Youth Music launches £1.7 million Recharge Fund for post-pandemic music recovery

Up to £30,000 a year will be awarded to successful applicants across England, Scotland and Wales

Christian Eede

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 - 14:16

UK charity Youth Music has launched a new fund worth £1.7 million to aid various nationwide music projects with post-pandemic recovery.

As part of the Youth Music Recharge Fund, successful applicants across England, Scotland and Wales will be elligible to up to £30,000 a year for three years. The one-off funding round will be shared equitably between 40 music organisations, Youth Music says.

The fund has been set up in direct response to research that Youth Music undertook last year about how COVID-19 had affected youth music-making and projects supporting young people, which found that 60% of creative organisations felt they needed help with funding and income diversification.

The funding has come from the National Lottery, via People's Postcode Lottery, and can be spent on various needs, such as salaries and freelance needs; operations; communications and marketing; digital development and strategy; and much more.

Matt Griffiths, CEO of Youth Music, said of the fund: "Music has the power to transform lives for young people, especially those facing barriers because of who they are, where they're from or what they're going through. With young people nationwide being deeply impacted by the effects of the pandemic, equalising access to music is more important than ever.

"However, our research shows that opportunities for young people decreased during the pandemic, with 63% of music organisations from our national network reporting that they've had fewer resources at the same time as demand for services is increasing. This financial boost will ensure that grassroots music projects, and the people leading them, can bounce back better than before. Which means more young people can make, learn and earn in music over the next few years."

Applications are open from today (23rd November) and will close on Friday, 14th January, 2022. Successful applicants will be notified by Friday, 25th March, 2022. Find more information about the fund here.

DJ Mag has partnered with Youth Music for this year's Best Of British Awards, which will take place on Thursday, 16th December.

Youth Music also recently partnered with Scottish label Numbers to launch a new work experience programme for people aged 18-25.