Youth Music Trailblazer Fund

Objectives of Fund

The funding aims to support young people who want to change their lives through music but cannot because of who they are, where they are from or what they are going through.

The grants are for organisations who want to trial work for the first time, test a new way of working, or disrupt the status quo.

Value Notes

Two levels of grants are available:

• Grants of £2,000 to £15,000 are available to organisations of less than one year old.
• Grants of £2,000 to £30,000 are available to organisations of more than one year old.

Projects should last between 6 and 24 months.

Match Funding Restrictions

The total project budget should include at least 10% match funding. There are two types of match funding:

• Cash match funding - this is where there is money exchange involved; for example, a grant from another funder. At least 5% of the total project budget should be made up of cash match funding.
• In-kind match funding - this is non-cash support that the applicant or their partners make towards the project; for example, free venue hire or volunteer support.

Funding from Arts Council England or National Lottery cannot be used towards meeting the minimum match funding requirements but can be used as additional contribution.

Who Can Apply

Constituted UK based organisations may apply.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be committed to improving equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in their organisation, including youth voice and participation.
• Be keen to develop their organisation.
• Be legally constituted before submitting an application.
• Have a bank account in the name of the organisation.
• Have the correct insurance in place and comply with all relevant statutory legislation.
• Have a safeguarding policy that is reflected on and updated regularly.

There is particular interest in:

• Small organisations with a turnover of less than £500,000 per annum, have a small staff team and limited fundraising capacity.
• Those who work with children and young people facing barriers who want to trial a new music offer.
• Established organisations that want to test a new way of working or disrupt the status quo.

Location

England

Restrictions

The following are ineligible for funding:

• Sole traders and individuals.
• Profit-making programmes.
• Costs incurred before a grant offer is made.
• The purchase of land or buildings.
• Reclaimable VAT.
• Reserves, loans or interest payments.
• Activity that promotes party political or religious beliefs.
• Activities that are a statutory responsibility.
• Costs incurred in making an application (if the applicants identifies as Disabled, they can apply to Youth Music's Access Fund to help them write their application).
• Whole class tuition on the same instrument or group of instruments (eg strings) in schools.
• Individual tuition fees for young people to learn an instrument in school.
• GCSE or A-level Music.
• School-based music curriculum activity (unless in a special school, Pupil Referral Unit or Alternative Provision setting).

Eligible Expenditure

To be eligible, projects must:

• Last between 6 and 24 months, including planning and project set-up time.
• Enable children and young people in England to make, learn or earn in music. This can be music in any form, for example, making music with friends or learning about the music business. Projects can offer music making, learning, or earning - or a combination of all three.
• Engage children and young people who face barriers to music because of who they are, where they live, or what they are going through.
• Be designed or co-designed with children and young people who need to be involved in the planning and ongoing development of the project.
• Have built in ways to reflect on and adapt their project delivery.

In addition, projects must fit into at least one of the following six funding themes:

• Early years (0 to 5 years) who face barriers to accessing music-making because of their circumstances or where they live.
• Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people (0-25 years) so that they have equitable access to progress in music in a way that meets their needs and aspirations or provides routes for disabled young people into the workforce.
• Young adults (16-25 years) who want to take their music further, or for whom music can support wider personal and social outcomes.
• Youth justice system for children and young people (0-25 years) who are, have been, or are at risk of being involved with the youth justice system.
• Young people facing barriers for children and young people (aged 0–25) who face barriers to music-making due to their characteristics or life circumstances, or because of where they live.
• Organisations and the workforce for work that benefits people and organisations who provide inclusive music making opportunities for children and young people (aged 0-25).

The funding can support a mix of delivery costs and core costs. Eligible costs include:

• Delivery costs:
  • Music leader fees.
  • Project management.
  • Other members of staff working on the project (eg youth workers).
  • Youth voice activities (eg consultation, youth forum etc).
  • Marketing.
  • Planning.
  • Monitoring, reflection and evaluation.
  • Staff induction and training.
  • Equipment such as musical instruments, hardware and software.
  • Room and venue hire.
  • Food, travel and other access related costs.
• Core costs:
  • Salaries (staff who are not working directly on the project).
  • Communications.
  • Operations (rent and utilities).
  • Governance (audit, legal advice, preparation of annual accounts).
  • Income generation.
  • Training.
  • IT costs.

How To Apply

The deadline for Round 8 applications (for projects starting between April and June 2025) is 22 November 2024 (5pm).

Guidance notes and the online application portal can be found on the Youth Music website.