Funding for UK Musicians 2025

14 grants, awards & funding opportunities for UK musicians in 2025

Ready to take your music career to the next level in 2025? We’ve done the legwork for you and gathered 14 of the best grants, funding opportunities and financial awards available to UK artists in 2025 – so get your applications ready and kick off 2025 with a bang!

Youth Music NextGen Fund – closes 7th February 2025

This fund offers grants of up to £2,500 for early-stage musicians and ‘music adjacent creatives’ in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Grants are offered to support any individual pursuing a career directly in music (e.g. artist, producer, DJ, etc.) or in a wider music industry role (e.g. A&R, managers, agents, etc.).

Funding available: up to £2,500
Eligibility: aged 18-25 (up to 30, if you identify as deaf, neurodivergent or disabled) and living in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Opening date: unknown
Closing date: 7th February 2025, 5pm

Details here.

PRS International Showcase Fund – closes 31st March 2025

The International Showcase Fund (ISF) is a UK government fund that offers grants of up to £5,000 to UK-based artists, bands, songwriters and producers who have been invited to perform or create new music at international industry-facing events, including festivals, song writing camps or conferences.

To qualify you must have been formally invited to an event that’s designed for music industry professionals, not the general public.

Funding available: up to £5,000
Eligibility: UK-based artist, band, songwriter or producer with an invitation to perform or create new music at a qualifying industry-facing international event
Opening date: 1st April 2024 (midnight)
Closing date: 31st March 2025, midnight

Details here.

PRS POWER UP – closes March 2025 (TBC)

The POWER UP Programme is designed to support the careers of music creators and industry professionals in the UK Black community. The Programme supports 20 Black music creators and 20 Black executives/industry professionals each year with grants of up to £15,000, mentoring, marketing support and networking opportunities.

Note: dates are not yet available for 2025, but the 2024 closing date was 21st March 2024.

Funding available: up to £15,000
Eligibility: Black music creators (artists, bands, songwriters, composers or producers) and Black music industry professionals resident in the UK
Opening date: TBC
Closing date: TBC – likely to be March 2025

Details here.

UD Music Incubator Programme – closes August 2025 (TBC)

The UD Incubator Programme is a unique opportunity for 10 artists to experience mentoring, investment, skills development and studio time over a period of 9 months as part of an industry bootcamp that equips participants with the skills they need to build their music career. It’s exclusively available to artists who are under 25, living in London and of Black origin.

Note: the Incubator runs from September to May, with applications usually closing near the end of August – 2025’s dates have not been released at the time of writing.

Funding available: n/a – Incubator Programme
Eligibility: aged under 25, living in London and of Black origin
Opening date: TBC
Closing date: TBC – likely August 2025

Details here.

PRS Hitmaker Fund – closes August 2025 (TBC)

The Hitmaker Fund offers grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 specifically for songwriters and producers to develop their careers. The Fund’s goal is to support the behind-the-scenes workers in the music industry who have been overlooked for career support in the past.

Note: the opening and closing dates for 2025’s PRS Hitmaker Fund are not yet confirmed, but there are usually multiple rounds of applications accepted throughout the year, ending in August.

Funding available: £5,000-£10,000
Eligibility: songwriters and producers who are resident in the UK, have a proven record of getting cuts, co-writes and collaborations (must have at least 5 credited works registered with PRS for Music), are not signed to a major label, and are clear how/where their funding will be spent
Opening date: TBC – likely to be July 2025
Closing date: TBC – likely to be August 2025

Details here.

‘Hello You!’ Janice Long Bursary – closes August 2025 (TBC)

The Janice Long Bursary is a unique opportunity for artists or bands in the Folk, Rock, Indie, Psychedelic or Alternative genres to perform twice at the Moseley Folk & Arts Festival in Birmingham and receive further support too, including a professionally written bio, professional photoshoot, and support in the production of an EP or LP.

Note: the opening and closing dates are not yet confirmed but applications are likely to close in early August 2025.

Funding available: n/a – performance opportunity and other support
Eligibility: artists/bands resident in England or Wales and making music in the genre categories of Folk, Rock, Indie, Psychedelic or Alternative
Opening date: TBC
Closing date: TBC – likely to be August 2025

Details here.

Women Make Music – closes September 2025 (TBC)

The PRS Foundation Women Make Music fund supports women, trans and non-binary songwriters, composers and artists/bands of all genres, backgrounds and career stages with grants of up to £5,000. The aim is to break down assumptions and stereotypes, raise awareness of the gender gap and increase the profile of women, trans and non-binary artists who are creating music in the UK.

Note: the opening and closing dates are not yet confirmed but applications are likely to close in September 2025.

Funding available: up to £5,000
Eligibility: women, trans and non-binary songwriters/composers/artists/bands based in the UK, aged 18 or over, have a track record of at least 18 months of making music
Opening date: TBC
Closing date: TBC – likely to be September 2025

Details here.

