The Lord Mayor's Appeal

Charity Number: 1148976

Annual Expenditure: £1.3M
Geographic Focus: City Of London

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,270,000
  • Success Rate: Not applicable (invitation-only partnerships)
  • Partnership Duration: Typically 3 years
  • Grant Range: Varies significantly - recent partners received between £115,000 to £450,000 annually
  • Geographic Focus: Primarily London and national UK initiatives
  • Number of Partners: 2-3 charity partners at any given time

Contact Details

Address: The Mansion House, Mansion House Street, London, EC4N 8BH

Phone: 020 7322 1582

Email: Info@thelordmayorsappeal.org

Website: https://www.thelordmayorsappeal.org/

Interim Joint Leadership: Sally Bates and Kimberley Mitchell (following departure of CEO Caroline Wright in August 2025)

Overview

The Lord Mayor's Appeal is the charitable arm supporting each Lord Mayor of the City of London during their one-year term. Established as a registered charity in 2012 (Charity No. 1148976), the Appeal leverages the Lord Mayor's position and the City of London's extensive networks to raise substantial funds for a select number of strategic charity partners. With an annual giving budget of approximately £1.27 million and expenditure of over £3.1 million, the Appeal operates on a unique model: rather than accepting applications, it selects 2-3 “leading experts in social change” as multi-year partners who align with its strategic priorities. The organization raises funds through high-profile events including the annual Abseil Challenge, Bavarian Ball at Mansion House, and City Giving Day, drawing support from City livery companies, financial services firms, and corporate donors. The Appeal's strategy focuses on creating “A Better City for All” through four pillars: Inclusive, Healthy, Skilled, and Fair.

Funding Priorities

Partnership Model

The Lord Mayor's Appeal operates through 3-year charity partnerships rather than traditional grant-making. Current and recent examples include:

  • Homewards (2024-present): The Royal Foundation's programme to end homelessness, led by Prince William
  • MQ Mental Health Research (2022-present): The only UK charity exclusively investing in mental health research
  • National Numeracy (2022-2024): Three-year partnership supporting adult numeracy skills across London
  • The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Previous partner): Reaching 10,000+ young people from disadvantaged backgrounds
  • Samaritans (Previous partner): Wellbeing in the Workplace initiative reaching 25,000+ people
  • Place2Be (Previous partner): Mental Health Champions in over 180 schools

Strategic Priorities

The Appeal's four strategic pillars guide partner selection:

  1. Inclusive: Breaking down workplace barriers and addressing socio-economic class bias (Power of Inclusion initiative reached 23,313 people digitally in 2024)
  2. Healthy: Mental health research and workplace wellbeing (This is Me programme achieved 93% participant confidence in recognizing emotional distress)
  3. Skilled: Education, numeracy, and youth development (500+ Numeracy Champions trained across London)
  4. Fair: Addressing homelessness and social mobility (We Can Be programme saw 87% of young women participants considering City careers)

Focus Areas

  • Mental health research and workplace wellbeing
  • Adult skills development, particularly numeracy
  • Youth empowerment and social mobility
  • Homelessness and housing security
  • Support for armed forces and public services

What They Fund

  • National and London-based charities capable of delivering large-scale impact
  • Organizations with research or evidence-based approaches
  • Charities addressing systemic social issues
  • Partners who can engage with City of London networks and corporate supporters

What They Don't Fund

  • Individual applications or small grants
  • Organizations outside their four strategic pillars
  • Short-term projects (partnerships are 3 years)
  • Multiple organizations simultaneously (only 2-3 partners at a time)
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Governance and Leadership

Current Lord Mayor

Alderman Alastair King DL (696th Lord Mayor, November 2024-November 2025)

Recent Lord Mayors

  • Professor Michael Mainelli (695th Lord Mayor, 2023-2024)
  • Nicholas Lyons (694th Lord Mayor, 2022-2023)
  • Vincent Keaveny (693rd Lord Mayor, 2021-2022)

Trustees

Chair: Susan Carol Langley (appointed 2024)

Trustees:

  • Alderman Timothy Russell Hailes (appointed 2016)
  • Lidia Bozhevolnaya (appointed 2023)
  • Tangy Cathleen Morgan (appointed 2023)

No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Advisory Board

Chair: Katharine Braddick

Members:

  • Dominic Christian
  • Georgia Dawson
  • Wenjian Fang
  • Simon Levine
  • Ian Stuart

Corporate Support Structure

Founding Patrons:

  • Aon
  • Bloomberg
  • Phoenix Group
  • TP ICAP

The Appeal also receives support from numerous City livery companies and financial services firms. The City's guilds and liveries collectively provide around £65 million annually to charitable causes, making them the UK's oldest charity fundraising body.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

The Lord Mayor's Appeal does not have a public application process. Charity partners are strategically selected by the Lord Mayor and trustees to align with the Appeal's four strategic pillars and the incoming Lord Mayor's priorities. Partnerships are typically announced at the beginning of each Lord Mayor's term.

