City of London Corporation

Inspiring London Through Culture

Grants of £500 to £10,000 from the City of London Corporation's Central Grants Programme for culture and heritage projects that benefit the Square Mile. Projects must deliver most or all of their benefits within the City of London, or engage the City's resident or worker communities at any location. Applicants can be based outside the City. The scheme is deliberately open-minded about what it funds, as long as a project meets at least one of four core criteria on access, creative excellence, social impact or cultural tourism.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £500 – £10,000
Deadline: 43 days left; 30 November
Effort: Light; short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

Registered charities, registered community interest companies, registered charitable incorporated organisations, charitable companies (incorporated as not-for-profit), exempt or excepted charities, registered charitable industrial and provident societies or charitable co-operatives (bencoms), and constituted voluntary organisations
All must have at least three unrelated members on the governing body and an ordinary business bank account with at least two unrelated signatories who do not live at the same address
Applicants may be based outside the City, but the project must deliver most or all of its benefits within the City of London or engage the City's resident and/or worker communities (at any location)
Only one application per organisation is considered at a time, and organisations cannot hold more than one City Corporation grant at once
Current grant holders must have completed their project and met all monitoring requirements before applying again

What it funds

Cultural and heritage activities or projects that deliver most or all of their benefits within the Square Mile, or among communities from the Square Mile at any location, and meet at least one core criterion:

Promote access for all to participate in the City of London's cultural offer
Enhance London's creative future by championing excellence in the development of innovative practice and/or skills
Deliver positive social impact through culture and/or heritage in the City of London
Support the development of cultural tourism to the City of London

Priority goes to proposals that: engage people living or working in the Square Mile; engage new audiences from a wide variety of backgrounds and locations; animate places and spaces in the Square Mile; encourage access to local buildings and heritage; improve health and wellbeing; use technology to deliver cultural excellence; highlight environmental issues and promote sustainability; build organisational capacity; support entrepreneurialism; build innovative partnerships, especially with cultural or heritage providers already operating in the City; and/or show some match-funding.

Any post paid for by the grant must pay at least the London Living Wage.

What it will not fund

Activities that do not have the relevant licensing or permissions
Activities that have already taken place or start before the grant is confirmed
Costs of putting together an application
Fundraising activities for an organisation or others
Items purchased on behalf of another organisation
Loans or interest payments
Projects that actively promote religious or political activities
Purchase of alcohol
Refurbishment of buildings or capital works

How to apply

Check that your project meets the geographic and core criteria; email the Central Funding and Charity Management Team (CFCMT) at grants@cityoflondon.gov.uk for an optional informal pre-application discussion
Complete the online application form on the City Corporation's grants portal (citycorporationgrants.my.site.com)
Attach the supporting documents and submit electronically by 12 noon on Monday 30 November 2026
The CFCMT acknowledges receipt within 10 working days. Incomplete applications are returned, and you then have 10 working days to send the missing information.
A Grants Officer assesses the application, may contact you for more information and may visit your organisation
Eligible applications go to the Inspiring London Through Culture Funding Panel of internal officers and external experts, and the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee decide

The CFCMT does not review draft applications. Application forms in large print, Braille or audio are available on request.

If you are successful, you must return signed terms and conditions within 20 working days and complete an online payment confirmation form with a recent bank statement. You cannot start the project until everything has been approved.

Have ready

Organisation's governing document (Constitution, Memorandum and Articles of Association, or Trust Deed)
Funding required spreadsheet
Most recent signed, audited or independently examined accounts
Job description(s) and person specification(s), including hours and pay rate or salary, for any funded post working more than 17.5 hours per week
Safeguarding policy

Church of England applicants do not need a governing document and should attach a note saying so. Organisations working with young people or vulnerable adults must have a robust safeguarding policy.

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