GrantRadar

City of London Corporation

Destination City Partnership Fund

Grants of £1,000 to £20,000 from the City of London Corporation for creative and innovative projects in the Square Mile that help deliver its Destination City growth strategy — bringing workers back to the office (especially Mondays and Fridays), making the City a place people want to live, work, learn and explore, and creating an inclusive, welcoming destination. Applications are open on a rolling basis. Match funding (cash and in-kind) is essential and projects must be delivered by 1 April 2028.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000 – £20,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Constituted voluntary organisations and residents' associations; constituted business organisations and associations; UK registered charities; registered CICs; charitable companies incorporated as not for profit; registered CIOs; exempt or excepted charities; and registered charitable industrial and provident or community benefit societies
  • Applicants must have at least three unrelated members on the governing body, a business bank account with two unrelated signatories at different addresses, a governing document appropriate to their legal status, an asset lock or equivalent, demonstrable financial viability for 12 months, and safeguarding policies if working with children or vulnerable adults
  • Projects must take place within the City of London (the FAQ says applicants must be constituted organisations based in the City)
  • Individuals must apply through an eligible organisation
  • Match funding is essential

What it funds

Projects delivering one or more Destination City outcomes:

  • Attracting current City workers back to the office (with a focus on Mondays and Fridays)
  • Making the City a destination where people want to live, work, learn and explore
  • Creating an inclusive and welcoming destination, including for emerging talent

Eligible activity includes infrastructure, equipment, events, workshops and pilot programmes, including solely digital or hybrid projects.

Projects should be test-and-learn with measurable outcomes and delivered by 1 April 2028 unless extended.

Organisations may receive no more than £30,000 in any two-year period.

What it will not fund

  • Requests over £20,000
  • Applications from individuals
  • Projects outside the City of London boundaries
  • Projects already completed or expenditure already incurred
  • Organisations already holding an active grant from this fund
  • Organisations without the required governance structure
  • Organisations that cannot demonstrate financial viability
  • Political parties or lobbying organisations
  • Organisations without adequate safeguarding policies
  • Applicants turned down by the fund within the previous four months
  • Funded roles paid below the London Living Wage
  • Charities not registered in the UK

How to apply

  1. Read the Information and Apply page and FAQ, and contact the Central Funding and Charity Management Team (grants@cityoflondon.gov.uk) for informal guidance if helpful
  2. Complete the online application form on the City Corporation grants portal
  3. Attach the required supporting documents
  4. Your application is allocated to a Funding Manager, who carries out due diligence checks (governance, finance, safeguarding)
  5. Take part in an assessment discussion and provide any additional information requested

Applications are accepted at any time; unsuccessful applicants must wait four months before reapplying.

Have ready

  • Governing document
  • Funding spreadsheet (project costs, other income and grant amount needed)
  • Most recent audited or independently examined accounts (management accounts if under 18 months old)
  • Monitoring and evaluation framework with SMART targets
  • Job descriptions and person specifications for posts over 17.5 hours a week
  • Safeguarding policy

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