FUNDING AND MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES
Here you will find funding and mentoring opportunities available for artists and industry professionals at various stages of their careers. It’s important you always read the funding guidance available with each fund to fully understand what you are applying for and whether your project / application matches the criteria and what the organisations are looking for.
Creative Scotland distributes funding for the arts, screen and creative industries from two primary sources - the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.
This funding is how Creative Scotland support a portfolio of organisations across Scotland, help with the development of individuals, the funding of ideas, new work and projects, and deliver specific activity with partners.
Funds Delivered by Partners are funds which Creative Scotland supports but the application process is overseen by a partner organisation.
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The Open Fund will support a period of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity for up to 24 months. We will ask you to tell us the start and end date for this activity and to describe the outcomes, benefits and impacts that you wish to achieve.
This fund is designed to support creative activity such as a specific project, production or a period of research and development. It can support an individual’s time where this is related to specific creative outcomes.
Eligibility:
Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners living in Scotland who are at least 18 years old.
You must have a UK bank account in your name.
Deadlines:
There are no deadlines for this fund – you can apply year-round.
Funding Amounts:
You can apply for between £500 and £100,000.
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What is Hit The Road?
A touring project for 14-19 year old aspiring performers at an early stage in their music making. Hit the Road presents tours of Scotland, themed by music genre. Participants are also invited to training workshops with industry professionals covering all aspects of the reality of touring, while there will also be training opportunities for young people wishing to try out support roles such as sound engineering and stage technicians.
When and where?
Each tour will take three acts on the road, with each act taking the headline slot to their hometown crowd.
Who can apply?
Online registration is now open for those who are:
aged 14-19
living in Scotland
involved in any kind of music making
interested in learning about and developing their own musical career
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Musicplus+ is a mentoring scheme run by the Scottish Music Centre and supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative and The Robertson Trust. The aim of the project is to offer 14-19 year-olds one to one experience with music industry professionals who will offer guidance, encouragement, skills and knowledge across a range of industry roles.
Help Musicians is a charity for professional musicians of all genres, both in work and in retirement.
They offer help at times of crisis, but also at times of opportunity, giving people the support they need at the crucial stages that could make or break their career.
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Awardees receive:
Up to £3,000 in financial support towards creative output.
One-to-one business advice sessions tailored to your needs and delivered via experienced music industry professionals.
Personal health consultation with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), covering all aspects of your physical and mental health, with specialist referrals where required.
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Help Musicians can provide up to £1,500 to help you enhance your skills or artistic practice. Whatever your circumstances and ambitions — you can apply for support that is specific to your career needs.
This can be anything from a conference to learn more about the industry, to a course to enhance your skills; from one-on-one coaching to some time with a mentor.
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If you’re a musician making hiphop, grime, R&B, soul, music of African origin, reggae, jazz or gospel then the MOBO Help Musicians Fund is here to support you to take your career to the next level.
You can apply for up to £3,000 towards recording music, and everything that goes around getting it out there into the world.
This support focuses not only on your music creation, but also on your wellbeing and long-term business development.
Awardees receive:
Up to £3,000 in financial support towards creative output.
One-to-one business advice sessions tailored to your needs and delivered via experienced music industry professionals.
Personal health consultation with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) professionals, covering all aspects of your physical and mental health health, with specialist referrals where required.
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You can apply for financial support of up to £5,000 towards the cost of performing live and touring.
Live performance and touring can have a huge impact on your career — allowing you to build your fanbase, increase confidence, improve your craft, test new ideas and generate income.
This support focuses not only on helping you to perform live, but also on your wellbeing and long-term business development.
Awardees receive:
Up to £5,000 in financial support towards touring and live activities.
One-to-one business advice sessions tailored to your needs and delivered via experienced music industry professionals.
Personal health consultation with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), covering all aspects of your physical and mental health, with specialist referrals where required.
Widely respected as an inclusive, collaborative and proactive funding body, PRS Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity through direct grants to music creators and through support for pioneering organisations, including venues, festivals, promoters and other talent development organisations
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Opening date: 29 August 2023
Closing date: 26 September 2023
The Open Fund for Music Creators supports the development of outstanding songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career.
The fund can support projects by songwriters, composers, or artists, bands, producers and performers who are writing their own music or commissioning others.
What is a music creator
The following are considered by PRS Foundation to be Music Creators:
songwriters,
composers, or
artists, bands, producers and performers who are involved in the composition/writing process
How much can Music Creators apply for?
The Open Fund for Music Creators offers grants of up to £5,000.
Funding includes support of:
Creation of new music
Music Creator fee (to cover your time and work)
Touring and live performances
Recording and release
Creative residency costs
Fees to creative collaborators
Promotion and marketing (when there is also an element of creation and/or performance)
Due to high demand, you can only apply once per calendar year to The Open Fund for Music Creators.
