The Anchor Programme can provide long-term, core funding to second-tier organisations providing support to London’s frontline groups.
Grant details
- Area: Greater London
- Open to: New applicants, including organisations which have received or are currently receiving funding from City Bridge Foundation
- Deadline: Initial Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 11pm on Monday, 3 June 2024
- Funding length: Between 7 and 10 years
- Funding size: The minimum you can apply for is £50,000 per year and the maximum is £150,000 per year
About the Anchor Programme
At City Bridge Foundation we want to provide long-term, core funding to second-tier organisations that provide support to frontline groups.
To receive funding, organisations need to demonstrate a strong ongoing commitment to, and track record of, equitable practice. Organisations must also demonstrate that they are addressing the marginalisation and discrimination experienced by those with intersecting identities.
The Anchor Programme has been co-designed with civil society organisations and aims to fund organisations with a core focus on systems change, in order to make London a fairer city.
Organisations which applied in the first round of the Anchor Programme in 2023 can reapply in 2024. However, we recommend you read our most common reasons for rejection in 2023 and also consider our Infrastructure funding for capacity building and representation.
For round two of the Anchor Programme, there will be a funding pot of nearly £15m and we estimate that between 13–15 organisations will receive funding.
Timeline
The Anchor Programme will reopen for applications on Monday, 13 May 2024. There will be a two-stage application process.
First stage: Expressions of Interest
In this first stage, applicants can submit a short, online Expression of Interest. This will need to be submitted by 11pm on Monday, 3 June 2024.
All Expressions of Interest will be reviewed by a shortlisting panel composed of civil society organisations.
Outcome emails will be sent to everyone who applies, whether successful or not. We are unable to provide individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants, but we have listed the most common reasons for not advancing first round applications through to the second stage in 2023.
The reasons for rejection will be updated for Round 2 of the Anchor Programme, as the programme progresses during 2024.
Second stage: Full applications
Applicants who submit a successful Expression of Interest will be invited to submit a full online application. They will be able to do this between 10am on Monday, 17 June and 11pm on Monday, 15 July 2024.
We aim to notify all second stage applicants of our decisions within six-to-seven months.
Applications and supporting documents will first be reviewed by the Anchor Programme team. Those selected for progression will be presented to our Funding Committee for approval in December 2024. Any applications for over £1m will then need to be presented to the City Bridge Foundation Board in February 2025, for approval.
What we will fund
At the heart of this programme is a commitment to achieve change for Londoners at a systemic level. The fund will aim to achieve this by providing long-term core funding, over a period of 7–10 years, to organisations that provide second-tier support.
Organisations applying for the Anchor Programme may also provide some frontline service delivery, but this should be seen as secondary and supportive to the main second-tier focus.
Organisations must demonstrate that they are providing one or more of the following second-tier activities *
- Policy and Advocacy: Ensuring different perspectives reach key decision-makers
- Capacity Building: Providing operational, strategic or governance advice, through resources or relationships, and hosting events and training opportunities
- Networking and Relationships: Holding events, building connections, mentoring programmes across sectors/peers
- Communications and Influencing: Researching and reporting the views and opinions across a group with a shared perspective
- Organisational Hosting: Providing the key operational functions e.g. financial or legal considerations
- Research and Thought Leadership: Providing information and bigger picture context
We want to support organisations that can demonstrate that their work is ‘led by and for’ the people they work to support. As an indication, this should be at least 75% of the Board of Trustees or Management Committee and at least 50% of senior staff self-identifying as from a specific community or protected characteristic.
The aim is to support organisations that demonstrate a commitment to equitable practice and in addressing the marginalisation and discrimination experienced by those with intersecting identities.
The first round of the Anchor Programme
A first round of the Anchor Programme opened in May 2023. Thirteen successful applications (out of 173) were signed off by the City Bridge Foundation Committee and Board in 2023, sharing a funding pot of £14m.
See press release: £14m long-term funding boost for charities fighting inequality
