The City Bridge Foundation is open for applications for its first round of funding from this programme.

The programme is their first initiative under the Foundation’s new ten-year strategy, Standing with Londoners 2025–2035.

There will be a total of £6.5 million available in this funding round, offering core and flexible grants over three or five years to organisations providing free legal and social welfare advice across London.

​The funding is aimed at for ‘led by and for’ organisations with a track record of providing free social welfare advice to the most marginalised Londoners, and ambitions to start using frontline experience and insight to engage in social action and drive systems change.  The scheme aims to build capacity, sustain essential services, and drive systemic change.

This includes areas such as housing, welfare benefits, debt, employment, and immigration.

A recording of the 30-minutes information webinar held in November 2025 is available to view here.

In 2026, there will be a phased opening of three programmes – Climate & Environmental Justice, Economic Justice, and Racial Justice – as part of their wider commitment to tackling inequality and injustice.

Round 1 opened in November 2025 and it is anticipated that 20–25 awards will be made between the two strands of:

• Development Grants – core, flexible grants of £75,000 over 3 years which are expected to be suitable for smaller groups or organisations with an annual income of £50,000 to £250,000. 

• Transformation Grants – core, flexible grants of either £200,00, £300,000 or £450,000 over 5 years which are expected to be suitable for organisations with an annual income of £50,000 to £1.5 million. If shortlisted for Stage 2 application, the funder will discuss the most appropriate amount.

Pre-application calls can be requested here and are offered between Wednesday 19 November and Friday 12 December 2025, subject to availability.

The closing date for Round 1 applications is 12 noon on Wednesday 7 January 2026.

For full details, visit City Bridge Foundation’s Access to Justice webpages here.