HOW TO FIND FUNDING

Arts Council England 

Fund: National Lottery Project Grants

Grant Range: £1,000 – £100,000

Deadline: Projects Grants is always open.

Who can apply?: Individuals, cultural organisations, museums/libraries and creative practitioners

Overview: They can support projects that directly create and deliver creative and cultural activity and content for audiences, visitors and digital users, and also those that have a longer term impact on strengthening the sector, such as organisational development, research and development and sector support.

Link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/projectgrants

Reference needed?: Yes 

Fund: Developing Your Creative Practice

Grant Range: £2000 – £10,000

Deadline: Round 13 is now closed. We’ll announce the decisions for Round 13 and open Round 14 on 31 May 2022.

Who can apply?:  independent cultural and creative practitioners

Overview: to take a dedicated period of time to focus on their own cultural and creative development, and take them to the next stage in their practice. To be eligible for this programme your application must identify a clear development opportunity. This could be for a period of research, time to create new work, travel (including international working), training, developing future ideas, networking or mentoring. Developing your Creative Practice encourages development by enabling people to innovate and take creative risks, work in new ways and to eventually reach new audiences. 

Link: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/developing-your-creative-practice/

Reference needed?: Yes 

Help Musicians 

Fund: Develop your Skills

Grant Range: up to £1500

Who can apply?: The support is open to emerging and professional musicians of all genres and disciplines. As an individual you may be an instrumentalist, composer, producer, conductor, vocalist or singer- songwriter etc. They can also support bands or ensembles consisting of 6 members or less. 

Overview: This fund supports opportunities that enhance your skills or artistic practice. This could be a virtual conference to learn more about the industry, an online course to enhance your skills, 1:1 coaching or an online masterclass with an expert, or perhaps some time to work with a mentor. This support is specific to your career needs, so you can specify opportunities relevant to your own circumstances and ambitions – whatever you need to feel confident in making your next move.

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/transmission-fund

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: Ian Fleming Musical Theatre Awards

Grant Range: up to £5000 towards study and living costs for the next academic year.

Deadline: applications are now open and close at 9am on 6 June.

Who can apply?: open to students who are either wishing to complete their final year of undergraduate study or undertake a postgraduate degree in September 2021. 

Overview: The awards are only open to students who wish to study performance at the following conservatoires or performance institutions: 

• Arts Educational Schools
• Guildford School of Acting
• Guildhall School of Music and Drama
• Leeds College of Music
• London School of Musical Theatre
• Mountview Academy
• Royal Academy of Music
• Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
• Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
• Royal College of Music
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
• Royal Northern College of Music
• Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
• Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
• Urdang Academy
• Wales International Academy of Voice

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/ian-fleming-musical-theatre-awards

Reference needed?: Yes 

Fund: Sybil Tutton Opera Awards

Grant Range: up to £5,000 towards study and living costs for the next academic year.

Deadline: applications are now open and close at 9am on 6 June.

Who can apply?: open to students who are hoping to start a postgraduate degree or move in to a second year of postgraduate study in September 2021.  

Overview: The Sybil Tutton Opera Awards are only open to students who wish to study Opera or Repetiteurship at the following conservatoires or performance institutions: 

• Guildhall School of Music and Drama
• Leeds College of Music
• National Opera Studio
• Royal Academy of Music
• Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
• Royal College of Music
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
• Royal Northern College of Music
• Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
• Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
• Wales International Academy of Voice

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/sybil-tutton-opera-awards

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: Peter Whittingham Jazz Award

Grant Range: £5,000 towards music and career plans.

Who can apply?: open to emerging and early career jazz musicians and groups with the creativity, ambition and commitment to develop a sustainable career in jazz. They are looking for music creators who are at a tipping point in their career and who can demonstrate that their proposed project will help them reach the next stage of their career.

Overview: The award can fund the following activities:

• Recording
• Filming
• One-off live performances (providing correct safety measures in place including social distancing.)
• Online streamed performances (and the costs associated with utilising new technologies to enable these*)
• Mentoring
• Collaboration
• Promotion
• Costs relating to musical equipment, production and composition software/hardware* (providing they are integral to the creative project proposed)

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/peter-whittingham-jazz-award

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: Recording and Releasing Music

Grant Range: up to £3000.

Who can apply?: musicians who are going towards recording and releasing music; and everything that goes around getting their music out there into the world.  

