Other funding opportunities
Find the right support for you
Are you overwhelmed and not sure where to begin in order to find funding for young musicians? We’ve collated a list below of national and local opportunities to get you started. ‘Help Musicians UK’ have also done a lot of the work for you and created this fantastic Funding Wizard search engine to help you find funding.
We keep this list as updated as possible; however if you spot any errors, out of date information or would like to add another funding opportunity to the list please contact our Awards Team: [email protected] | 0300 302 0023
If you're looking for musical opportunities and advice in your local area our Connectors may be able to help! Click here to find out where our Connectors are currently based.
National Opportunities
Cherry Tree Foundation
Make small one off grants for talented children (music, drama, the arts); they do not pay school fees
Future Talent
Future Talent gives financial support and guidance to young musicians aged between 5 and 18 who are demonstrating outstanding musical ability or potential, but for whatever reason do not have the financial means to reach their goal. They have various grants and bursaries available.
Hattori Foundation
Instrumental soloists between the ages of 15 and 20 who are resident in the UK and have demonstrated both exceptional talent and achievement may apply at any time of the year for financial assistance.
The Music and Dance Scheme
The Music and Dance Scheme provides grants and help with fees at 8 independent schools and 21 centres for advanced training. Your child must be aged 8 to 19 to be eligible for the music schools. Apply direct to the school or centre you want to go to.
Music for All
The grant application process allows us to help people fulfil their musical dreams. Young, old, regardless of personal or life challenges, we truly want music to be for all! Funding for purchase of musical instruments/equipment etc will be considered.
Sydney Dean Whitehead’s Charitable Trust
The Trust provides grants towards the education of children whose parents are unable to provide them with an education suitable to their position or abilities; With the exception of a maximum age of 18, no geographical or other restrictions are imposed on the grant applications.
The Christine Brown Trust for Young Musicians
The Christine Brown Trust for Young Musicians offers financial support to exceptionally talented young musicians under 19 years of age, who are UK residents and who are experiencing financial hardship. This may mean contributing towards the cost of lessons, helping to pay for a new instrument, perhaps paying for summer school or orchestra fees – in fact, anything connected with the costs of an instrumental education.
The Drake Calleja Trust
The Drake Calleja Trust awards Junior and Senior scholarships to solo instrumentalists and singers studying in the UK. Scholarships can be used to cover fees, instrument purchase, masterclasses, competitions, recordings, concerts and other related activities.
Craxton Memorial Trust
Applications are invited from highly talented musicians who are completing their studies, embarking on their professional career or have a special project in mind and who are in need of financial assistance. There is no restriction on nationality but applicants should have been resident in the UK for a year prior to applying. Awards are currently made to pianists and instrumentalists, excluding the players of organ, harpsichord and percussion.
The Wrightson Trust
Priority is given to those between 8 and 18 and support is not normally given to those over 25. Towards payment for instrumental lessons, assistance with choir/orchestra tour fees, music colleges etc. Grants range from £100-£800.
Valentine Alcock Scholarship
Each year they help a number of young people to develop their skills in playing a musical instrument by paying part or all of the costs involved in their attendance at an educational activity.
Regional Opportunities
Opportunities in Scotland
Dewer Arts Award
To be considered for a Dewar Arts Award, an applicant must: Be under the age of 30 and live or work in Scotland. Demonstrate outstanding talent in any artform. Be without the financial means to achieve their full potential. The Trustees look for candidates who have strong ambition and a real passion for their chosen artform.
The Agar Trust
The Agar Trust supports young people (8-21) resident in rural Scotland who demonstrate exceptional musical ability and potential and wish to further their musical education beyond their local area. The Agar Trust awards grants from £100 up to £1000. You must be resident in a rural part of Scotland: this includes much of the Highlands and Islands, Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, the Scottish Borders, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
Opportunities in North East
Young Musicians Fund
The trust has enabled young people to buy their own instrument, update equipment, attend a residential or receive music lessons. The fund prioritises low income families who can struggle to afford the costs of supporting a passionate and committed young musician.
