Lord Mayor’s Appeal

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal – A City That Cares

Focusing on the 1 million young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), The Lord Mayor’s Appeal utilises the Lord Mayor’s unique convening power to help young Londoners develop the knowledge, confidence, skills and experience they need.

The impact of young people being NEET is very damaging, both for the individuals affected and for the country’s economic prosperity. While London experiences slightly lower levels of youth unemployment than some other regions, the challenge remains acute, especially for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and care-experienced young people.

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal identifies and supports a portfolio of charities tackling different aspects of the NEET challenge to work in partnership with, broadly tackling one or more of the following areas:

• Prevention – improving focus, attendance and attainment
• Employability Skills – CVs, assessments, interviews
• Barriers to work – knowledge and confidence, mental health, costs
• Access to opportunities – work experience, apprenticeships, traineeships

The Appeal helps to design and coordinate programmes with business and livery supporters so the young Londoners those charities are supporting can take advantage of the opportunities available across the City.

It seeks to maximise its impact by working together with other philanthropic organisations to scale up successful initiatives, as well as share what is learned collectively with policymakers.

The Lord Mayor’s Appeal’s income comes from corporate partnerships, livery donations and a range of fundraising events we organise throughout the year, from a sponsored abseil to a corporate football tournament and gala dinners. They also run the annual City Giving Day every September, which celebrates the City’s philanthropic contributions with hundreds of organisations participating in a wide range of fun activities, including Quiz Night, Treasure Hunt and Tour de City.

To find out more about how you can support The Lord Mayor’s Appeal as a corporate or livery partner, donor or volunteer, you can visit the website, or email.

Download the Lord Mayor’s Appeal Impact Report 2025.