The London Bridge Building Communities Fund continues to go from strength to strength, with 40 expressions of interest received this year from a wide range of local groups. The fund offers small grants of up to £3,000 for projects that align with TLB’s objectives and this year’s funding themes, which included:

• Creative, arts and physical wellbeing: providing opportunities to take part in creative activities or improve physical wellbeing.
• Nature and sustainability: supporting communities to enjoy, protect, and enhance the natural environment.
• Employment and skills development: improving access to employment opportunities or developing new skills.

Our grants panel once again faced the difficult task of selecting which projects would receive funding. We are incredibly grateful to the London Bridge business community representatives who volunteer their time to assess each application against the set criteria.

This year, £51,257 was awarded to 19 charities, with each successful project receiving an average grant of £2,697 to help tackle specific challenges or seize opportunities within the community.

Congratulations to all our 2026/27 Building Communities Fund grantees! We look forward to following your progress and reporting on your achievements later this year.

Our 2026/27 Building Communities Fund grantees:

• Art in the Park: Weekly arts sessions for older adults and adults with learning difficulties, mental health challenges, or physical illness.
• Bede House – Bede Summer Fun Project: Inclusive boat trips, sports days, and a community party for adults with learning disabilities, autism, and ADHD.
• Big Local Works – Literary Festival: Bermondsey and Beyond 2026: A free, 10-day community festival across Southwark with author talks, poetry, and creative workshops.
• BlindAid: Accessible yoga classes for blind and visually impaired adults in Southwark.
• Blue Elephant Theatre – Playing Up! Little Readers Workshops: Creative play sessions using books and the arts to build a love of reading in young children.
• Burgess Sports – Crochet Club: A weekly community space where participants learn crochet, build friendships, and reduce isolation.
• Draper Together: Weekly inclusive football, dodgeball, and multi-sports for children aged 7 to 13.
• Edible Rotherhithe: Food growing, gardening, and Forest School clubs for children in Southwark.
• EFA London: Weekly ESOL classes supporting adults to learn English and access specialist services.
• Finding Rhythms: Employability sessions for young people at risk of offending, delivered through a music programme.
• GoodGym Southwark: Active volunteering sessions supporting local green spaces and community projects.
• Ignite Hubs: Coding and STEM classes equipping young people with digital skills for future careers.
• In Your Corner Charitable Trust – Leaders Project: A youth leadership programme combining workshops, boxing, and mentoring.
• London Bubble Theatre: A free drama group for older adults with extra care needs, reducing isolation through creative play.
• Power2 – Advance: A 16-week employability programme for young people, combining workshops with nursery mentoring placements.
• Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers – Growing Together: Weekly therapeutic gardening for asylum seekers and refugees.
• Southwark Playhouse – Young Company: Free weekly drama workshops for young people aged 8 to 18.
• Tea and Connect: Online mentoring supporting women in Southwark whose first language is not English to access health services.
• Toucan Employment – Toucan Art Project: Arts sessions for clients with learning difficulties and autism, supporting creative development and employment pathways.

Find out more about this year’s grantees and their projects here.