• Our eligibility criteria now makes it clearer that we will only fund organisations who prioritise the safety, wellbeing and rights of everyone they work with. This includes children, young people and staff. This responds to our commitment to supporting fair working conditions in the creative sector. You can find more information about this in our Fair Work Framework. 
• We have reduced the number of questions we ask about safeguarding from two to one. We now ask you to tell us about the risks to the safety and wellbeing of young people and staff during the project, and what actions you’ll take to reduce these risks.

• As before, schools and academies can’t apply for Trailblazer or Catalyser funding. This now also includes Colleges and Multi/Single-Academy Trusts. This is so we can prioritise funding to grassroots organisations. 
• Working in partnership with other organisations is fine. But the organisation who applies for Trailblazer or Catalyser funding should be actively involved in managing and/or delivering the project. If you plan to hand over the majority of your grant to a third party who will plan, manage and deliver the project, then they should be the lead applicant, rather than you. 

As with recent Trailblazer rounds, grants can still be used to sustain a grassroots programme, as well as trial and test new ways of working. You can also still apply for personal access costs for staff and volunteers. Further guidance about personal access costs is available.

• Ensure you regularly click ‘Save and Continue’ to save your work. If you move off a page without doing this, your work will be lost.
• All questions are mandatory.
• Some questions have a maximum word limit (shown in the question title). You will be unable to submit the form unless you keep within the word limit.
• The form does not need to be completed in one session. Bookmark the log-in page of the grants application system.
• If you have made errors on a page or have left sections incomplete, a warning sign will appear next to the page name on the left-hand menu. At the top of each page, you will see what you need to complete or the error made.
• Once all pages are fully complete, head to the ‘submit’ page where you can submit the form.

 You may use AI tools to help you draft your application, but your answers must be your own and accurately reflect your work. AI-generated text is often too general or vague, which can weaken your application. Make sure everything you submit is specific, truthful and clearly describes your project. 

Your work needs to start between 6 weeks and 3 months of notification for the Trailblazer Fund and between 6 weeks and 6 months of notification for the Catalyser Fund. For example, Trailblazer Fund Round 12 notification will be on 7 August 2026 so projects need to start between 18 September 2026 and 7 November 2026. For Catalyser Fund Round 6 notification will be on 21 August 2026 so programmes need to start between 2 October 2026 and 21 February 2027.

You can see our full funding schedule on our website including any confirmed future rounds.

All notification dates are published on our website.

For the Trailblazer Fund you will hear whether your application has been successful or not, around 3 months after the funding round deadline.

For the Catalyser Fund you will hear whether your Expression of Interest has been invited through to Stage 2 (the full application form) around 2-3 months after the deadline. And you will hear whether or not your application has been successful 2-3 months after the Stage 2 (application form) deadline.

All confirmed funding round dates are on our website.

You can find out our current priorities for the Trailblazer Fund and the Catalyser Fund on our website.

Unfortunately applications cannot be deferred. You will need to submit a new Expression of Interest in a future round for your application to be considered. You are however welcome to submit the same proposal, but make sure you speak to Youth Music's Grants & Learning team before re-submitting. 

We ask you to reattach your proposal, so we can be completely sure we have the most up to date version. We may have asked you to make some changes between the Expression of Interest and application stage or maybe things have changed at your end - so you might need to make some changes to your proposal. But if nothing has changed it is fine to re-upload the same document.

Yes you can. At stage 2 we will only assess the proposal you attach at this stage - we won't refer back to your EOI proposal - so you should ensure your new proposal includes all the required information, and doesn't rely on information provided in your original proposal. 

This partly depends on your programme, how you're working in partnership and how many partners you have in total. Our guidance says to provide letters/emails from 'key partners'. We suggest focussing on the partners that are adding the most value to your programme and have the biggest role to play in the programme. These will likely be partnerships where things are clearly mutually beneficial, and the relationship works both-ways, with both organisations making clear contributions to the partnership. If you're unsure - please contact the Grants & Learning team on grants@youthmusic.org.uk for advice.

