£1.7m charity scheme to help struggling young musicians

A charity project granting more than £1.7 million to help struggling young musicians and equalise access to music following the pandemic has been launched.

The People’s Postcode Lottery was supporting the charity Youth Music, which instigated its Recharge fund to provide a post-pandemic boost for youth music projects nationwide.

The one-off sum of £1,750,000 will be used to support around 40 music organisations nationwide.

Successful applicants across England, Scotland and Wales will be able to access grants of up to £30,000 a year for three years.

Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music, said: “Music has the power to transform lives for young people, especially those facing barriers because of who they are, where they’re from or what they’re going through.

“With young people nationwide being deeply impacted by the effects of the pandemic, equalising access to music is more important than ever.

“However, our research shows that opportunities for young people decreased during the pandemic, with 63% of music organisations from our national network reporting that they’ve had fewer resources at the same time as demand for services is increasing.

“This financial boost will ensure that grassroots music projects, and the people leading them, can bounce back better than before. Which means more young people can make, learn and earn in music over the next few years, thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.”

The Youth Music Recharge Fund was designed following research the charity undertook last year about how Covid-19 affected youth music-making, which found that 60% of creative organisations wanted help with funding and income diversification.

Funding through the National Lottery via Arts Council England and players of People’s Postcode Lottery have enabled Youth Music to invest more than £3 million in projects nationally over the last three months.

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “I’m delighted that thanks to players we are supporting the Youth Music Recharge Fund.

“We believe in funding projects that provide access, opportunities and appreciation of music to people of all abilities and backgrounds, and this new fund will do exactly that.”

Applicants can access the process https://youthmusic.org.uk/recharge-fund which opens on November 23 and closes on January 14 2022.

A spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “We know the pandemic has been challenging for the music industry which is why we have supported the sector throughout including via our £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.”