We are delighted to welcome the City Bridge Trust to the Living Wage Friendly Funder network! The Trust is leading the way by joining the Living Wage Foundation's new scheme for charitable funders.
The City of London Corporation's charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, has been awarded the Living Wage Friendly Funder Mark in recognition of its implementation of the London Living Wage policy across its funding relationships with voluntary organisations.
City Bridge Trust is London's largest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage across the capital.
It has awarded over 7,000 grants totalling more than £320,000,000 to organisations across the capital over the last two decades.
It helps achieve the Corporation's aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners.
London Living Wage Friendly Funders support charitable organisations to pay the London Living Wage through their grant-making, working together to end low pay in the voluntary and community sector.
As part of their commitment to be a London Living Wage Friendly Funder, funders support applicant bodies to pay the London Living Wage to any grant-funded staff posts. London Living Wage Friendly Funders are themselves Living Wage employers and then, where possible, encourage grantees to become accredited employers over time.
David Farnsworth, Director of City Bridge Trust said:
Our vision is for a fairer London: the voluntary sector plays a vital part in helping make London a better place to live and the Trust plays a key role in supporting the on-going success of the sector. We aim to lead by example with responsible business practices and as an accredited London Living Wage Friendly Funder we hope we can continue to encourage grantees and funders to take similar steps.
Katherine Chapman, Director, Living Wage Foundation said:
We are delighted to recognise City Bridge Trust as a London Living Wage Friendly Funder. The leadership shown by the trust demonstrates a commitment to tackling the serious problems that low pay brings to our communities. Many organisations in the voluntary and community sectors are working hard to tackle social injustice and poverty; it's only right that those committed to these roles are afforded at least a Living Wage. We hope to see many more funders and corporates follow the lead of City Bridge Trust and the other London Living Wage Friendly Funders.
ENDS
Notes to editors
About the UK Living Wage
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The UK Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. It is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK and employers choose to pay it on a voluntary basis.
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The Living Wage Foundation recognises and celebrates the leadership shown by Living Wage employers across the UK.
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It is an initiative of Citizens UK and offers accreditation to employers that pay the living wage, or those committed to an agreed timetable of implementation, by awarding the 'Living Wage Employer' mark. There are now 2,500 accredited Living Wage Employers across the UK.
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The Living Wage Friendly Funder scheme recognises grant makers thatsupport charities to pay the Living Wage through their grant-making: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/about-friendly-funders
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You can follow the Living Wage Foundation on twitter @LivingWageUK https://twitter.com/LivingWageUK and find out more about the Friendly Funder Scheme using #FriendlyFunders
The Friendly Funder Framework
Living Wage Friendly Funders agree to three sequential core principles:
PRINCIPLE ONE:
Become an accredited Living Wage Employer with the Living Wage Foundation. You can find out more about this and start the process at www.livingwage.org.uk/how-become-living-wage-employer
PRINCIPLE TWO:
Pay the Living Wage to grant funded posts or be demonstrably working towards paying this over a period of time agreed with the Living Wage Foundation.
Living Wage Friendly Funders seek to ensure that all posts which are wholly or partially funded by the funder pay the Living Wage, unless there are particular reasons for this not to happen (these might include difficulties in maintaining differentials, and the impact on other posts within the grantee's workforce - there is more information in our FAQs).
PRINCIPLE THREE:
Support grantees to become Living Wage Employers by signposting them towards:
- The Living Wage Foundation
- Other Living Wage Friendly Funders
- Other Living Wage VCS organisations in their area