The Barbour Foundation
The Foundation has a diverse collection of objectives, including; The relief of persons in the North East of England who are in conditions of need, by reasons of their social and economic circumstances, hardship or distress.
Opportunities in East Midlands
The Kochan Trust
One of this Trust’s priorities is the promotion of the study and execution of creative arts and musical study and performance. They will consider applications for musical study and performance from young musicians living in Lincolnshire. Please send an initial letter to the Trustees to enquire.
Southwell Choral Society
Southwell Choral Society accept applications for annual Music Performance Bursaries. Their purpose is to support the musical development of young people in the Southwell area; applications are invited from singers and instrumentalists pursuing any form of music making
Carlton Male Voice Choir
The original Music Maker competitions are an exciting opportunity for young, skilled musicians and singers aged 16-20 with a passion for music, who love performing and can produce music to a high standard.
Opportunities in London
Elizabeth Allen Trust
The trustees of the Elizabeth Allen Trust are able to award a number of grants each year to assist eligible people to pursue their education. We invite applications from young people under the age of 25 whose permanent residence or place of education is in the London Borough of Barnet. Applicants will be expected to establish genuine financial hardship.
Opportunities in South East
Kent and Medway Young Musicians Trust
The Kent and Medway Young Musicians Trust supports young musicians up to the age of 25 who make music within the Kent and Medway area. They award grants to promising young musicians who need help with the costs of tuition, ensemble activities, courses, instruments and music.
Michael Hurd Fund
Grants may be awarded to individuals or organisations and must benefit young people of 25 years or under who show an aptitude in their chosen field of musical training. Individual recipients must have lived or attended school or college within the grant area which is defined as the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight together with residential addresses, schools and colleges in Surrey and West Sussex situated within a twenty-five mile radius of Petersfield.
The Christine Best Foundation
For disadvantaged individuals who can demonstrate a notable talent for music and who are situated within a radius of five miles of St, James’ Church, Weybridge, Surrey, for the furtherance of their musical education and performance.
Ewelme Financial Awards
Every year they give means-tested Bursary Awards to applicants aged between 11 and 18 and Grants to applicants aged between 11 and 25 and resident in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Ramridge in Hampshire and Conock in Wiltshire. These awards support educational opportunities for young people in both State and Independent education who demonstrate exceptional talent or need.
Hampshire Foundation for Young Musicians
Funds are available in the form of awards which enable young musicians to undertake studies or specific projects in connection with composition, conducting, instrumental and vocal performance, with grants, for example, for music tuition and music course fees. Areas such as music in education, music technology, musicology and participation in competitions of international standard are included. Funds are not available for the purchase of musical instruments, equipment or sheet music, nor for general undergraduate or postgraduate course fees.
The Westdene Fund
The Westdene Fund awards grants to individual young people (16-25 years) and living in Sussex, and who demonstrate an outstanding musical talent with an intention to pursue a career in music, and financial need. Awards are made to support a specific activity, such as a masterclass or participation in the National Youth Orchestra, or towards the cost of acquiring a better grade of instrument.
Opportunities in South West
Bishop Fox’s Educational Foundation
Applicants must be aged between 11 and 24, in need of financial assistance and either a pupil or former pupil of the following schools/colleges in the Borough of Taunton Deane – Bishop Fox’s School, The Castle School, The Taunton Academy, Heathfield Community School, Courtfields Community School, Kingsmead Community School, Richard Huish College, Bridgwater and Taunton College (Taunton Campus only) or other state maintained schools/colleges.
Radford Charitable Trust
Provide grants for tuition, instrument purchase, ensemble and workshop fees as well as travel costs for attendance at college auditions or lessons. We have a stock of good student instruments which we lend free of charge for up to three years. Applications for grants and instruments can be made at any time. The majority of decisions on grant applications are made at the annual meeting of the Trustees in September.
Changing Key Dorset
Changing Key Dorset provide financial support to young musicians who face barriers to music education. Examples of such expenses would include instrumental or vocal tuition, attendance on a course of study, membership of a performing group, and the purchase and maintenance of an instrument. You must be below the age of 21 at the time of making your application (or up to 25 years for those with identified SEND or for Care Leavers).