If you are working with a large number of partners, who all have a similar role to play in your programme, it is not always necessary to provide letters/emails from each of them - in many cases a sample of partnership letters/emails would be fine. If this applies to you - we recommend contacting the Grants & Learning team on grants@youthmusic.org.uk to discuss your specific situation. 

At Youth Music, we believe that a greater diversity of views, skills and lived experience leads to better decisions.

That’s why we appoint a unique group of decision-makers for every funding round. Each group comprises internal and external experts with lived experience relevant to applicants, the organisations they’re from, and the young people they support. We also work with children and young people via our funded partners as part of this. Applications are reviewed by multiple people, and decisions are always made collectively.

There are no limits to how many times you can apply to any of Youth Music's funds. If there are any key pieces of feedback we will aim to outline this when we notify unsuccessful applicants, which can help you decide whether you'd like to re-apply or not. 

Youth Music expects organisations who are awarded the grants will be actively involved in the managing and/or delivering the project. If your project is funded, the applicant organisation will be responsible for managing the grant and project, completing reports to Youth Music, and communicating with Youth Music. 

Working in partnership with other organisations is fine. However, if you are handing over the majority of the grant to a third party who will plan, manage and deliver the project then they should be the applicant, not you.

Schools and academies can’t apply to this fund. This includes primary, secondary, colleges, PRUs, and special schools. Multi or Single-Academy Trusts are also ineligible to apply. This allows us to prioritise funding for grassroots music organisations.  

If the organisation who is submitting the application is a registered charity then you would be eligible to apply – provided you meet all the other criteria. If you're unsure about your organisation’s eligibility – contact the Grants & Learning Team on grants@youthmusic.org.uk for advice.

Yes, you can apply – provided your organisation is a constituted UK based organisation (and not a school or academy). Please note Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) are not eligible to apply.

This decision allows us to prioritise funding for grassroots music organisations.

We will continue to fund work taking place in schools, mainly special schools and Pupil Referral Units (PRUs). Work in schools must still meet all our eligibility criteria. 

In particular we would highlight that work must be targeted at children and young people facing barriers, must be co-designed with children and young people and we cannot fund whole class tuition in school, individual tuition fees to learn an instrument in school, GCSE or A Level Music, or school based music curriculum activity (unless in a special school, Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) or alternative provision setting).

Organisations who could be considered as small are likely to have:

• A turnover less than £250,000 per annum
• A small staff team (and in some cases, no permanent or full-time members of staff)
• Limited fundraising capacity (e.g. no dedicated fundraiser or fundraising team)

These are just a guide, not strict rules. For Trailblazer Fund we prioritise organisations with a turnover of £500,000 or less. 

You can apply for a Catalyser Fund grant provided you meet all the Catalyser Fund criteria – you don’t need to have received a Youth Music grant previously.

The Trailblazer Fund is there to support organisations to trial work or test a new way of working, sustain a grassroots programme; or disrupt the status quo. If you still need to explore your project or an aspect of your organisation’s work further, then the Trailblazer Fund could still be a good fit for you. If you are delivering a grassroots programme that you want to continuing delivering – then Trailblazer could still be a good match for you as this fund can be used to sustain grassroots programmes.  

The Catalyser Fund is there to support established and experienced organisations to scale-up or sustain a grassroots programme. If you are looking to sustain, want more budget and have the skills and experience to meet all the additional Catalyser Fund requirements – then you could be a match for this fund.

Still unsure? Contact the Grants & Learning Team on grants@youthmusic.org.uk or 020 7902 1060.

There are several things to consider.

