Financial support

The Alan Surtees Trust aims to support and enhance the career of young folk performers.

Grants will be given to those who show exceptional skill, talent and promise in their field and whose work is rooted in, or influenced by, folk and traditional music and arts. The funding can go towards a variety of uses included mentoring, new instruments and equipment, or recording a debut album.

For more information please visit their website.

Awards for Young Musicians believe that all musically talented young people should have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, whatever their background.

For more information and how to apply, please visit their website. 

The Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation (ESSMF) is a charitable music foundation which aims to help young people under the age of 18, and living in Suffolk (UK), with small but useful grants to help with studying or playing music.

For more information, please click on the ESSMF website and register your interest online.

The EMI Music Sound Foundation provides two types of awards:

• Instrument and/or Equipment awards, which allows schools, music teachers and students to apply for assistance with the purchase of musical instruments and/or equipment
• Bursary awards, which allows students at certain colleges/organisations to apply for assistance with fees and/or living expenses.

For more information and how to apply please visit their website.

Described as The UK’s flagship charity supporting gifted young musicians from low income backgrounds, Future Talent gives financial support and guidance to young musicians aged between 5 and 18 who are clearly demonstrating outstanding musical ability or potential, but for whatever reason do not have the financial means to reach their goal.

Awards are given for a variety of purposes, including the purchase of instruments, music lessons, and fees for specialist training courses.

Worth up to £4000 over two years, the Coombs Scholarship is Future Talent’s most prestigious award and is granted biennially to one musician aged 16-17.

More information about the deadline for completed applications, application forms and guidelines can be found on their website.

Music for All - Funding Opportunity

Please click on the link below for details of Music for All's funding opportunity and an application form:

The deadline for application is Friday 28 July 2023. Please see the website for further deadlines to apply.

http://musicforall.org.uk/apply-for-funding/

Take it away offers interest-free loans for musical instruments, equipment, software and tuition. Available to all musicians, from beginner to professional.

This Music Fund was setup in 2012 in memory of Roger David Burrows (1980-2012), a past member of South Suffolk Youth Orchestra. The fund hopes to inspire all abilities, adults and children, in music making by offering small grants to groups or individuals.

The deadline for applications is 1 January each year. Please visit their website to find out how to apply.

The Gordon Ruddock Bursaries

Twenty-nineteen sees the first awards of the Ruddock Bursaries - which the Trust offered to under 25 year old Artists who have an interest in English traditional folk arts be it musicians, dancers or story tellers. 

To mark the first year of the scheme the Trust has awarded six bursaries of £250. To qualify applicants must have been raised, be living or studying in East Anglia, and be already involved in some form of Traditional Folk Arts. 

The recipients of these awards demonstrated a range of ages and talent. East Anglian Traditional Music Trust are really delighted that the memory of Gordon Ruddock will be preserved in this way and look forward to seeing how their support enables each of the awardees to progress.

You can find out more about Gordon Ruddock and the bursary scheme over on their website.

SMART Scholarship - The scholarships will initially provide up to one year’s funding for children and young people to continue their musical learning through Suffolk County Music Service tuition and to attend a Suffolk County Music Service area ensemble. 

Interested in becoming a SMART Trustee? Watch this video to find out more!

For more information, please click on the SMART website.

The Universal Music UK Sound Foundation (UMUKSF) has launched a new funding round to enable schools across the UK and Eire to apply for grants of up to £1,500 towards the cost of musical resources. The UMUKSF School Awards will provide funding for schools teaching the national curriculum to improve their music department through the purchase or upgrade of musical instruments and equipment. To date, the Foundation has awarded grants to over 7,000 schools, individual students and teachers to improve their access to music. The deadline for applications is 1pm on the 18th January 2023.
https://www.umuksoundfoundation.com/umuksf-school-awards/