London, which aim to make sure all Londoners benefit from walking and cycling, and the London Communities Micro Grant Fund, which offers grants of up to £5,000.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Groundwork London administers grants on behalf of partnerships with local authorities and public agencies; grants panels assess applications against their criteria and business objectives, with awards to constituted groups. Its grant programmes support grassroots and community-led organisations, including small charities, voluntary organisations, faith-based organisations, community groups and networks, social enterprises, and informal groups able to receive funding. Funded work includes mental wellbeing and resilience, community connection, social inclusion, peer support and creative wellbeing, as well as walking and cycling projects and initiatives addressing health inequalities. Programmes are shaped by their funding sources and partners, and support projects in London communities, including Greenwich.

Themes

Mental wellbeing and resilience
Community connection and belonging
Social inclusion and participation
Peer support networks
Creative wellbeing
Walking and cycling
Health inequalities

Geographic Focus

Greater London; Greenwich.

What they don't fund

London Communities Micro Grant Fund only: entirely new initiatives

How to apply

For Tesco Fruit and Veg Grants, apply via the link on its programme page. If shortlisted, the project is displayed in local Tesco stores for customers to vote on.

Application windows:

Walking and Cycling Grants London: Opens on Monday 17 August and closes at 10am, Monday 28 September

Who can apply:

Walking and Cycling Grants London: Your organisation must operate within Greater London and be one of the following groups: a constituted community organisation; a charity or third sector organisation; a not for profit organisation, community interest company (CIC) or social enterprise

Application success factors

What the charity says:

Grant panels assess applications against specific criteria and business objectives.
Walking and Cycling Grants London seeks groups traditionally under-represented in walking or cycling.
London Communities Micro Grant Fund applicants must show previous delivery or an established track record in their community.
Tesco Fruit and Veg Grants shortlisted projects are decided through customer voting in local Tesco stores.
Delivery Strand Medium grants focus on projects that address a priority theme, with collaborative projects encouraged.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Greater London

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Groundwork London.

Groundwork SouthNo public processGave £2.6M London CatalystFixed deadlinesGave £322k Charity of Sir Richard WhittingtonNo public processGave £5.3M London PlusNo public processGave £253k Heritage of London TrustRollingGave £169k The London Community FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £8.5M London SportNo public processGave £69,000 London Cycling CampaignFixed deadlinesGave £71,218 Drapers' Charitable FundFixed deadlinesGave £2.6M The Earl of Northampton’s CharityRollingGave £549k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 March 2021	£20,960,849	£20,871,321	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2021
year to 31 March 2022	£28,172,908	£27,775,176	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2022
year to 31 March 2023	£33,160,004	£32,922,399	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2023
year to 31 March 2024	£32,416,121	£32,351,866	—	Accounts for year to 31 March 2024
year to 31 March 2025	£27,857,543	£28,186,121	£9,500,000	Accounts for year to 31 March 2025

Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants paid out in the year.

— No grants figure for those years.

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.