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Opening Date: 24 July 2023
Closing Date: 18 August 2023
The PPL Momentum Music Fund offers grants of £5k-£15k for UK based artists/bands to break through to the next level of their careers. Activities eligible for support include recording, touring and marketing.
This fund is not for artists/bands just starting out, demoing and playing their first gigs.
Eligibility:
Are you an artist/band based in the UK?
Do you write and perform your own music*?
Have you been profiled/featured in national press, media and received coverage in UK wide blogs as an artist/band?
Have you played shows or been asked to play multiple shows across the UK?
Do you have evidence of a strong fan base nationally and regionally?
Do you have at least one team member (e.g. a manager, booking agent, record label, publisher, PR/Plugger, and/or lawyer.
Funding Amounts:
You can apply for £5,000 – £15,000 to contribute to the development of you as an artist. We recommend you budget realistically to show what you need. Our average PPL Momentum grant is roughly £10,000.
What can be funded?
Recording – new album, EP, single, producer, engineer, mixer fees, studio hire, session musician fees, etc. or a combination of these elements.
Touring (UK only*) – travel, accommodation, musician fees, set/production design, tour management, equipment hire, etc.
Marketing and promotions – PR, radio plugger, digital marketing, music videos, merchandise production, etc.
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Opening Date: 14 August 2023
Closing Date: 11 September 2023
The aims of Women Make Music are:
To break down assumptions and stereotypes within the music industry by encouraging role models for future generations
To raise awareness of the gender gap and to ensure that women are aware that support for new music is available to them
To increase the profile of women, trans and non binary artists who are creating new music in the UK
To encourage women, trans and non binary artists who may otherwise not have applied for PRS Foundation funding to do so
Women Make Music supports the development of outstanding women, trans and non binary songwriters and composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages of their career. The fund can support projects by women, trans and non binary songwriters, composers, artists, bands and performers who are writing their own music.
Eligibility:
The following are considered by PRS Foundation to be Women Make Music music creators:
songwriters
composers, or
artists, bands, producers and performers who are involved in the composition/writing process
Funding Amount:
Women Make Music offers grants of up to £5,000.
Women Make Music funding includes support of:
Creation of new music
Music Creator fee (to cover your time and work)
Touring and live performances featuring new UK music
Recording and release
Creative residency costs
Fees to creative collaborators
Promotion and marketing (when there is also an element of creation and/or performance)
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Closing Date: Rolling Deadline
The International Showcase Fund (ISF) offers vital export support for UK-based artists, bands, songwriters and producers who have been invited to perform or create new music at international showcasing festivals or conferences.
An ISF Grant can support the following activities:
For Artists/Bands: ‘In Real Life’ attendance of international showcase events
For Artists/Bands: Virtual attendance and engagement in International Showcase events via live-stream or pre-recorded performances, plus digital conference attendance
For Artists/Bands: Virtual or ‘In Real Life’ performance at UK-based events where there is an export focus and a significant international delegation, plus conference attendance
For Writer/Producers: ‘In Real Life’ attendance of song-writing camps which are geared towards international collaboration, creative and career progression
For Writer/Producers: Virtual attendance at a song-writing camp which is geared towards international collaboration, and creative and career progression.
Which showcase festivals are covered by the fund?
Eligible events are those that have a mostly international music industry audience or delegation. This applies in the current Covid-19 pandemic across International Showcase events, virtual attendance at international showcase events and song-writing camps, and UK events^ with an export focus and non-UK based music industry audience.
The fund cannot support artists to play at festivals for the general public, or to attend conferences solely as a delegate.
Deadlines and Turn-Around Times:
PRS Foundation recommend you apply for funding soon after being invited to showcase in order to give their panel of industry experts and partners enough time to consider your application to turnaround a decision as quickly as possible.
As a rough guide, PRS Foundation consider applications 2-3 months before showcase events take place. While the processing of visas is entirely your responsibility, it can take 3 months for some territories. For this reason, they prefer to receive applications 10-12 weeks prior to the event taking place and must receive applications at least 8 weeks prior to the event taking place.
We believe that every young person should have the chance to change their life through music.
Yet our research shows that many can’t because of who they are, where they’re from or what they’re going through.
Our insights, influence and investment in grassroots organisations and to young people themselves means that more 0–25-year-olds can make, learn and earn in music.
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Closing Date: September 2023
The Youth Music NextGen Fund offers young creatives grants of up to £2,500 to make their ideas happen.
The Youth Music NextGen Fund is for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives to invest up to £2,500 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.
It's open to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf or Disabled) who live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Youth Music want to support the future of the music industries. Singers, Rappers, Songwriters, Producers, DJs, A&Rs, Managers and Agents, right through to roles that have yet to be defined.