The Open Fund for Music Creators – closes September 2025 (TBC)

Open to music creators of all genres, backgrounds and career stages, the Open Fund awards grants of up to £5,000 to successful applicants to help them create new music and reach new audiences. Music creators are defined to be songwriters, composers, artists, bands and producers or performers who are involved in the composition/writing process.

Note: the 2025 deadlines are yet to be announced, but the final round of applications in 2024 closed in September.

Funding available: up to £5,000
Eligibility: must be aged 18 or over and resident in the UK, must have a track record of creating music for at least 18 months, must not be signed to a major record label or be in full-time education
Opening date: TBC – see note above
Closing date: TBC – see note above

Details here.

Next Level Award – closes October 2025 (TBC)

Next Level Awards are for musicians with a strong track record, but who are facing hurdles when embarking on larger and longer-term projects. The Award offers financial support, networking opportunities and one-to-one business advice to musicians of any genre.

Note: Next Level Awards open at various stages throughout the year. In 2024, applications were open: April to May, July to August and September to October.

Funding available: up to £3,000 and a programme of support
Eligibility: must be making 40% of your income from music over the past 2 years or longer, aged 18 or over and resident in the UK, not have more than £10,000 in savings or other capital
Opening date: TBC – see note above
Closing date: TBC – see note above

Details here.

MOBO UnSung – closes November 2025 (TBC)

MOBO UnSung is a chance for 10 finalists to enter an artist development programme, where they’re offered studio time, live performances, workshops, mentoring, A&R support and networking opportunities. Finalists are selected as a result of a screening process conducted by a judging panel who consider the quality of music, future potential, live performance skills and the quality of application.

Note: MOBO UnSung has not confirmed 2025 dates at the time of writing, but 2024’s applications opened on 31st October at 9am and closed on 20th November at 6pm.

Funding available: n/a – MOBO UnSung programme
Eligibility: aged over 16 and resident of the UK. Music must be in the genres of: Hip Hop, Grime, R&B, Soul, Jazz, Reggae/Dancehall, African music, Alternative (Rock or Indie Pop), Electronic/Dance, Gospel (as well as Spoken Word)
Opening date: TBC – likely October 2025
Closing date: TBC – likely November 2025

Details here.

PPL Momentum Music Fund – closes November 2025 (TBC)

The PPL Momentum Music Fund offers grants of between £5,000 and £15,000 to UK artists or bands. The Fund is designed to help artists break through to the next level of their career, providing financial support for recording, touring, marketing and other eligible activities.

Note: the opening and closing dates for 2025’s PPL Momentum Music Fund are not yet confirmed, but there are usually multiple rounds of applications accepted throughout the year, ending in November.

Funding available: £5,000-£15,000
Eligibility: artists or bands resident in the UK, evidence shown of an existing (and growing) fanbase, not signed to a major record label, at a ‘crucial tipping point’ in their career with potential to significantly develop over the next 2 years
Opening date: TBC – round one likely to be April 2025
Closing date: TBC – final round likely to close November 2025

Details here.

Help Musicians Fast Track Awards – closes November 2025 (TBC)

The Fast Track Awards offered by Help Musicians are a £500 grant to support musicians at a pivotal moment in their career with a short turnaround time. Grants can be awarded to fund instruments or equipment, opportunities (e.g. travel to a gig, touring, studio hire, etc), or skills development (e.g. conference registration fees, lessons, mentoring/coaching).

Note: Fast Track Awards open at various stages throughout the year. In 2024, applications were open: May to June, July, August to September and October to November.

Funding available: up to £500
Eligibility: must be making 40% of your income from music over the past 2 years or longer, aged 18 or over and resident in the UK, not have more than £10,000 in savings or other capital
Opening date: TBC – see note above
Closing date: TBC – see note above

Details here.

Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award – deadline TBC

The Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award, funded by the Steve Reid Foundation and PRS Foundation, supports emerging artists with mentorship and bursaries of up to £1,500. The Award is given to artists who are not managed or signed to a label and who can demonstrate that the bursary and mentorship will have a significant positive impact on their music career.

Note: applications are not yet open for 2025 and the closing date is unknown.

Funding available: up to £1,500 and mentorship
Eligibility: open to anyone writing and performing their own music and is unsigned and unmanaged, residents of the UK
Opening date: TBC
Closing date: TBC

Details here.

Peter Whittingham Jazz Award – deadline TBC

Established in 1990, the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award awards £5,000 grants and one-to-one business advice to jazz creators (artists or bands) in the early stages of their careers.

Note: dates for the next funding round aren’t available at the time of writing, but Help Musicians recommends signing up to their mailing list to be notified.

Funding available: up to £5,000
Eligibility: must be making 40% of your income from music over the past 2 years or longer, aged 18 or over and resident in the UK, not have more than £10,000 in savings or other capital
Opening date: TBC – see note above
Closing date: TBC – see note above

Details here.