Over £4m granted to 51 charities tackling inequality in London

Grants worth over £4 million have been awarded to London-based charities working to tackle disadvantage and inequality across the city.

The City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, has awarded £4.1 million to 51 charities from across the capital for a number of programmes including the support of survivors of sexual abuse, therapy sessions for children with life-limiting conditions and community activities to improve the health of older people.

Grants include:

• £138,300 to the WISH Centre in Harrow. The money will go towards expanding the charity’s therapeutic support programme for young people who self-harm.

• £57,000 to Why me? Victims for Restorative Justice in Southwark. The funding is for a project to increase access to restorative justice for victims of hate crime who belong to the LGBTQ community in London.

• £134,100 to Islington People’s Rights. The grant will fund a new project to offer vulnerable people in Islington early welfare and debt advice that can prevent financial problems spiraling out of control.

Commenting on the announcement, City Bridge Trust chair, Alison Gowman said: “It’s very exciting to finally start awarding grants under our new Bridging Divides programme, which for the first time allows charities to receive funding for up to five years.

“In this round of funding we have given quite a few grants to projects offering legal advice and support. Many of these organisations are being funded for expansion which demonstrates there is a high demand for such expertise.

“City Bridge Trust is committed to reducing inequality across London, and creating more cohesive communities. Tackling disadvantage across the capital is essential to make London a fairer and better place to live.”