In 1986, the City Parochial Foundation became the Trustee of the new Trust for London, established by the Government after it abolished the Greater London Council. Its initial endowment was £10 million.

From that beginning, the Trust for London has remained distinct in its policies and methods of work, despite its clear links to the Foundation. It has always focused on smaller organisations, making grants to locally-based charitable groups which have no more than the equivalent of two full-time paid members of staff.

The Trust seeks:

• to have an initiating and pro-active role, rather than to wait for applications

• to ensure that its grants have a distinctive and particular impact

• to be accessible to small groups.