The National Foundation For Youth Music

Charity Number: 1075032

Annual Expenditure: £10.0M
Geographic Focus: Throughout England

Stay updated on changes from The National Foundation For Youth Music and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £10 million
  • Success Rate: 19% overall (9% in London - varies by region and theme)
  • Decision Time: 12 weeks (Trailblazer), 8-12 weeks (Catalyser), rolling for NextGen
  • Grant Range: £2,000 - £300,000 (depending on programme)
  • Geographic Focus: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

Contact Details

Website: www.youthmusic.org.uk

Email: angela.linton@youthmusic.org.uk

Phone: 020 7902 1095

Grants Team: grants@youthmusic.org.uk | 020 7902 1060

Overview

Youth Music (The National Foundation for Youth Music, charity number 1075032) was founded in 1999 with National Lottery investment through Arts Council England. Over the past 25 years, they have supported over 5,000 projects across the UK, reaching 80,653 young people in 2023/24 alone. Their mission is to equalise access to music for children and young people aged 0-25 facing barriers to making, learning and earning in music. Funded by Arts Council England and People's Postcode Lottery, they distribute £10 million annually, with 86% going to organisations outside London. In 2023/24, they invested £9.9 million across 281 organisations and awarded 150 grants directly to young creatives. Youth Music appointed Charlotte Edgeworth (Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact at Sony Music UK) and Isaac Borquaye (Guvna B, triple MOBO award-winning rapper) as co-chairs in a historic first for the organisation.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Trailblazer Fund: £2,000 - £30,000 (organisations less than one year old: maximum £15,000)

  • For constituted UK organisations running projects for children and young people aged 0-25
  • Project duration: up to 2 years
  • Fixed deadlines: three rounds per year
  • Online application via grants portal
  • Decisions communicated approximately 12 weeks after deadline

Catalyser Fund: £30,001 - £300,000

  • For established organisations in England to sustain work, scale-up delivery, or create sector change
  • Project duration: 24-48 months
  • Two-stage application process with Expression of Interest followed by full application
  • Two funding rounds per year
  • Decisions: 8-12 weeks after Stage 2 deadline

NextGen Fund: Up to £3,000

  • For young creatives aged 18-25 (18-30 for d/Deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent)
  • Individual grants for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland
  • Rolling applications with annual deadlines
  • Can only receive NextGen funding once
  • Application Access Fund available (up to £350 support for access needs)
  • Decision within weeks of deadline

Priority Areas

Youth Music accepts applications across six funding themes:

  • Early Years (0-4 years)
  • Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people
  • Youth Justice System
  • Young People Facing Barriers
  • Organisations & the Workforce
  • Young Adults (18-25)

Regional Priorities: Youth Music seeks more applications from East of England, North East and South East regions (lower success rates in London and North West due to high application volumes).

Thematic Priorities: Particularly seeking applications for Disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent young people, Early Years and Youth Justice System themes.

What They Don't Fund

  • Purchase of land or buildings
  • More than 20% of grant on capital costs
  • Projects outside England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland
  • Organisations with primarily international reach
  • Direct grants to under-18s
  • Individuals who have received NextGen funding previously
  • Individuals with significant prior funding (£10k+) or major record/publishing deals
  • Full-time music industry professionals applying to NextGen
  • More than £500 for marketing costs in NextGen applications
  • Translation services for Access Fund applications
  • Multiple concurrent grants (cannot hold Catalyser and Trailblazer simultaneously)
  • Schools and academies (for Catalyser Fund)
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for The National Foundation For Youth Music?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Co-Chairs

Charlotte Edgeworth - Director of Diversity, Inclusion and Social Impact at Sony Music UK

Isaac Borquaye (Guvna B) - Triple MOBO award-winning rapper

This appointment of co-chairs was a first for Youth Music and strengthened a board that welcomed six new trustees in 2024.

Board of Trustees

  • Andrew - Innovation Manager for Cheltenham Festivals, Senior Academic at University of Gloucestershire
  • Berkeley - Head of Music and principal at Clintons law firm
  • Hanna Chalmers - Senior research practitioner, founded CultureStudio Research
  • Paul - Leads Music Manager Forum's Accelerator, background in public funding and diversity
  • Freddie Aitken, Miri Buac, Nathifa Jordan, Sam Denniston, Sam Ross, Sophia Alexandra Hall - Existing trustees

Former Leadership

Matt Griffiths served as CEO from 2013 until recently stepping down after 13 years of “transformative leadership.” Under his tenure, Youth Music increased crucial investment in grassroots organisations, expanded into Wales and Scotland, grew its income, and launched the annual Youth Music Awards.

Matt Griffiths on mission focus: "At the heart of Youth Music's thinking is always 'What do children and young people want? What do they need? What matters to them?' which helps us focus on what's important."

