The Youth Music Trailblazer fund offers grants of £2,000 to £30,000 to organisations in England to run projects for children and young people (25 or under) to make, learn and earn in music. The project should trial work for the first time, test a new way or working, or disrupt the status quo (or all three!).
Your work must meet one of our themes:
- Early years
- Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
- Youth justice system
- Young people facing barriers
- Young adults
- Organisations and the workforce.
Please note the next Trailblazer Fund will open in November.
A Trailblazer project could be:
- A new CIC testing out different ways of supporting nurseries to embed music-making into their day-to-day activities.
- A Music Education Hub that wants to disrupt the status quo of their local music scene by setting up a Youth Board that has budget & power to make decisions about how the hub is run.
- An established youth centre trialling a programme of music activities for the first time.
Download the application guidance above for all the information on the Trailblazer Fund.
Resources
Finance and budget hub
We have created this page to support you with your project budgets. You will also find information to support you with some of the financial information you are required to provide at the application stage.
Trailblazer Fund evaluation guidance
We ask some specific questions about evaluation in the Trailblazer Fund application form. This guide will help
you consider your response to these questions.
Access fund: support for Disabled applicants
If you identify as Disabled and need further support to make an application to Youth Music, you can apply to our Access Fund. This provides funding to cover any additional access costs that might be required for you to make an application to one of Youth Music’s funds.
Youth Voice hub
Find out what Youth Voice is, why it's important, and resources on how to do it.
Online Q&A
Have questions about the Youth Music Trailblazer Fund? Re-watch our our online Q&A session with Youth Music’s Jana and Adam for information about our new funds, what types of organisations and projects we want to support and how to apply. We'll also answered questions from attendees. Link coming soon!
Any questions about the Trailblazer Fund? Get in touch at grants@youthmusic.org.uk
Thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of People's Postcode Lottery and support from partners, fundraisers and donors.
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Introducing our new funds
We’re excited to officially launch our Trailblazer Fund and Catalyser Funds. These replace Funds A, B and C, supported through our National Lottery Arts Council investment.
Funding
Discover funding options available with Youth Music.