Trust For London
Charity Number: 205629
Contact Info
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Quick Stats
- Annual Giving: £10.2 million (2025)
- Success Rate: Not published (highly competitive with reduced funding availability)
- Decision Time: 2-4 months (shortlisting within 2 months, final decision within 4 months)
- Grant Range: £40,000 - £300,000
- Geographic Focus: London only
Contact Details
- Website: www.trustforlondon.org.uk
- Email: info@trustforlondon.org.uk
- Phone: 020 7606 6145
- Pre-application support: Grant managers available for conversations before application (highly recommended)
Overview
Trust for London is one of the UK's largest independent charitable foundations focused exclusively on London, founded in 1891. With an annual grants budget of £10.2 million for 2025, the Trust funds hundreds of organizations fighting for economic and social justice across the capital. Following their 2030 funding strategy launched in 2024, they focus on two core aims: economic justice (ensuring all Londoners have enough money for a decent standard of living) and social justice (creating a city where everyone can thrive regardless of who they are). The Trust has seen huge demand since launching their new strategy while facing reduced funding availability, making them highly selective in their grant-making approach. They prioritize resourcing fewer organizations well to maximize impact rather than spreading funding thinly.
Funding Priorities
Grant Programs
- Project Funding: Timebound project grants up to £300,000 across all priority areas (rolling applications)
- Unrestricted Funding: £40,000 - £80,000 per year for up to 5 years (registered charities only, working solely on London poverty)
Priority Areas
Economic Justice:
- Decent work
- Improving social security
- Tackling the housing crisis
- Ending the poverty premium
Social Justice:
- Ending migrant destitution
- Disability justice
- Racial justice
What They Don't Fund
Applications with no relation to their seven priority areas are “never successful.” The housing priority area is currently oversubscribed. Organizations can only submit one application per year.
Governance and Leadership
Chief Executive: Manny Hothi (appointed July 2021, previously Director of Policy from 2018)
Key leadership quotes from Manny Hothi:
- “I carry with me an inherent optimism that civil society can affect change. There are opportunities for influencing and to make a real and lasting difference.”
- “We must rise to the challenge ahead if we are to make life better for low-income Londoners.”
The Trust works with a board of trustees (current membership details available on website) and maintains transparency through 360Giving data standards for all grants awarded.
Application Process & Timeline
How to Apply
- Review funding priorities and ensure alignment
- Book conversation with grants manager (strongly recommended)
- Complete eligibility quiz
- Submit stage one application form online
- If shortlisted, complete stage two application
Decision Timeline
- Shortlisting notification: Within 2 months
- Final decision: Within 4 months (for shortlisted applications)
- Same-day notification: Grant managers contact applicants on decision day
- Rolling basis: Applications accepted and reviewed continuously
Success Rates
Success rates not published, but the Trust notes they must "say no to a lot more fantastic projects than we'd like to, even to some that fit our criteria exactly" due to high demand and reduced funding capacity.
Reapplication Policy
Unsuccessful applicants must wait at least 12 months before reapplying. Organizations limited to one application per year.
Application Success Factors
Critical success factors:
- Strong alignment with one of the seven priority areas and specific impact goals
- Pre-application conversation with grants manager significantly increases success chances
- Focus on organizations working directly with communities affected by poverty
- Clear demonstration of how work will contribute to economic or social justice outcomes
Recent successful projects include:
- Campaigns for Fair Banking Act to tackle financial exclusion
- Community-based research on Carnival's economic value for Black communities
- Specialist welfare advice services for lone parents
- Disability justice activism and capacity building
- Strategic legal challenges to No Recourse to Public Funds
Language and approach:
The Trust values “fighting for” rather than just “working on” issues, emphasizing systemic change and justice-focused approaches over service delivery alone.
Key Takeaways for Grant Writers
- Pre-application engagement is crucial: Organizations that speak with grant managers first are “more likely to be successful”
- Strategic alignment essential: Must fit clearly within one of seven priority areas with specific impact goals
- Justice-focused approach: Emphasize systemic change and advocacy rather than just service provision
- London-specific focus: All work must directly address poverty and inequality in London
- Relationship building: Consider multi-year unrestricted funding for deeper partnership if eligible
- Timing matters: Apply early as some priority areas (like housing) become oversubscribed
- Be patient: 2-4 month decision timeline requires advance planning for project start dates
Similar Funders
These funders frequently fund the same charities:
- London Legal Support Trust
- The Access To Justice Foundation
- The A B Charitable Trust
- Garfield Weston Foundation
- The Tudor Trust
- The London Community Foundation
- The Bridge Trust
- Henry Smith
- The Henry Smith Charity
- Bbc Children In Need
References
- Trust for London official website: trustforlondon.org.uk
- Trust for London funding priorities and application guidance: trustforlondon.org.uk/funding/
- Trust for London 2030 funding strategy announcements and budget updates (2024-2025)
- Trust for London Annual Review and Accounts 2023
- Charity Commission Register entry for Trust for London (Charity No. 205629)
- 360Giving GrantNav data for Trust for London grants history
- Leadership statements and end-of-year reflections from CEO Manny Hothi (2024)