London,
21
March
2017
|
11:13
Europe/London

New £500k funding pot to help London charities step into social investment market

Over £500,000 of funding is now available for charities looking to break into the London social investment market.

The money is available through the Stepping Stones Fund, a funding programme launched in 2015 by the City of London Corporation’s Charitable arm, City Bridge Trust, and UBS. City Bridge Trust has already awarded over £2,185,000 to 49 organisations across 20 London boroughs through the fund.

Through the scheme, funding, advice and learning opportunities are made available to help organisations develop their ideas, bring in new technical assistance and get products ready for market.

Beneficiaries range from charities supporting disadvantaged children and young people, to community projects looking to strengthen local employment skills and education.

Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust committee, commented:

“We have already been able to award a large amount of funding to such a wide range of organisations through the fund. We understand it takes hard work to develop a new market and the simple provision of capital is rarely enough to encourage the quality and diversity of product to emerge.

“We are very excited about the latest round of Stepping Stones, which has opened for applications today and we look forward to receiving applications from organisations looking to step into the social investment market.”

One recent grantee, the Bike Project, is using the funding to employ bike mechanics to achieve their mission of getting refugees cycling to help them become better integrated and involved in the community. Jem Stein, Director of the organisation, which received a £40,000 grant from Stepping Stones in November, said:

“The Stepping Stones grant has been instrumental in testing our business model on a larger scale which has transformed our ability to attract investment. This has already been successful and we are currently discussing our options with potential investors.”

The Stepping Stones Fund is underpinned by a strong partnership between City Bridge Trust and UBS. It is a combination of the Trust’s grant making expertise, funding offered by UBS and the skills and insights of the bank’s corporate volunteers.

Nick Wright, Managing Director, Corporate Responsibility and Community Affairs at UBS, added:

We are delighted to see the difference that the Stepping Stones Fund has been able to make in such a short time through the disbursement of funds and deployment of UBS employee volunteers.

“We’ve seen a range of organisations that have been helped in building their capacity and increasing their social impact across a number of sectors. We would encourage more third sector organisations and social entrepreneurs to explore the opportunities presented by the Fund.”

City Bridge Trust provides grants totalling around £20 million per year towards charitable activity benefitting Greater London. It is dedicated to making the capital a fairer place to work and live. The Trust has awarded around 7,500 grants totalling over £360 million since it first began in 1995. It is London’s biggest independent grant giver tackling disadvantage across the capital.

For more information about the fund and how to apply visit http://www.citybridgetrust.org.uk/stepping-stones-fund

ENDS

About the City of London Corporation

The City of London Corporation provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. In addition, the City Corporation has three roles:

We support London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, makes grants of around £20 million annually to tackle disadvantage across London.

We also help look after key London heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, the Museum of London, Barbican Arts Centre, City gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important commons in London.

We also support and promote the ‘City’ as a world-leading financial and business hub, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events and research-driven policies, all reflecting a long-term approach.

See www.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more details.

About UBS

UBS provides financial advice and solutions to wealthy, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as private clients in Switzerland. The operational structure of the Group is comprised of our Corporate Center and five business divisions: Wealth Management, Wealth Management Americas, Personal & Corporate Banking, Asset Management and the Investment Bank. UBS's strategy builds on the strengths of all of its businesses and focuses its efforts on areas in which it excels, while seeking to capitalize on the compelling growth prospects in the businesses and regions in which it operates, in order to generate attractive and sustainable returns for its shareholders. All of its businesses are capital-efficient and benefit from a strong competitive position in their targeted markets.

 

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

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