Opportunities in North West
North Nibley Arts Bursary
Applications are invited from those under the age of 26 who live or were born within a six-mile radius of North Nibley. Grants include the cost of upgrading a musical instrument, assistance with the cost of Summer courses in Music, Dance and Drama, donating towards the cost of postgraduate study, assisting with a course to repair musical instruments.
Opportunities in Devon
The Dulce Haigh Marshall Trust
The object of the Trust is to help young string players in Devon, who are in need of financial assistance, by making grants towards the purchase of an instrument and/or tuition fees.
Devon Educational Trust
Provide some individual grants for assistance with the study of art, music, literature, drama and dance. Applications will not be accepted from persons who will have reached the age of 25 years when their application is considered. Applicants must live in Devon on a permanent basis for at least twelve months. Temporary residence whilst at University does not qualify.
Young Musicians Support
YMS supports learning with awards to promising students to help pay for their lessons. YMS supports performance by arranging concerts featuring young local talent. YMS supports listening by subsidising tickets for classical concerts at local venues. Please note you cannot apply directly: at the beginning of each year, schools and music teachers are invited to nominate outstanding classical music students whose family circumstances merit some financial help.
Opportunities in the East of England
Norfolk Youth Music Trust
The grant will help the development of highly-talented Norfolk-based young musicians to pursue careers as professionals by offering annual grants and occasional public-performing opportunities. Successful applicants will already be highly skilled in one or more of the six disciplines (strings, brass, keyboard, percussion, voice and woodwinds) and will be either undergoing a period of study at a music college or specialist school, or who have made plans to do so. Applicants can apply for up to £500 from the fund.
Michael Badminton Young Musicians Trust
The Trust supports young string players in Norfolk with tuition costs, loans of instruments and assistance to attend courses in the UK and abroad. It also promotes the Norfolk Young Musician Competition.
Suffolk Music & Arts Alumni Trust
SMART exists to ensure that young people in Suffolk have access to arts opportunities to enrich their lives. They provide funding to help Suffolk’s young people access high-quality music and arts opportunities. They raise these funds by bringing together the skills, passion and experience of our supporters and alumni.
Opportunities in the West Midlands
Friends of Staffordshire Young Musicians
A vital part of FOSYM’s work is providing grants and awards to help encourage and develop musical talent amongst Staffordshire’s young people. There are a number of grants available, with differing criteria.
Devon Educational Trust
Provide some individual grants for assistance with the study of art, music, literature, drama and dance. Applications will not be accepted from persons who will have reached the age of 25 years when their application is considered. Applicants must live in Devon on a permanent basis for at least twelve months. Temporary residence whilst at University does not qualify.
Further support
Find an ensemble or music group
Visit the Making Music directory and search from thousands of leisure-time music groups across the UK: from choral societies to samba groups, symphony orchestras to festivals.
Interest free loans for musical instruments
With interest-free loans for musical instruments, equipment, software and tuition, Take it Away support musicians at every level. You can buy an instrument using the loan scheme at one of 130 music shops across England and Northern Ireland.
Benslow Musical Instrument loan scheme
Benslow Music Instrument Loan Scheme is a UK charity that lends high quality instruments to talented young musicians. MYou can borrow an instrument if you are a student, in full time education, and aged between 7 and 25.
Cherubim Trust: instrument loan scheme
Cherubim loans professional-calibre instruments to first-study musicians aged 15-25 who cannot afford one that matches their potential. They have an instrument bank numbering 32 instruments, ranging from violins to vibraphone.
Join Youth Music's NextGen Community
Are you aged 18-25 and chasing a career in music, but finding it tough, closed off and hard to break in to? Start finding your way in with Youth Music's NextGen Community. By signing up you'll be the first to get information about our funding for young creatives, freelance work, as well as job and training opportunities.
Online resources
Here are just some of the innovative online musical activities and resources being made available to young musicians during this time of social distancing and schools closures. From live-streamed concerts to resources for making music online there’s a lot to get your teeth into and enjoy.