London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited grants
London Marathon Foundation is a national grant-maker that gave around £6.9m to organisations in 2025, with a typical grant of £35,000.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
London Marathon Foundation (registered as London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited) is one of the UK's major funders of projects that inspire children and adults to lead active and healthy lives, funding recreation, amateur sport and disability-related work throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It gave around £6.9m to organisations in 2025, with a typical grant of £35,000 (the middle half of grants ranging from around £19,000 to £80,000). Its Active Spaces Fund awards £10,000 to £80,000 towards total project costs, but is only open to organisations supporting communities in London's 32 boroughs and the City of London.
What they fund
It funds recreation, amateur sport and disability-related work, with a particular focus on inspiring children, young people and less active communities to become physically active.
Who and where
It supports people with disabilities, children and young people, older people and other defined groups throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with its Active Spaces Fund specifically serving communities in London's 32 boroughs and the City of London.
Who they help
Where they fund
What London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
What they say they're looking for
“The London Marathon Foundation is one of the UK's major funders of projects and initiatives that inspire children and adults across the UK to lead active and healthy lives.”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — London Marathon Foundation | London Marathon Foundation →
“Support one or more of these audiences to be active: children and young people, people from ethnically diverse groups, people from lower socio-economic groups, women and girls, people with disabilities , people with long-term health conditions, older people (65+) or the LGBTQ+ community”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — Active Spaces Fund | London Marathon Foundation →
Who they say they'll fund
“All applicants must have: filed at least one year's financial statement (which can be audited or unaudited statutory accounts) under their Charity Commission or Companies House filing history more than two Directors who are unrelated”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — FAQs | London Marathon Foundation →
“No – the Active Spaces Fund is only open to organisations supporting communities in the 32 London boroughs and City of London.”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — FAQs | London Marathon Foundation →
What they say they won't fund
“We won't fund any personal equipment or clothing that will become the property of individuals (eg, team sports kits). Vehicles No, we won't accept any applications for purchasing vehicles (including tractors, minibuses or ride-on lawnmowers).”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — FAQs | London Marathon Foundation →
Grant sizes they mention
“Organisations can apply for between £10,000 and £80,000 towards total project costs.”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — FAQs | London Marathon Foundation →
How they say to apply
“No – we will only accept one application at a time from the same organisation. The exceptions to this are statutory bodies including local authorities, Multi Academy Trust schools, network/ federation or family of charities, and not-for-profit housing associations with multiple offices.”
Source: londonmarathonfoundation.org — FAQs | London Marathon Foundation →
What a typical grant looks like
| Typical (median) grant | £35,000 |
|---|---|
| Middle half of grants | £19,239 – £80,000 |
| Grants published openly | 836 |
| Most recent published grant | 2025 |
Recent grants
- Transport for Londonas a continuation of LMF’s matched funding for the Walking & Cycling Grants London programme, to be paid over 3 years at £200,000 per year.£600,000December 2025
- The Selby Trusttowards a sports hall at the Selby Centre and associated fees and project management costs.£500,000December 2025
- London Borough of Hackneytowards a community boxing gym and sports facilities at the Pedro Club£400,000December 2025
- London Borough of Tower Hamletstowards the transformation of the Stebondale Pitch at Millwall Park into a 3G floodlight 9v9 pitch.£150,000December 2025
- Upshot Systems CICThis unrestricted contribution is provided to support Upshot’s ongoing mission to strengthen monitoring and learning across the sector.£102,000December 2025
- City of Westminstertowards Westminster ASF Capital Programme.£100,000November 2025
From grants London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited publishes openly via 360Giving (the UK open grants-data standard), used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence.
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
1 the charity's objects are restricted specifically to promote participation in amateur sport and healthy physical recreation for the benefit of the inhabitants of those cities or counties where lmel (or such other subsidiaries of the charity from time to time) holds events and in such other areas of the united…
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does London Marathon Foundation typically give?
Based on 836 recorded grants in 2025, the typical (median) award is £35,000, with the middle half of grants ranging from around £19,000 to £80,000. Its Active Spaces Fund specifically awards between £10,000 and £80,000 towards total project costs.
What does London Marathon Foundation fund?
It funds recreation, amateur sport, and projects promoting human rights, equality and diversity, as well as disability-related work. Its Active Spaces Fund prioritises support for children and young people, ethnically diverse groups, people from lower socio-economic groups, women and girls, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, older people (65+), and the LGBTQ+ community becoming more active.
Who can apply to London Marathon Foundation?
Applicants must have filed at least one year's financial statements with the Charity Commission or Companies House, and have more than two unrelated Directors. Its Active Spaces Fund is only open to organisations supporting communities within London's 32 boroughs and the City of London. Generally only one application at a time is accepted from the same organisation (with some exceptions for statutory bodies, Multi Academy Trusts, networks and housing associations).
What won't London Marathon Foundation fund?
It won't fund personal equipment or clothing that becomes the property of individuals (such as team sports kits), or vehicles including tractors, minibuses or ride-on lawnmowers.
How do I apply to London Marathon Foundation?
Applications go through the funder's own website (londonmarathonfoundation.org); its Charity Commission number is 283813. Only one application at a time is accepted per organisation, with a few named exceptions - check the current guidance on its site, as rules and criteria can change.
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited.