Youth Music - Trailblazer 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 or test a new way of working, sustain a grassroots programme or disrupt the status quo (or all three).
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.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Be committed to improving inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) 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 who support children and young people to make, learn or earn in music.
- 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.
The next application windows are:
Round 12:
Will open on 13 March 2026 and close on 10 April 2026 (17:00).
Notification: 7 August 2026.
For projects starting between September and November 2026.
Round 13:
Will open on 31 July 2026 and close on 28 August 2026 (17:00).
Notification: 11 December 2026.
For projects starting between January and March 2027.
Round 14:
Will open on 23 October 2026 and close on 20 November 2026 (17:00).
Notification: 19 March 2027.
For projects starting between April and June 2027.