The selection process appears to involve:

  • Strategic alignment with the Appeal's pillars (Inclusive, Healthy, Skilled, Fair)
  • Assessment of organizational capacity and track record
  • Consideration of how the charity can engage with City of London networks
  • Evaluation of potential for measurable impact over a 3-year period

Getting on Their Radar

While there is no formal application process, charities interested in future partnership might consider:

Strategic Positioning:

  • Demonstrate clear alignment with one or more of the four strategic pillars
  • Build a track record of evidence-based, large-scale impact
  • Develop expertise in addressing systemic social issues affecting London or the UK

City of London Connections:

  • Engage with City livery companies and their charitable activities
  • Participate in City Giving Day and similar initiatives
  • Build relationships with City of London Corporation and businesses
  • Attend events organized by the Livery Committee

Proactive Engagement:

  • Contact the Appeal directly to express interest: Info@thelordmayorsappeal.org
  • Monitor announcements about incoming Lord Mayors and their stated priorities
  • Engage with current initiatives like Power of Inclusion, This is Me, and We Can Be

Note: Given the Appeal's focus on “leading experts in social change” and its relationship-driven model, organizations should be substantial charities with proven impact and the capacity to engage with corporate supporters.

Partnership Timeline

  • Three-year commitment: Partners typically work with the Appeal for three consecutive years
  • Annual cycle: Lord Mayor serves November to November; partnerships often span multiple Lord Mayors
  • Announcements: New partners typically announced at the start of a Lord Mayor's term or during their tenure
  • Transition planning: Some partners overlap to ensure continuity (e.g., National Numeracy concluded in 2024 as Homewards began)

Application Success Factors

What Makes a Successful Partner

Based on recent partnerships, successful charity partners demonstrate:

1. Strategic Alignment

  • Clear fit with at least one of the four pillars: Inclusive, Healthy, Skilled, or Fair
  • Capacity to deliver “pioneering programmes for change”
  • Evidence-based or research-driven approaches

2. Scale and Impact

  • National reach or significant London presence
  • Ability to demonstrate measurable outcomes (e.g., National Numeracy trained 500+ Champions; This is Me achieved 93% participant confidence ratings)
  • Track record of systemic change rather than individual case work

3. High-Profile Engagement

  • Ability to attract corporate and individual donors
  • Capacity to participate in high-profile fundraising events
  • Strong communications and public engagement capabilities
  • Willingness to engage with City businesses and livery companies

4. Organizational Capacity

  • Sufficient infrastructure to manage a major partnership
  • Ability to work collaboratively with the Appeal's team and other partners
  • Flexibility to align programmes with Appeal initiatives

5. Innovation and Thought Leadership

  • Described by the Appeal as “leading experts in social change”
  • Research capabilities (e.g., MQ Mental Health Research, GALENOS project across 35 countries)
  • Novel approaches to persistent social problems (e.g., Homewards demonstrating homelessness is solvable)

Recent Partner Examples

Homewards (2024-present): Selected for its groundbreaking approach to ending homelessness, royal patronage (Prince William), and alignment with “Fair” pillar. Documentary reached international audiences on ITV and Disney+, with 47,000+ visitors to related exhibition.

MQ Mental Health Research (2022-present): UK's only charity exclusively focused on mental health research, launching new Scholarships programme for early-career researchers and the GALENOS project involving 35 countries.

National Numeracy (2022-2024): Delivered transformational impact with 70-80% of Numeracy Champions being women, embedding Champions across all London boroughs and demonstrating scalability of their model.

Language and Priorities

The Appeal consistently uses terms like:

  • “Leading experts in social change”
  • “Pioneering programmes”
  • “Measurable impact”
  • “Evidence-based”
  • “Systemic change”

Organizations should demonstrate they are sector leaders, not just worthy causes.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • This is not a traditional grant-maker: The Lord Mayor's Appeal selects a small number of strategic partners rather than distributing grants through an application process. This is a relationship-driven funding model.
  • Think long-term partnership, not project funding: Successful partners commit to 3-year relationships and engage deeply with City of London networks, corporate events, and joint initiatives.
  • Scale and evidence matter: Recent partners include the UK's only mental health research charity, a Royal Foundation programme, and national organizations. Small, local charities are unlikely to be selected.
  • Timing is key: New Lord Mayors are elected in September/October for terms starting in November. Monitor announcements about incoming Lord Mayors' priorities and make contact well in advance.
  • City connections are valuable: Build relationships with City livery companies, participate in City Giving Day, and demonstrate understanding of the City of London's corporate culture and networks.
  • Impact must be demonstrable: All recent partners have achieved measurable outcomes (93% confidence ratings, 500+ Champions trained, 47,000 exhibition visitors). Have robust impact measurement in place.
  • Innovation attracts attention: Partners like Homewards (demonstrating homelessness is solvable) and MQ (pioneering GALENOS global research alliance) show the Appeal values novel, ambitious approaches to social problems.

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References