Created in 1981 by London Marathon co-founders Chris Brasher and John Disley, the London Marathon Foundation (LMF) is one of the UK’s major funders of initiatives that support people - especially children, young people and those from marginalised communities - to lead active and healthy lives.
The Foundation is the parent charity of London Marathon Events (LME), who together share a vision of Inspiring Activity. LME inspires activity by organising world-leading mass participation sporting events including the TCS London Marathon, Ford RideLondon and Swim Serpentine. Every year, after costs, the surplus income generated by LME is passed as corporate Gift Aid to the Foundation. This income funds projects that encourage, inspire and champion participation and diversity in physical activity in London, Essex and across the UK.
As LME’s portfolio of events has grown, so too has the Foundation’s income, and earlier this year we reached the monumental milestone of awarding more than £100 million to more than 1,600 projects since 1981. We support a wide range of inclusive activities, from team sports like football and wheelchair basketball, to individual activities like running and swimming, and many other ways of being active such as through play, dance, walking and gardening so that everyone - regardless of their age, ability or background - can lead an active and healthy life.
As our income grows, we expect to be distributing more than £8 million in funding per year, with an ambition to connect new groups and communities with our funding who may not have been able to access it before. In addition, in 2019, the Foundation set aside a fund of around £10 million to be managed on a long-term basis by an asset management company.
