Making money as a musician is no mean feat. It’s not unusual for early career (and firmly established) artists, producers, and behind-the-scenes creatives to seek out multiple sources of income to fund their practice. Whether you’re new to the game, or a seasoned grant recipient, here’s your guide to securing music funding in 2025…
Whilst the ordeal of applications can be confusing and the outcome competitive, music grants and funding opportunities are becoming increasingly demystified, with guides like ours offering a route into a world of untapped cash to help accelerate your sound, skills, and creative potential.
With limited character counts and a litany of different individual requirements, no two funding opportunities are the same. It can be tedious, and there’s no clear method of cracking the funding enigma code, but even a loss is a win when it comes to grants. The process of unpacking your project and passion and reconstructing it into an each-to-their own application is a useful asset to learning your craft from the inside out. Even without the cash, you’re richer for the knowledge.
We’ve pulled together a collection of 2025 music grants and funding opportunities, a list of ones-to-watch, plus a selection of advice and guidance to help you on your way to securing funding to help jumpstart your musical career.
For general funding advice and all kinds of grant guidance, follow these links to get access to…
- Career and financing advice from The Musicians’ Union.
- A vast database of international music grants and opportunities with Karma Bertelsen.
- Various funding opportunities and resources with The Ivors Academy.
- An international collection of music funding and artists grants with Unsigned.
- The latest UK music opportunities and UK music funding resources with The British Council.
- A directory of female and gender-diverse musicians and funding opportunities tailored to underrepresented groups with The F-List.
- A variety of funding opportunities curated for performers and composers with the Independent Society of Musicians.
- An essential list of venues, funding bodies, networks and more, tailored to artists working in live art and contemporary performance with Artsadmin.
- And a library of successful arts funding applications with The White Pube.
Early days development…
Arts Council England: Developing Your Creative Practice
Details: Funding to support individuals who are cultural and creative practitioners and want to take time to focus on their creative development. Check this out if you’re new to the Arts Council, and watch this video for some further guidance on this specific grant.
How much? Between £2,000 to £12,000
Who can apply? Individual creative or cultural practitioners.
Deadline: The next round will be opening in early 2025!
Where can I find more information? HERE.
True Music Fund x shesaid.so
Details: Funding designed to support music projects whether you want to start a club night or bring back a radio station, any proposal is welcome!
How much? Between £5,000 and £30,000
Who can apply? UK based creatives over 25 years old.
Deadline: 14th March 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Help Musicians: Peter Whittingham Jazz Award
Details: Funding to support emerging jazz artists or groups with the creativity and ambition to build a career in music.
How much? £5000 in financial support towards your work and one-to-one business advice delivery via experienced music industry professionals.
Who can apply? This is for jazz creators at a tipping point in their career, whose application can demonstrate that the support will help them develop their music and careers.
Please note: You need to have a track record of making 40% of your income from music over the past two years or longer. Exceptions apply for musicians with a long-term health condition and/or disability that impacts your ability to earn. This applies to all Help Musicians grants in this selection!
Deadline: Keep an eye out here for when the next round opens!
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Help Musicians: Next Level Awards
Details: Support for musicians with a strong track record but lacking the resources to embark on larger and longer-term projects, this is designed to help you take your career to the next level.
How much? Up to £3000 plus six hours of one-to-one business advice from industry experts.
Who can apply? Working musicians who have made at least 40% of their income from music over the past two years.
Deadline: Monday 2 June — Friday 27 June 2025, 5pm
Monday 15 September — Friday 10 October 2025, 5pm
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Munster Musical Trust: Stephen Oliver Award
Details: Awarded biennially to an emerging composer who has written a work for music theatre to assist with bringing that work to performance.
How much? Previously up to £5000
Who can apply? Emerging composers.
Deadline: 30th April 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: POWER UP
Details: An ambitious, long-term initiative which supports Black music creators and industry professionals and executives, as well as addressing anti-Black racism and racial disparities in the music sector.
How much? Up to £10,000 plus mentoring and access to partners.
Who can apply? Black music creators and industry professionals.
Deadline? 13th March 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: PPL Momentum Music Fund
Details: Support for UK based artists and bands designed to help them break through to the next level of their careers. Activities eligible for support include recording, touring and marketing.
How much? Between £5,000 and £15,000
Who can apply? UK based artists and bands
Deadline: Next round opens on 14th July ending on the 11th August 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: Composers’ Fund
Details: An opportunity for composers with a strong track record, giving direct access to funding at pivotal stages in their career. The fund supports up to 15 composers per year.
How much? Between £8,000 to £15,000
Who can apply? Composers applying for the Composers’ Fund must be at a crucial tipping point in their careers, showing current progression and growth as a composer with the potential to significantly develop their careers over the next two years.
Deadline: Opens on 17th February ending on 1st April 2025
Opens on 8th September ending on 6th October 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award
Details: An innovative creative development project, supporting outstanding emerging artists through expert mentorship and vital bursaries.
How much? Up to £1,500 plus mentoring from an experienced, successful working artist.
Who can apply? Anyone that is writing and performing their own music and is currently unsigned and unmanaged.
Deadline: Applications open soon!
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: Women Make Music
Details: A fund supporting the development of outstanding women, trans and non-binary songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career.
How much? Up to £5,000
Who can apply? Women, trans, and non-binary music creators including songwriters, composers, artists, bands, producers, and performers involved in the composition and/or writing process.
Deadline: Opens on 3rd March ending on 31st March 2025
Opens on 1st September ending on 29th September 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: International Showcase Fund
Details: Support for international export opportunities for UK-based artists, bands, songwriters and producers who have been invited to perform or create new music at international industry facing showcasing festivals, song writing camps or conferences.