• How much money do you need? Trailblazer Fund offers grants of up to £30,000 and Catalyser Fund grants of between £30,001 and £300,000
• How long do you want your project/programme to last? Trailblazer Fund can fund projects lasting between 6 months and 24 months, and for the Catalyser Fund programme must last at least 24 months and up to 48 months.
• How big is your organisation? Both funds will prioritise grassroots organisations. But the Trailblazer Fund prioritises smaller organisations – in particular those with a turnover of less than £500k. 
• How experienced is your organisation? Catalyser Fund is for experienced and established organisations. You must have been set up for at least a year, and experienced in the work you are proposing to deliver. Newer organisations, including those only recently set-up can apply to the Trailblazer Fund.

Finally, you should remember that you can’t hold a Trailblazer Fund grant at the same time as a Catalyser Fund grant. Therefore, if you were successful with a Trailblazer Fund grant it might prevent you from applying to the Catalyser Fund and vice versa, so we would encourage you to consider this when you apply.  

Yes, provided you meet all the criteria for the fund that you want to apply to. Please note that we cannot fund activities that are a statutory responsibility.

Sole traders and individuals cannot apply to the Trailblazer Fund or the Catalyser Fund. We only fund constituted UK-based organisations. 

The Trailblazer Fund is here to support organisations to trial work or test a new way of working, sustain a grassroots programme; or disrupt the status quo. Generally we are looking to support small organisations with their ideas. 

Sometimes, Youth Music will invest in more established or larger organisations through the Trailblazer Fund, but usually we’ll be looking for projects that are focussed on doing something different, as more established and larger organisations who want to sustain a project are more suited to the Catalyser Fund.

No, you do not have to have a track record of working with, or being funded by, Youth Music. For the Catalyser Fund we expect organisations to have a track record in supporting children and young people facing barriers to make, learn and earn in music. If you do not have a track record in this type of work, then the Trailblazer Fund could be the fund for you.

The status quo means ‘the way things are now’. We know that the current status quo is that many young people experience barriers to music making and that music opportunities are not as diverse or as inclusive as they should be. 

The status quo doesn’t work for many young people. Organisations who are disrupting the status quo are changing this situation – removing barriers, doing things differently, working with different people and sharing power in different ways. Until the status quo becomes a situation that is inclusive, and accessible with no barriers, we need to keep disrupting things!

We believe in music in all its forms, whether that’s making music with friends or learning about the music business. Projects/programmes can offer music making, learning, or earning – or a combination of all three. As well as music production support, we can also fund activities like music photography, music journalism, music video production, and music radio/podcast production.

Provided some of your budget is being spent on delivery costs, and your budget makes sense in the context of your proposal, there is no set requirement on how your budget is split between delivery costs and core costs.

Capital costs are items that have a use that extends beyond the project or could be sold on once the project has been completed. Examples of capital costs include: musical instruments or studio equipment such as speakers or computer equipment. No more than 20% of the Youth Music grant can be spent on capital costs. Please note that we cannot fund the purchase of land or buildings.

Yes.

Match funding is additional money on top of your Youth Music grant to support your project.
How much match funding you need to raise depends on how much money you are requesting from Youth Music: 

• For grant requests between £2,000 and £30,000 you need 10% total match funding or higher (at least 5% must be cash match funding).
  • For example if you requested £30,000 from Youth Music, then you need £3,000 total match funding or higher (at least £1,500 must be cash match funding).  
• For grant requests between £30,001 and £100,000 you need 15% total match funding or higher (at least 7.5% must be cash match funding).
  • For example if you requested £100,000 from Youth Music, then you need £15,000 total match funding or higher (at least £7,500 must be cash match funding). 
• For grant requests between £100,001 and £300,000 you need 20% total match funding or higher (at least 10% must be cash match funding).
  • For example if you requested £200,000 from Youth Music, then you need £40,000 total match funding or higher (at least £20,000 must be cash match funding). 

If you are awarded funding we may ask for evidence of your cash match funding. This could be a letter/email from a funder, or a letter/email from a partner organisation, or evidence of the funding entering your bank account.
You will also be assigned a member of the Youth Music team to support you throughout your grant. They will be able to help if you’re unsure what you need to do.  

