We are incredibly excited about this fantastic announcement by Arts Council England. We will release more details over the coming weeks and months about how we will be supporting this brilliant new fund for venues.
Arts Council England announces £1.5million budget to support grassroots live music
Arts Council England has announced a new ring-fenced budget to support projects hosting and promoting live music in grassroots venues. Open from 13 May, the budget will support applications for between £1,000 and £40,000 covering diverse genres including rock, pop, folk and world music.
Supporting Grassroots Live Music will operate as a strand within the Arts Council’s National Lottery Project Grants programme with its own ring-fenced budget. By setting aside this funding, the Arts Council aims to encourage applications from small music venues and promoters by reducing the high level of competition they face when applying to the main Project Grants stream.
Darren Henley, CEO, Arts Council England said “Grassroots music venues are essential both for our world-renowned music industry and communities across the country, and there needs to be a collective effort from both the public sector and music industry to support them. With this fund we’re ensuring that grassroots venues and promoters working in genres such as rock, pop and hip-hop have the support they need to create the best possible environment for artists and audiences.”
The fund will complement initiatives by other organisations, such as the Music Venue Trust, Independent Venue Week, PRS Foundation and Musicians Union, that together form part of a sector wide approach to supporting grassroots venues. By supporting projects that bring a range of contemporary popular music genres to live audiences, the fund will enable the sector to develop talent and reach new audiences across the country.
The portal for applications will be open from 13 May 2019 to 31 March 2020, and guidance for venues can be found here.
