19 January

The Next Chapter for The Lord Mayor’s Appeal: Creating a Better City for All 2026-28

Since its establishment in 2012, the Lord Mayor's Appeal has raised more than £10 million for its charity partners and mobilised businesses across the Square Mile to create lasting positive change. Through a combination of fundraising and the delivery of its own programmes, the Appeal has worked with over 2,500 businesses, reaching approximately 500,000 employees across the City and beyond. You can read more about our impact in our latest Impact Report 2025/26 here.

The Appeal aims to build on this strong foundation with a focus on creating better access to City careers for local people. In 2026-28, the Appeal will work with businesses, livery companies, schools and charities to act as a catalyst for change, aiming to raise over £4 million and support more than 15,000 Londoners with the opportunity for a better future.

The Appeal will focus on three impact areas: breaking down barriers, unlocking potential and aspiration, and creating career opportunities for Londoners. These priorities will be delivered through our programmes, schools, employers, livery companies and charity partners working together as a City Careers Partnership Programme.

Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley DBE, The Rt Hon The Lady Mayor of the City of London – only the third woman in the City’s history to hold this ancient office and the first to take the title of Lady Mayor – describes this work as “Unsquaring the Square Mile” – opening up the City so that opportunity is not confined by background or circumstance:

“By breaking down barriers, we can create opportunities for everyone, regardless of background, to benefit from what the City has to offer. Through collaboration, generosity and shared purpose, we continue to deliver lasting impact across the Square Mile and beyond.” 

You can read more about the Appeal's strategy here.

Initiatives and Events

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal has a wide range of fundraising events and programmes for professionals and organisations to take part in throughout the year. Its flagship initiatives include: 

• We Can Be opens up career pathways for young women by working with schools, offering business insight days, sharing real role model stories and demystifying the City. 
• The Power of Inclusion provides a collaborative forum for businesses to share best practice on diversity, equity and inclusion, addressing issues such as social mobility, gender and disability. 
• This Is Me supports organisations to reduce stigma around mental health and build healthier workplace cultures through practical tools, guidance and open dialogue.
• City Giving is a year-long programme to drive philanthropy and champion a City that Cares. City Giving Day is held annually on 23 September to showcase the City’s positive impact on society. 
  
  You can view the full list of events here. 

Charity Partners

Alongside its established initiatives and continued support of Homewards, the flagship homelessness charity from The Royal Foundation, The Lord Mayor’s Appeal has welcomed two new charity partners in 2026: the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), supporting young people aged 12 to 18 to develop confidence, teamwork and leadership skills, and the West Ham United Foundation’s Foundry, delivering programmes across education, employment, health and youth engagement. Read more about this year’s charity partners here.

If your organisation would like to partner with us or find out more, click here.