You can use volunteers on Youth Music funded projects/programmes. But any paid members of staff (whether freelance or salaried) we expect to be paid the real living wage or above.

If you are using volunteers in your project their roles should be different from paid staff, and not a replacement for paid staff. [RS1] The NCVO guide on volunteering provides more information.

Yes – this would count as in-kind match funding.

Yes, cash match funding can come from your reserves.

No. Match funding does not need to be secured by the time you submit your application. In the application form you will be able to tell us whether the money is confirmed or not.

Youth Music strongly believes that co-design is possible with any group of children or young people. We know that you might have to go about in different ways for different groups. Co-design doesn’t have to involve speaking, filling in surveys or taking part in youth forums – it can involve observation, creative activities, and from what happens in day-to-day interactions with your children and young people. Take a look at our Youth Voice Hub for more support.

We also understand it isn’t always possible to co-design with children and young people before you submit your application, which is why we also ask you to explain how you intend to co-design (if you are awarded a grant). 

We understand that it may not be possible to consult directly with babies and young children. But it is still important that you demonstrate that you have taken into account their views, opinions, likes, etc. For early years children this could include co-designing the project with relevant adults (e.g. parents/carers, other family members or early years practitioners). 

You probably also have a good understanding of what early years children like or need based on their responses to previous work you have done. We are not expecting you to interview early years children or ask them to complete surveys, but it’s still important that you demonstrate how you have included and considered these children in the design of your project. There are resources about youth voice in the early years in our Early Years Hub.

Yes, this is just as important as for any other type of project. We believe that in order to develop your workforce and your organisation that you need to understand the needs of children and young people. You need to listen to them and give them opportunities to influence and make decisions. 

We would be unlikely to fund a workforce or organisational development project that is unable to demonstrate how children and young people have been involved in its design. They may not help design the project itself, but their needs and interests should inform the contents. For example, if they want more music production activities this may lead to a project focused on upskilling staff in this area of work.

Yes. Your application needs to focus on at least one of our funding priorities (Early years, Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people, Youth justice system, Young people facing barriers, Young adults and Organisations and the workforce.) But you are welcome to work across multiple funding priorities.

We have a range of resources to help you plan, deliver, and monitor your project.

IDEA Hub
Evaluation and reporting hub
Youth Voice hub
Safeguarding hub
Finance and budget hub
Youth Music Quality Framework

You can also check our Exchange online learning and networking series for details of upcoming events that may help with your application.

If you identify as Disabled and require additional support to make an application to Youth Music, you can apply to our Application Access Fund. You should apply for this money before you start making your application.

If you still have questions you can contact the Youth Music team on grants@youthmusic.org.uk or 020 7902 1060.

No, due to the volume of enquiries we receive we are not able to read through your entire application form before you submit.

We can answer questions about completing your application; this could include how to submit your application form through the online grants portal, advice about answering questions and questions about whether your organisation or project/programme meet the essential criteria.

We now have a more flexible approach for Trailblazer Fund and Catalyser Fund than we did for Fund A or Fund B – so we don’t require you to set or track outcomes. If outcomes work for your organisation and project, then you are welcome to set outcomes and use these to evaluate your work.

You can download example report templates from the website.

We would expect to see in your application some reflections on what you have learnt, how do you know things are working and how this has informed the new application? Most importantly we would want to see how any new application has been shaped by the children and young people you are working with.

You cannot hold a Catalyser Fund grant at the same time as a Trailblazer Fund grant. You also cannot hold two of the same grants (for example, two Trailblazer Fund grants) at the same time.

If you hold a grant from a different Youth Music fund then you may be eligible to apply. We ask that you contact your Youth Music contact for advice before starting an application.

You can apply to multiple Youth Music funds at the same time.

