The London Marathon Charitable Trust
The London Marathon Charitable Trust was created in 1981 by London Marathon founders John Disley and Chris Brasher to distribute the surplus, via corporate Gift Aid, from the London Marathon and other events organised by London Marathon Events.
The Trust’s vision is a society in which everyone is physically active, contributing to their health and wellbeing, and its mission is to Inspire Activity by providing funding to initiatives that enable people to become and remain physically active regardless of age, gender, ability, race or background and challenge inequality of access to physical activity.
The Trust is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2021 and in the past four decades has awarded more than £93 million to more than 1,490 projects across the UK.
The pandemic has been the most difficult period in The Trust’s 40-year history. With London Marathon Events not being able to put on its usual mass participation events during this period and, therefore, the surplus available to The Trust being reduced, grant-making was limited. The Trust took the difficult decision in 2020 to not accept any new grant applications to its Facilities Grants Programme.
However, grant-making has continued during the pandemic, including awarding:
- £600,000 to the Young People Forward Project a project that aims to use the power of sport to improve the health and wellbeing of young homeless people in North England and Scotland. This grant was made possible thanks to a donation from Virgin Money.
- New grants totalling £424,950 to support the safe return of physical activities for groups most adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic
- £1 million to Transport for Greater Manchester to support its ambition to help people and groups become more active through cycling and walking