Eligibility criteria

We award grants on behalf of a number of different donors. Below is the list of eligibility criteria that all organisations need to meet before they can apply for funding.

Each fund may also have its own additional criteria so please also read the fund guidelines before starting your application. If you have any specific questions, please contact us on 020 7582 5117 or email applications@londoncf.org.uk

Core criteria

Your organisation must meet the following core criteria to be eligible for grant funding:

Eligible Legal Structures

There must be a signed governing document in place appropriate to the legal structure. This must include an asset lock (or equivalent clause) and the purpose of all funded activities must be charitable (not for profit). This includes:

  • Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
  • Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) - may also be registered as a Charity or a Community Interest Company Limited by Guarantee (CICLG)
  • Trust
  • Unincorporated Association
  • Community Benefit Societies (CBS). Ideally, the CBS will also be registered as charitable with HMRC, however this is not essential.

Governance

You must have at least three unrelated members legally responsible for the governance of the organisation; Trustees/Directors/Management Committee as appropriate to your structure. Please note that this refers to the highest level of governance, a Management Committee that sits below a board of Trustees (eg charities, CIOs) or Directors (CLG or CICLG) does not count towards this.

Bank account

You must have a bank account in the same name as the organisation you are applying for, with a minimum of two unrelated signatories.

Safeguarding

You must have a safeguarding policy in place that has been reviewed in the last 12 months and meets the requirements as listed in our safeguarding checklist.

Previous LCF funding

All conditions from any previous The London Community Foundation grants must be completed and there can be no current outstanding monitoring at the time of application.

Registration

If your organisation's income for charitable purposes is more than £5k at the point of application, you must submit an application to register to The Charity Commission or the relevant regulator (e.g. Companies House, CIC regulator or Financial Conduct Authority). If the LCF grant will take your organisation's income over £5k, please visit this website for guidance on setting up a charity, including information on legal structures.

Who is not eligible?

The following types of organisation are not eligible:

  • Companies limited by Shares (including CIC limited by shares)
  • Statutory organisations, such as local authorities
  • NHS bodies
  • Co-operative societies

What can we not fund?

The grant funds cannot be used for:

  • Activities that promote religious or political views
  • Purely commercial ventures (for profit)
  • Spending that has already taken place (i.e. retrospective funding), unless there is a specific exception made, which would be clearly stated in the fund guidelines
  • Individual sponsorship or redistribution of a grant to individuals or other organisations
  • Activities where people are excluded on the basis of religion, sexual orientation, sex or ethnicity (unless the issue is group-specific)
  • There must be no personal benefit attached to the grant
  • The organisation must not have two years of late submissions to the Charity Commission/Companies House within the last two completed financial years
  • The organisation must not have two years of net current liabilities within the two most recent completed financial years
  • Organisations where Trustees are paid are not eligible unless evidence of approval is provided from The Charity Commission and/or this arrangement is referenced in the governing document

The London Community Foundation is continually working to develop and secure new funds for the benefit of community organisations in London, so funds we have available will change throughout the year. Keep up to date by signing up to our newsletter (link opens in new window).

If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please do not hesitate to contact us on 020 7582 5117 or by emailing applications@londoncf.org.uk.