No, you can apply for a new grant whilst your current grant is active. What we will take into account when making our decisions, is whether or not the new grant will be active at the same time as any existing grant.

Yes, you can. In the first instance contact your Grants & Learning Officer, who can advise on what to do.

We would also advise you to look at the Government’s Access to Work scheme. as soon as possible to see what support your team member might be eligible for. 

If you would like to know more about access to work:

• Watch or listen to Youth Music’s Access to Work Exchange Series recording. This online seminar provided an overview of the scheme. It was run by a Youth Music funded partner and their access support worker, informed by their own personal experiences.
• Disability Arts Online has some great resources on Access to Work. It has different sections for the self-employed, employees and company directors, and employers.

Access to Work is a Government scheme to help those with a physical or mental health condition to get or stay in work. This includes freelancers. It provides funding for things like support workers, work coaches, equipment and transport. You do not need a formal diagnosis to make an application.

No, as long as the person that you are applying for access costs for is facing additional barriers because they fall into one or more of the following groups (which they might self-identify as belonging to):

• d/Deaf or disabled
• Neurodivergent
• Have learning difficulties
• Have a mental health condition
• Have a long-term health condition

There is space on the application form to outline and describe costs, so you can include any relevant information and we will take that into account when assessing your access costs. You can also contact the Youth Music team for advice before submitting your application.
Telephone: 020 7902 1060 (select option 1 to speak to a member of the Grants and Learning Team).

Email: grants@youthmusic.org.uk

We don’t have specific guidance about what counts as an exceptional circumstances, as this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. But it may be related to the specialist nature of the support that you require, for example you need to work with more than one access support worker at a time, or you need specialist equipment that is more costly.

Our funding supports young people facing barriers, who have a range of access needs. All access costs should be budgeted within your main grant. Whilst some groups have higher access needs, there is no additional funding available for this. However, we understand that projects with high participant access needs might look different from others. For example, they might work with fewer participants.

Youth Music is unable to supply access support workers. If you are choosing an access support worker, we recommend that you:

• Choose someone that you are happy to work with.
• Check that they have the right skills and experience before you commit to working with them.

You should not be required to pay someone upfront. You should wait until they have completed the service to a satisfactory standard before you pay them.

We look that your application meets our eligibility criteria around safety, wellbeing and rights. We’re looking to see that you’ve considered safeguarding, IDEA and working conditions in the way you’ve designed your project and, where relevant, your budget. 

No. You need to already have a safeguarding policy before you apply to Youth Music. That’s because we review your safeguarding policy to check that it meets our safeguarding minimum standards and is appropriate to your context. Your policy can be a simple, practical document. Our safeguarding hub has guidance on how to develop a safeguarding policy.

Yes. Instead of published accounts, attach a signed income and expenditure/profit and loss summary for your last year of operation or upload your latest management accounts. Look at our management accounts guidance and template for further support.

Your set up date is the date your current organisation was registered. This date will be your Incorporation date on Companies House if you are a company, on your Registration History on the Charity Commission if you are a charity, or in your committee’s constitution if you are a constituted voluntary organisation. 

You will only be eligible to apply for Catalyser funding or over £15,000 of Trailblazer funding if your set up date is at least one year before the application deadline. Even if you have been delivering under a different organisation, as a sole trader, or as part of an un-constituted group for over a year. 

We realise that grassroots organisations are operating in a very challenging environment. We are comfortable funding organisations with very limited financial resources. 

We review your accounts alongside your application as a whole. We are looking to see that you are well placed to manage the grant and project you’ve applied for. We encourage you to include core costs in your application. 

We expect Youth Music funded organisations to be aware of their financial position and ensure their staff and contractors are paid fairly and on time. We encourage you to let us know if you are struggling financially during your grant. Our flexible funding policy outlines how we can support you. 

Youth Music funding is restricted. So it cannot be spent on things other than what’s in your budget or changes you’ve agreed with us.