On inclusion: "Music has always been a force for inclusion and revolution. Change won't happen overnight, but it takes intentionality. Recording inclusivity data is a step in the right direction, but alone, it's not enough to effect real, industry-wide change."

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Trailblazer Fund:

  • Online application via Youth Music grants portal
  • Three fixed annual deadlines
  • Single-stage application form
  • Projects must start 6 weeks to 3 months after notification

Catalyser Fund:

  • Two-stage process: Expression of Interest (EOI) followed by full application
  • Only successful EOI applicants invited to Stage 2
  • Two funding rounds per year
  • Requires detailed financial documentation and track record evidence

NextGen Fund:

  • Online application form
  • Annual deadlines (rolling throughout year)
  • Attach music samples via YouTube, Spotify or SoundCloud
  • Optional video submission strongly encouraged
  • Can include project timeline and supporting documents

Decision Timeline

  • Trailblazer: Approximately 12 weeks (3 months) from deadline to notification
  • Catalyser: 8-12 weeks after Stage 2 deadline
  • NextGen: Decisions communicated approximately 3-4 months after deadline
  • Access Fund: 5 working days from application submission

Success Rates

Youth Music received record-high applications in 2023/24, resulting in historic low success rates:

Overall: 19% success rate (Trailblazer Round 8: 188 applications, 36 awards)

London: 9% success rate due to highest application volumes

Young People Facing Barriers theme: Lower success rates due to high demand

Projects for 18-25 year olds: Lower success rates due to high demand

Demand far exceeds supply: In 2022/23, Youth Music received funding requests worth £59 million but distributed approximately £10 million. National Lottery investment has fallen 45% in real terms since 1999.

Reapplication Policy

Youth Music does not provide individual feedback on unsuccessful applications due to high volumes. However:

  • Applicants can contact grants@youthmusic.org.uk or 020 7902 1060 to discuss other funding opportunities
  • No explicit waiting period stated for reapplication
  • NextGen Fund can only be received once (no reapplication)

Common reasons for unsuccessful applications include:

  • Lack of alignment with Youth Music values and inclusion ethos
  • Insufficient track record working with young people facing barriers
  • Budget criteria not met
  • Required financial documentation missing
  • Generic or AI-generated responses lacking authenticity

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from Youth Music

For NextGen Fund:

  • “Video and visual applicants have high success rates as they give further clarity on projects, with creative efforts making applications memorable”
  • “Youth Music wants to see ambition, but also expects delivery and outcomes to be manageable and realistic”
  • “Projects that score well have detailed budgets and timelines—whether researching studio and mastering costs or finding resourceful ways of spreading the budget”
  • "Active artists are valued—if links are old without recent output, they don't build confidence in projects"
  • "If using AI to help draft your application, ensure it's an honest reflection of your work and plans, as AI answers can be generic with multiple applicants responding the same way"

What to Include

  • Music samples and links to recent work (YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud)
  • Up-to-date social media showing recent activity and projects
  • Detailed budget breakdown showing research and realistic costings
  • Project timeline and supporting documentation
  • Video submission for NextGen (strongly recommended for impact)
  • Clear demonstration of how project serves young people facing barriers

Example Funded Projects

Plugin Project (Quench Arts) - Music-making for young mental health inpatients aged 12-25 in Birmingham and Coventry. One parent reported their child "who hadn't spoken for weeks began singing again thanks to Plugin."

Rant Club (WILD Young Parents) - Using music and spoken word for young parents to express emotions. 80% of participants reported improved wellbeing.

The Music Works - Supporting young music leaders who have experienced personal hardship, including mental health challenges, to find healing through music.

SoCo Music Project - “Making Music Happen” programme working with young people in alternative education settings.

Language and Terminology

Youth Music emphasizes:

  • “Children and young people facing barriers”
  • “Equalising access to music”
  • “Make, learn and earn in music”
  • “Inclusive music work”
  • Demonstrating alignment with their values on inclusion and safeguarding

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Competition is fierce: With 19% overall success rate (as low as 9% in London), applications must be exceptional and clearly aligned with priorities
  • Focus on underserved themes and regions: Highest chances in East of England, North East, South East; Disabled/d/Deaf/neurodivergent, Early Years, Youth Justice themes
  • Demonstrate authenticity: Avoid generic AI-generated responses; show genuine connection to young people facing barriers and deep understanding of their needs
  • Evidence is essential: Strong track record, detailed budgets with researched costs, clear timelines, and active recent work (not old dormant projects)
  • Show your work: For NextGen, include video submissions, up-to-date social media, recent music samples—visual evidence significantly improves success rates
  • Understand the crisis context: National Lottery funding has fallen 45% in real terms; demand (£59m requested) far exceeds supply (£10m distributed)—applications must make compelling case for scarce resources
  • Build relationships: Contact grants team before applying (grants@youthmusic.org.uk or 020 7902 1060) to discuss fit and explore which programme suits your work best

Similar Funders

These funders frequently fund the same charities:

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References