Funding is available to constituted UK based organisations to run projects in England for children and young people (aged 25 or under) to make music activity more inclusive and foster learning, creation and employment opportunities.
Youth Music's Trailblazer Fund 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 fund provides grants for organisations that 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.
To be eligible, projects must:
- Last between 6 and 24 months, including planning and project set-up time.
- Enable children and young people in England to make, learn or earn in music. This can be music in any form, for example, making music with friends or learning about the music business. Projects can offer music making, learning, or earning - or a combination of all three.
- Engage children and young people who face barriers to music because of who they are, where they live, or what they are going through.
- Be designed or co-designed with children and young people who need to be involved in the planning and ongoing development of the project.
- Have built in ways to reflect on and adapt their project delivery.
In addition, projects must fit into at least one of the following six funding themes:
- Early years (0 to 5 years) who face barriers to accessing music-making because of their circumstances or where they live.
- Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people (0-25 years) so that they have equitable access to progress in music in a way that meets their needs and aspirations or provides routes for disabled young people into the workforce.
- Young adults (16-25 years) who want to take their music further, or for whom music can support wider personal and social outcomes.
- Youth justice system for children and young people (0-25 years) who are, have been, or are at risk of being involved with the youth justice system.
- Young people facing barriers for children and young people (aged 0-25) who face barriers to music-making due to their characteristics or life circumstances, or because of where they live.
- Organisations and the workforce for work that benefits people and organisations who provide inclusive music making opportunities for children and young people (aged 0-25).
Priority is given to small organisations with limited resources, those supporting children and young people facing barriers, and established groups seeking to innovate.
The deadline for applications to Round 9 is 11 April 2025 (17:00)
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