Apply for a Lewisham London Living Wage Accreditation Fees Grant
We are offering grants to cover the cost of accreditation fees for a three-year period to support more employers in Lewisham to become accredited and experience the benefits of adopting the real Living Wage.
Any organisation of up to 250 employees, who has gained the accreditation for the first time from 1 November 2024, can apply for the grant.
This includes businesses whose parent or ultimate holding organisation has headquarters within the London borough of Lewisham.
How to become accredited
The accreditation process needs a licence agreement to be signed between the employer and the Living Wage Foundation.
To meet accreditation requirements you must:
- pay all directly employed staff the real Living Wage before accrediting
- pay all regular third party contracted staff the real Living Wage with a three-year phased implementation window for any contracts unable to immediately uplift affected employees
- commit to implement new rates within 6 months of the annual rate announcement
How to access the grants
Firstly, express interest on the Living Wage Foundation website.
Once you've completed this:
- you will receive an email with your personalised license agreement link to complete and submit online - you can reach out to a member of the Living Wage Foundation team to ask any questions or ask for a call
- your license will be reviewed and signed off within 10 days by a member of the Living Wage Foundation confirming your accreditation
- you can then apply for the grant to cover the cost of accreditation fees
Get help applying for London Living Wage Accreditation Grant fees
You can get in touch with a member of the Living Wage Foundation by:
- phoning 020 7043 9882
- emailing accreditation@livingwage.org.uk
- or email the business team at Lewisham Council on business@lewisham.gov.uk
Grant conditions
To qualify you must:
- become accredited with the Living Wage Foundation (and be able to provide an accreditation agreement)
- commit to and implement the agreement to pay the London Living Wage for a minimum three-year period, with the Living Wage Foundation (failure to do this may result in recovery of the grant)
- confirm that any award under this scheme will not result in the organisation exceeding the State Aid threshold
- be based in the borough of Lewisham
- complete Lewisham Council’s grant application form
NB The grant only applies to organisations which are newly accredited from Friday 1 November 2024. Existing Living Wage accredited businesses are not eligible for this grant.
Applications must be received no later than Friday 28 February 2025.
Amount of the Grant Award
The grant is equivalent to three times the fee for an annual London Living Wage accreditation. The grant is offered to businesses in Lewisham employing less than 250 staff.
The level of grant award depends on the size of business.
| Size of Organisation (by number of employees) | Annual Living Wage Accredit Fee | Amount of Grant awarded (to cover the cost of accreditation fees for 3 years) |
| 51-250 | £275 | £825 |
| 11-50 | £137 | £411 |
| Under 10 | £69 | £207 |
The Living Wage Foundation monitors organisations. This means if any businesses break the agreement within three years any grant awarded will be reclaimed on a pro rata basis.
The grant is a one-off award to cover the cost of accreditation fees for three years.
State Aid and Subsidy Allowance
European Union laws restrict the amount of state funding businesses can receive. This includes government grants, loans or tax reductions.
The EU State aid rules no longer apply to subsidies granted in the UK following the end of the transition period however the following scheme rules apply to subsidies on the basis of the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA).
Businesses will need to confirm that any likely grant award through this scheme will not exceed the set limit for the Small Amounts of Financial Assistance Allowance and COVID-19 Business Grant Allowance.
If you have any queries about the conditions or need help with completing the form email business@lewisham.gov.uk.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund
The Lewisham Council Living Wage campaign is funded by The UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.
The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
Find out more about the UK Shared Prosperity Fund on GOV.UK.
