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. (Read our blog that explains the purpose of our eligibility checks here.)
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 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.
We will check the relevant regulator website (e.g. Companies House and/or the Charity Commission) to verify this, so ensure this information is up to date at the point of application. Unconstituted organisations must submit the names and addresses of their management committee.
Finances
You must have a bank account in the same name as the organisation you are applying for, with a minimum of two unrelated signatories.
When you apply to a funding programme from The London Community Foundation, you will be required to submit accounts from the last completed financial year. If these accounts were submitted to Charity Commission/Companies House more than 18 months ago, then we require management or draft accounts for the most current year.
New organisations that do not have accounts for the last completed financial year are required to provide an income and expenditure forecast for the current year and include a note as to why accounts are not available for previous years.
The following template can be used if you do not have your own: IE Forecast template
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.
Additionally, you must submit a safeguarding policy that has been reviewed within the last year and is reviewed annually (this needs to be in writing on the safeguarding policy). If your safeguarding policy has not been reviewed annually, please provide a rationale for this and outline when it will be next reviewed).
Previous 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 is over £5,000 at the time of application, your organisation must be registered with The Charity Commission or the relevant regulator (e.g. Companies House, CIC regulator or Financial Conduct Authority) or be in the process of registration. Evidence of this must be submitted with your application. If it is not, your application will not be considered for funding. Please visit this website for guidance on setting up a charity, including information on legal structures.
Supporting documents
When applying to a programme from The London Community Foundation, you must submit at a minimum: a governing document and annual accounts or an income and expenditure forecast template if your organisation is less than one year old. Additionally, you must submit your safeguarding policy that has been reviewed in the last 12 months and meets the requirements as listed in our safeguarding checklist.
We are unlikely to follow up if you do not upload the required documents due to tight programme deadlines. Ensure you upload the correct documents with your application; otherwise, your application may not be shortlisted.
If you have difficulty uploading the documents, please contact us ahead of the programme deadline.
If for any reason you are not able to provide one of the required documents, please upload a document explaining why you do not have it.
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
- Activities generating private 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, unless explicitly permitted in the specific programme guidelines
- 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.