Youth Music NextGen Fund (United Kingdom)

This fund is designed to help emerging artists and professionals develop the skills needed to participate in the fast-moving music industries. Modern creatives are having to be more versatile than ever, and they want to see young people challenging themselves to adapt to the modern climate. This could be developing skills like video editing, graphic design, coding alongside their artistic venture.

Funding Information

• Your total budget must be between £1000 – £2000 (£500 will be automatically included to your budget for ‘Time to Create’) and there are some limits on how much you can spend on certain items.

Ineligible Activities

• Applications from people who are not aged 18 to 25 (or aged 18 to 30 if d/Deaf, Disabled or Neurodivergent).
• Activities, goods, or services that have already been bought or taken place before your project begins.
• Applicants who are already receiving significant financial backing.
• Activities that are not music or career development focused.
• Individuals can apply to start a new business idea, but they can’t accept applications from existing organisations or businesses.
• Overheads. E.g. rent, utilities and insurance.
• Activities that promote a political or religious view.
• Opportunities already funded by Youth Music. E.g. you are being funded through an Incubator Fund project.
• If you have been funded before by the Youth Music NextGen fund, then you are not able to apply again.

Eligibility Criteria

• To apply you must:
  • Be aged 18 to 25 at the point of the application deadline. If you identify as d/Deaf, Disabled or Neurodivergent, you can be aged 18 to 30.
  • Be living in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
  • Have a UK bank account in the exact name you are applying under.
  • Be able to start your project within 3 months of hearing your project has been funded.
• People working towards a career in the music industries, but lack key contacts, resources, and insights. They might be:
  • Musicians, Producers, Engineers, DJs, MCs, Rappers, Songwriters.
  • Managers, Promoters, A&Rs, Agents.
  • Activists and campaigners who are transforming the music industries.
• In their funding decisions, they will prioritise:
  • People who do not have the financial means to invest in themselves to get their ideas started.
  • People that are too early stage to be funded by larger grant programmes like Arts Council England and PRS Foundation.
  • Those who might be discriminated against, for reasons that could include Gender, Race, Disability, location, or other characteristics.
  • People who are creative, entrepreneurial and are multi-disciplinary – even if they don’t recognise themselves as such.

Ineligibility Criteria

• They welcome all to participate in their workshops, but if you have the financial means to deliver your project, they recommend not applying, as it would allow more people who don’t to have access funds to receive support.
  • Signed Artists. If you are signed to a record label, publisher or management company, again you are welcome to participate in their sessions, but they want to keep the fund open to people who aren’t at that stage yet.
  • People in full time employment in the music industries already. This specifically means working in the area of the industry you want to progress in. For example, they won’t exclude someone who works at a major music venue at the bar, but they would if you were already an A&R at a major record company.
  • Groups and collectives. The recipient of the grant will be one individual and they would like to know about how this grant will support your career development and your ideas. If you are intending on working with others as part of your project that is fine, but they want this grant to primarily support you as an individual.

For more information, visit Youth Music.