By Youth Music CEO, Matt Griffiths

Back in 2013, the Postcode Culture Trust awarded £100,000 to Youth Music thanks to funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. I was in my first year as Youth Music CEO and we were going through a period of considerable change, reshaping our vision and mission. It was a challenging time and one of the many things on our minds was how to become more effective at fundraising to meet the growing demand for our support from the grassroots music organisations we invest in. Player support was therefore a massive boost for us and helped kickstart our fundraising journey.

More than funding

The award from Postcode Culture Trust has been a game changer for us at Youth Music. In the past 10 years, players of the People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £12.2 million for Youth Music. And not only that, but we have received valuable expertise, advice, and peer to peer support from the fantastic PPL team. Being part of their national and international network of like-minded charity partners provides regular opportunities to share good practice, opportunities, and challenges.

One of the most refreshing aspects of working with People's Postcode Lottery is their policy to award unrestricted financial support. This is pretty unique amongst funders and demonstrates the high levels of trust People's Postcode Lottery places in its charity partners, recognising that we know what’s required so can ensure that investment is allocated where it’s needed most whilst staying on mission. This is great to see, even more so in these challenging times where the charity sector is under significant pressure to deliver more with less.

Laura Chow, Head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “I’m delighted that Postcode Lottery players are helping to support young musicians and artists to access exciting opportunities. Youth Music helps to drive inclusivity and innovation in the music industry, something that is especially important while so many creative industries are facing financial challenges.”

So, a massive thank-you from me, the Youth Music team and board of trustees for the invaluable support of the players and team of People’s Postcode Lottery over the last ten years, typifying what an innovative and mutually beneficial partnership can look like. Here’s to the next ten!

Sign up to the Youth Music Network newsletter to stay up to date with the latest Youth Music news.