Are you looking for music grants in the UK? If so, then this article should be of interest. Recently, we've been scouring the web for funding opportunities for music.
All of the endowments that we've found are listed below. In total, we've listed 28 grants for you to investigate.
Performing Arts Grants: £50k to £200k
These are some of the largest grants that we’ve seen. They are available for organisations rather than individuals.
Youth Music Network (£2k up to £200k): Grant programme for non-profits and schools for developmental music-making projects. Focus must be on disadvantaged youths. Also for projects that support the development of the workforce, organisations or the wider music making sector.
Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust (£100k): The Trust funds cultural projects in the UK (especially East Anglia). Areas financed include: schemes or bursaries for classical music education to enable young career musicians.
Foyle Foundation Main Grants Scheme (Mostly £10k to £50k): Scheme will fund performing arts projects that foster knowledge acquisition and learning. Will consider financing the core activities of smaller organisations or organisations that aren't currently receiving recurring funding from an arts council.
Band performs on stage, rock music concert in a nightclub. A little bit grain and blurred motion effects.
Performing Arts Grants: £5k to £50k
These are the small and medium sized grants we’ve seen. Who these funders will support varies. Some are available for organisations, some for individuals, and some will fund both.
Ragdoll Foundation (Up to £20k): For UK not-for-profit organisations. Focus on projects involving children and young people using the arts and creative media. Will consider multi-year financing.
PRS’s Momentum Music Fund (£5k to £15k): For UK based artists/bands to reach the next level of their careers. Activities eligible for support include recording, touring and marketing.
Foyle Foundation Main Grants Scheme (£1k to £10k): For charities working at grassroots and local community levels. Will fund a wide range of activities. Unlikely to support newly set up charities without a track record. Charities must have a turnover below £150,000.
Help Musicians Fusion Fund (£5k): For projects that feature collaborations between musicians and other creatives. This includes lighting designers, visual artists, and others.
Belgae Trust (Up to £5k): Grant funding for smaller charities and projects with a value of less than £100,000.
Theatres Trust Small Grants Scheme (Up to £5k): For charities and not-for-profit groups. Applicants must demonstrate the value capital improvements to their theatres would make to their local communities.
Elephant Trust (Up to £5k): Priority financing available for artists in the fine arts and small organisations. Aims to help artists to undertake and complete projects when frustrated by a lack of funds.
Didymus (Up to £5k): Will funds projects that help promote the arts, for organisations with an income under £2m.
MOBO Help Musicians Fund (£2k to £5k): Funding for supporting the career ambitions of highly talented artists and groups. Will sponsor recording, visuals, production, PR, promotion, touring and more.
A couple sat in a theatre watching a small orchestra play.
Performing Arts Grants: Less than £5k
These are some of the smaller grants we’ve seen. They are mostly geared towards individuals, although some do fund small businesses too.
Chapman Charitable Trust (£1k or £2k): Supports projects that promote physical and mental wellbeing. Aim must be on increasing access to the arts and culture.
Help Musicians Transmission Fund (£1.5k): A fund for helping musicians finance their personal development. This can include attending virtual conferences, online courses, coaching sessions, masterclasses, or more.
Philip Bates Trust (Up to £500): Gives priority to organisations that have charitable status or which are not-for-profit bodies. Backs individuals, voluntary and community organisations that develop artistic interests in young people, particularly the West Midlands.
These are grants we found which we weren’t able to determine a funding amount. We’d recommend reaching out to these organisations to find out more.
Casey Trust: Endowment funds available for UK registered charities, with a focus exclusively on working with children. Priority is given to start-up projects or identifiable new initiatives, rather than continuing programmes. Applications can only be submitted by post.
Black Artists Grant: Support to help black artists in however they need. This could be equipment or materials purchases, travel or research costs, or even just living expenses.
Said Foundation – Amal Grants Programme: Sponsors a wide variety of art projects. Projects should help increase the public's understanding of Britain’s Muslim communities. Or, projects should help bring the UK's Muslim communities together.
Making Music Counsellors Funds: Many local councils have funding available for individual counsellors to allocate to projects and community organisations. Making Music has curated information on some of the local authorities that offer this type of backing.
A close-up photograph of a microphone
Round Up
These grants are helping to support new music projects. At StageUp, we help arts organisations distribute their content to arts audiences across the world. If you’re an arts organisation, and you’re interested in working with us, send us an email at hello@stageup.uk.