Overview: this support is for professional UK musicians of all genres and disciplines aged 18+, with a focus on independent music creators who are controlling one or more aspects of their career (e.g. self-managing, self-releasing, self-producing). You can be a solo artist, composer, group member, songwriter, producer or a multidisciplinary artist.

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/recording-and-releasing-music

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: MOBO Help Musicians

Grant Range: up to £3000.

Who can apply?: you could apply for financial support towards a new EP, a series of single releases, a marketing plan around new music or perhaps some content creation to accompany your release.

Overview:

• £3,000 in financial support towards your music
• one-to-one business advice sessions tailored to your individual needs and delivered via experienced music industry professionals, as coordinated by ThinkMusic
• one-to-one health consultation with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) professionals, covering all aspects of a musician’s health, including physical and mental health needs and specialist referrals where required

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/mobo-help-musicians-fund

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: Music Led Creative Collaboration

Grant Range: up to £5000.

Who can apply?: storytellers, lighting designers, choreographers, technologists, scientists, gaming designers, theatre directorsorvisual artists. 

Overview: there should be tangible results of the collaboration, such as a body of work created for an upcoming recording or a new performance. Ultimately, the project should push the boundaries of what you do as a music creator, exploring or testing something that you are not currently able to achieve without support.

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/music-led-creative-collaboration

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: Touring and Live Support

Grant Range: up to £5000.

Who can apply?: this support is for professional UK musicians of all genres and disciplines aged 18+, with a focus on independent musicians who are controlling one or more aspects of their career (e.g. self-managing, self-releasing, self-producing). You can be a solo artist, composer, group member, songwriter, producer or a multidisciplinary artist. 

Overview:

• up to £5,000 in financial support towards touring and live activities. 
• one-to-one business advice sessions tailored to your needs and delivered via experienced music industry professionals, supported by Jonathan Robinson at ThinkMusic 
• one-to-one health consultation with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) professionals, covering all aspects of a musician’s health, including physical and mental health needs and specialist referrals where required

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/touring-and-live

Reference needed?: Yes

Fund: Postgraduate Awards

Grant Range: up to £5000.

Who can apply?: students who wish to study musical performance can apply for financial support of up to £5,000 towards study and living costs for the next academic year.

Overview:

Our postgraduate awards are open to students who are studying music performance at Postgraduate level (ie. Mmus, MA, PGDip, Artist Diploma) at one of the following UK conservatoires or performing arts colleges:

• Guildhall School of Music and Drama 
• Leeds Conservatoire
• Royal Academy of Music
• Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
• Royal College of Music 
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland 
• Royal Northern College of Music 
• Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama 
• Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance 
• National Opera Studio (répétiteurs only)

Link: https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/creative-programme/current-opportunities/postgraduate-awards

PRS Foundation

Fund: The Composer’s Fund

Grant Range: up to £10,000

Deadline: mid-July

Who can apply?: Available to composers who are already making a significant cultural contribution in the UK and have the potential for greater impact in the UK and overseas.

Overview: Managed by PRS Foundation in partnership with Jerwood Arts The Composers’ Fund supports up to 15 composers per year who can make the case for the kind of support that would enable them to make a significant step change in their career.

Link: https://prsfoundation.com/funding-support/funding-music-creators/next-steps/the-composers-fund/the-composers-fund-guidance-and-faqs/

Reference needed?: Yes 

Fund: Women Make Music

Grant Range: up to £5000

Deadline: 14th September 2022

Who can apply?: The fund can support projects by women, trans and non binary songwriters, composers, artists, bands and performers who are writing their own music.

Overview: Women Make Music supports the development of outstanding women, trans and non binary songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career. 

Link: https://prsfoundation.com/funding-support/funding-music-creators/all-career-levels/women-make-music-2/

Reference needed?: Yes 

Fund: The Open Fund For Music Creators

Grant Range: up to £5000

Deadline: 14th September 2022

Who can apply?: The fund can support projects by songwriters, composers, or artists, bands, producers and performers who are writing their own music or commissioning others.

Overview: If you are a songwriter/composer you will need to tell PRS why this particular activity is so crucial to your creative or professional development.

If you are a solo performer or small performance group commissioning others, you will need to explain why your project is so important to the songwriter or performer you are working with.

Link: https://prsfoundation.com/funding-support/funding-music-creators/all-career-levels/the-open-fund-for-music-creators/

Reference needed?: Yes