Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST)
At a glance
Key takeaways
- MiSST's stated work is funding classical instruments, regular group tuition and performance opportunities for students in Years 7, 8 and 9 at challenging or disadvantaged secondary schools, so a school of that kind whose needs match this is the clearest fit, and organisations that are not such schools are unlikely to match its stated programmes.
- About 8 in 10 of its 26 grants to organisations fall between £5,000 and £30,000, with a median of £18,000 and a largest grant of £50,000, so a request in that typical band is a sensible starting point.
- Applications are rolling, and a school that wants to become a MiSST school should complete the linked enquiry form and wait for a member of the team to reply.
- Its Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme rollout targets schools requiring improvement, schools with higher-than-average numbers on free school meals and pupil premium, or schools with higher-than-average numbers for whom English is not their first language, so a school in one of those groups should say so in its enquiry.
Overview
Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1151662).
Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST) is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, which aims to transform young people's lives through classical music education in challenging and disadvantaged secondary schools. It currently works with 30 schools in the UK and paid £456,786 in grants in its latest annual report. Its work covers funding for schools so that students can be given a classical instrument, regular group tuition and chances to perform, and bespoke staff training to improve the quality of music teaching, learning and leadership.
What they fund
Priority Areas
MiSST funds schools in disadvantaged communities to provide students in Years 7, 8 and 9 with western classical instruments, alongside regular group tuition and opportunities to perform. It works in challenging and disadvantaged secondary schools, offering more than instrument funding: regular tuition, performance opportunities and a programme of excellence. Its work also aims to improve music teaching, learning and leadership through bespoke staff training, and to offer programmes that develop musical skills and cultural capital. The charity describes an entitlement model in which every young person receives an instrument and group tuition.
Themes
- Classical music education
Geographic Focus
United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland; The World.
How to apply
Schools wishing to become a MiSST school should fill in the linked enquiry form; a member of the team will get back to them.
Application success factors
What the charity says:
- The Andrew Lloyd Webber Programme rollout targets schools requiring improvement, schools with higher-than-average numbers of children on free school meals and pupil premium, or schools with higher-than-average numbers of children for whom English is not their first language.
Where they fund
Where it says it funds
- United Kingdom
- International
Similar funders
Funders supporting work similar to Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST).
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 26 grants in year to 31 March 2025 by size
Median £18,000 (year to 31 March 2025)
The largest grants to organisations in this funder’s latest annual report:
- City of London Academy Highbury Grove£50,000year to 31 March 2025
- Furness Education Trust£30,000year to 31 March 2025
- Lister Community School£30,000year to 31 March 2025
- Saint Mary Magdalene Academy£28,000year to 31 March 2025
- Central Foundation Boys School£25,000year to 31 March 2025
- ESSA Foundation£24,000year to 31 March 2025
- The Kings Academy£23,000year to 31 March 2025
- Burnage Academy£21,000year to 31 March 2025
Grant examples taken from the funder’s filed accounts.
Five years of accounts
| Financial year | Income | Expenditure | Grants paid | Accounts document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| year to 31 March 2021 | £964,113 | £986,814 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2021 |
| year to 31 March 2022 | £982,129 | £825,735 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2022 |
| year to 31 March 2023 | £6,173,356 | £1,279,755 | — | Accounts for year to 31 March 2023 |
| year to 31 March 2024 | £1,409,069 | £1,416,598 | £471,464 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2024 |
| year to 31 March 2025 | £1,086,689 | £1,347,736 | £456,786 | Accounts for year to 31 March 2025 |
Income vs grants paid
IncomeGrants paid
Total value each financial year
Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2024: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
- Grants paid, year to 31 March 2025: grants paid out in the year.
— No grants figure for those years.
Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
- misst.org.uk · read on 30 October 2026
- misst.org.uk/vision · read on 30 October 2026
- misst.org.uk/contact · read on 30 October 2026
- Annual report (year to 31 March 2025)
This profile draws on the funder’s own website as well as its filed accounts.
Sources last checked on 30 October 2026.
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At a glance
Applying to Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- 020 7288 8979source
- info@misst.org.uksource
- MiSST c/o CoLA Highbury Grove, 8 Highbury Grove, London, N5 2EQsource
- misst.org.uk
- Contact form
Applying to Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST)?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- 020 7288 8979source
- info@misst.org.uksource
- MiSST c/o CoLA Highbury Grove, 8 Highbury Grove, London, N5 2EQsource
- misst.org.uk
- Contact form