City Bridge Foundation: The Next Steps for Raising the Roof
We’re delighted to share that Playing ON has been awarded a £200,000 grant over five years from the City Bridge Foundation to support the expansion of our Raising The Roof programme!
This transformative funding will enable us to extend our work empowering care-experienced young people across more London boroughs, providing long-term drama and performance opportunities that build confidence, foster community, and amplify voices that are too often unheard. Paul Martinelli, Chair of City Bridge Foundation, described Raising The Roof as “having a really powerful effect” on care-experienced young people, helping them “make connections, find community and build their confidence and skills”.
This grant will support the continuation of our creative journey—from ideation via Zoom, through in-person workshops, to the production of fictional dramas and short films culminating in public performances. Following the success of last year’s Flock at Soho Theatre, we’re thrilled at the prospect of reaching even more young people with these life-changing experiences. We’re deeply grateful to City Bridge Foundation for their belief in our mission. Their support affirms our commitment to creating playful, inclusive, and empowering spaces where care-experienced young people can step into the spotlight, reclaim their narratives, and grow into their full potential on stage—and in life.
“Raising The Roof has a really powerful effect on people who’ve experienced being in the care system and the challenges that brings.
We’re really pleased this funding will enable Playing ON to support even more young people to make connections, find community and build their confidence and skills.”
To learn more about how this funding will help us build on our work with care-experienced young people, you can read the full story below.
“Raising The Roof, run by the charity Playing ON, empowers young Londoners aged 16 to 25 to create fictional performances and short films about their lives. The project, which has previously run in Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth, will expand to more boroughs and offer more long-term support to young people taking part. That’s thanks to £200,000 funding over five years from City Bridge Foundation – the capital’s biggest independent charity funder.
Raising The Roof sees young people initially share ideas via Zoom before developing them in person, turning their experiences into fictionalised drama and culminating in a performance to an audience of friends and stakeholders. Last year, work first created through Raising The Roof was turned into a professional production, Flock, which played at London’s Soho Theatre and other venues around the country.” - City Bridge Foundation