Illuminated River Foundation

Registered charity 1168375 · since 2016illuminatedriver.london·London, Southwark·Updated 29 October 2026

Key takeaways

The Community Fund, as published sources report it, offered up to £1,500 to registered charities and up to £750 to non-registered groups, so a modest request within those limits fits its stated scale.
Its stated emphasis is local projects that engage the Illuminated River artwork, the history of the bridges, and local residents' access to the river, with particular welcome for work with young people, families, older people, and those who are unwaged or on low incomes.
The stated area is London, Southwark and the City of London, so check that your project takes place there before you write.
Published material describes the Community Fund in the past tense, and the only application step given is to email the foundation, so confirm with the foundation that the fund is open before you apply.
Work that does not touch the river, the bridges or the heritage of the Thames is a poor match for the foundation's stated purpose.

Overview

Illuminated River Foundation is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1168375).

Illuminated River Foundation is a charity registered in England and Wales whose object is to promote the arts in London through a lighting scheme of artistic merit for London's bridges. Its central work is the Illuminated River, a unified kinetic artwork across up to 15 of Central London's bridges, which spans from London to Lambeth bridges and is described as the longest public art commission in the world. The foundation also advances education and the arts around the history, architecture and culture of the Thames and London's bridges, particularly through school projects, and has used a Community Fund to support local projects connected to the artwork.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The foundation's charitable purpose is to promote the arts in London through an artistically merited lighting scheme for London's bridges, and to advance education and the arts around the history, architecture and culture of the Thames and London's bridges, particularly through school projects. Its central work is the Illuminated River, a unified public artwork across central London bridges that celebrates their architecture and heritage. The foundation has also used a Community Fund to support community-initiated projects, events and activities that relate to the artwork and engage the public with the Thames, its bridges and riverside surroundings. That fund invited registered charities and non-registered groups to propose local projects, and particularly welcomed work engaging young people, families, older people, and those who were unwaged or on low incomes. Its stated emphasis was on local groups helping people enjoy the river and its surroundings at night.

Themes

Bridge lighting

Geographic Focus

London; Southwark; the City of London. (as reported in other published sources)

How to apply

For the Community Fund, applicants were instructed to email their applications to the Foundation.

Application success factors

What the charity says:

The Community Fund particularly sought projects engaging with Illuminated River, exploring the history of the bridges and their local areas, and enabling local residents to access the river and its banks. (as reported in other published sources)
The Community Fund especially welcomed applications engaging young people, families, older people, and those who were unwaged or on low incomes. (as reported in other published sources)

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Illuminated River Foundation.

City Bridge FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £53.4M The Poor Fund of the Worshipful Company of Fan MakersRollingGave £70,100 Christina Smith FoundationRollingGave £259k Merchant Taylors' FoundationMixed deadlinesGave £1.3M Foundation for Future LondonFixed deadlinesGave £626k Aldgate & Allhallows FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £192k The Cherry Family FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £210k London Marathon FoundationFixed deadlinesGave £9.9M The Neville Abraham FoundationInvitation onlyGave £599k Royal Ballet and OperaNo public processGave £10,000

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 28 February 2021	£4,168,827	£11,660,887	—	Accounts for year to 28 February 2021
year to 28 February 2022	£19,045	£1,192,749	—	Accounts for year to 28 February 2022
year to 28 February 2023	£81,281	£335,370	—	Accounts for year to 28 February 2023
year to 29 February 2024	£10,447	£339,747	—	Accounts for year to 29 February 2024
year to 28 February 2025	£13,750	£357,417	—	Accounts for year to 28 February 2025

— No grants figure for that 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.