How much? Up to £5,500
Who can apply? In order to be eligible for support music creators must have been formally invited to perform or participate in an international event, with a conference element.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: The Open Fund for Music Creators
Details: Supporting the development of outstanding music creators of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career.
How much? Up to £5,000
Who can apply? UK based music creators aged 18 or over.
Deadline: Next round opens 3rd March ending on 31st March 2025
Next round opens 1st September ending on 29th September 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
PRS Foundation: Early Career Promoter Fund
Details: A fund recognising the vital role independent promoters play in supporting the talent pipeline across England, offering grant funding and capacity building support, with the aim of bolstering the local, regional and national ecosystems.
How much? Up to £3,500 to support the booking, programming and promotion of gigs, concerts, club nights, showcases, tours and other performances amongst other activities.
Who can apply? UK based early career independent music promoters.
Deadline: Rolling deadlines.
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Youth Music: NextGen Fund
Details: Support for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives to invest up to £3,000 in their own projects and make their ideas happen. The fund is especially aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals.
How much? Up to £3,000
Who can apply? It’s open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf, neurodivergent or Disabled) who live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Deadline: Keep an eye out for the next round!
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Creative Debuts: Black Artists Grant
Details: The Black Artists Grant (BAG) offered by Creative Debuts as a no-strings attached financial support to help Black artists. They can spend the grant on whatever they want – be that make new work, buy equipment or materials, travel, research, visit exhibitions or conferences, or to even just cover some life expenses.
How much? £500
Who can apply? This is specifically for Black artists (those with Black heritage and identify as Black); not politically Black, not POC or BAME.
Deadline: Monthly rolling grant
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Samuel Ross: Black British Artists Grant
Details: A funding body awarding grants, community funding, design problem solving, resource donations, seed capital and academic integration.
How much? Not specified
Who can apply? Those who identify as Black British.
Deadline: Not specified
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Music For All: Individual Funding
Details: Support for people of all ages and social backgrounds to get involved in the world of music making.
How much? Up to £800
Who can apply? This award is for individuals with learning and cognitive challenges. These include but are not limited to autism, aphasia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, attention deficit and memory loss.
Deadline: 27th March 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Creative Scotland: Open Fund
Details: One of Creative Scotland’s key funding programmes, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland.
How much? Between £500 and £50,000
Who can apply? Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners living in Scotland who are at least 18 years old.
Deadline: Not specified
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Arts Council Northern Ireland: Travel Awards for Individual Artists
Details: These awards enable individual artists and established music groups to travel from Northern Ireland to develop their skills and expertise.
How much? Not specified
Who can apply? Applicants must provide evidence that they have been invited by a host organisation in the country to which they intend to travel and who have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of one year within the last five years.
Deadline: Rolling deadline
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Big projects for seasoned artists
PRS Foundation: Beyond Borders
Details: Beyond Borders stimulates and strengthens cross-border collaborations between music creators, performers and presenters. It supports the creation, touring and promotion of innovative and high-quality new music across all genres and encourages engagement with audiences across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland through multiple performances and digital activity.
How much? Up to £15,000
Who can apply? Beyond Borders, is open to applications from organisations, music groups and composers. Funding of up to £15,000 is available for projects that include repeat performances of music written in the past five years, new commissions and recordings.
Deadline: Next round opens on 15th May closing on 28th July 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Arts Council England: National Lottery Project Grants
Details: National Lottery Project Grants is an open access programme for arts, libraries and museums projects. The fund supports thousands of individual practitioners, community and cultural organisations
How much? You can apply for between £1,000 and £100,000
Who can apply? Individual practitioners are welcome to apply, alongside cultural and community organisations.
Deadline: Project grants are always open for applications.
Where can I find more information? Try taking this quiz to see if you’re ready to apply!
PRS Foundation: The Hitmaker Fund
Details: The Hitmaker Fund offers an opportunity for songwriters and producers working in popular music genres to further develop their careers and writing/production.
How much? Between £5,000 to £10,000
Who can apply? The Hitmaker Fund is intended to support behind the scenes songwriters and producers with a demonstrable track record.
Please note! Applicants must have at least 5 credited works registered with PRS for Music – this means a reputable cut / songs that have national radio plays / streaming plays / from a reputable writing camp.
Deadline: Next round opens 1st September ending 29th September 2025
Where can I find more information? HERE.
Other opportunities…
Have a read below to discover…
- Funding options available for musicians, or aspiring musicians, who are blind or partially sighted with the RNIB and Elizabeth Eagle-Bott Memorial Fund.
- Programmes supporting gifted young musicians from low-income backgrounds across the UK with Future Talent.
- A fund designed to support bands and artists wanting to go on tour aged between 14-19 based in Scotland with Hit The Road.
- Mentoring support with Help Musicians’ programme, Co-Pilot.
- Qrates, a crowdfunding platform specifically for musicians who are not signed to a label and who want to press vinyl records.
Closed for now, but likely to return in the future…
- The Anthem. Music Fund, designed for young musicians and music-makers based in Wales.
- The Sound Generator, a research and development (R&D) programme that supports artists and seeds the development of an ambitious new project.
- The AmplifyWorld Artist Fund, a new initiative providing financial grants to artists ready to take their careers to the next level.
- MOBO Unsung, a nationwide search that culminates in 10 finalists who enter an incredible artist development programme.
- Next Up North, the first artist development programme specifically supporting emerging artists of marginalised genders and sexualities from the North of England.
- The Electronic Music Award in association with DJ Mag, up to £3,000 granted to individual musicians, DJs, and producers making music in an electronic genre.
Words: Elsa Monteith, a Brighton based writer and broadcaster working in and around the arts and on the radio waves. Subscribe to Elsa’s Discontented newsletter here.
