£5 million grassroots music fund announced by Arts Council England

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced a new support fund of £5 million to be distributed to music venues, festivals, recording studios and other cultural projects based in the UK.

Grants of up to £40,000 each will be distributed to different organisations, with applications set to be individually assessed by ACE. Applicants are encouraged to use the funds to help set up additional revenue streams that can make them more sustainable going forward, as well as develop and improve existing facilities.

"This investment by the UK Government and Arts Council England reaffirms our commitment to supporting this hugely important part of the music industry," ACE CEO Darren Henley said in a statement. "People value the opportunity to develop and express their creativity, and the grassroots music sector excels at allowing communities to design and develop creative and cultural activity where they live."

The funding will be distributed by The National Lottery Project Grants as part of an £8.5m round of funding being directed toward the music industry, which was announced earlier this summer as part of a programme set out by the UK Government to support the creative industries.

Applications for this latest round of funding are open until March 2025. Those applying must be part of an organisation, rather than an individual artist, band or DJ.

Find out more about the ACE funding, which is geared towards the concept of supporting grassroots music, here.