Grants of up to £3,000 are available to support individual young music artists, professionals and adjacent music creatives across the UK to help build confidence in applying for funding, project planning and delivery. The NextGen Fund intends to help young people build confidence in applying for funding, project planning and execution. The funder especially wants to hear from people who have never applied for funding before.
The Fund is for early-stage musicians and wider music adjacent creatives to invest in their own projects and make their ideas happen. The NextGen Fund is especially aimed at those whose lack of finance holds them back from pursuing their goals.
Grants of up to £3,000 (this was previously £2,500) are available to 18–25-year-olds (and up to 30-year-olds who identify as d/Deaf, neuro-divergent or disabled) who live in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Youth Music wants to support the future of individuals involved in the music industries, including singers, rappers, songwriters, producers, DJs, A&Rs, managers and agents, right through to roles that have yet to be defined.
The Fund is designed to help emerging artists and professionals develop the skills needed to participate in the fast-moving music industries. Modern creatives are having to be more versatile than ever, and Youth Music wants to see young people challenging themselves to adapt to the modern climate. This could be developing skills like video editing, graphic design, coding alongside their artistic venture.
Individuals can apply to develop a project that they can run and deliver mostly by themselves. Some examples of ideas are (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
- A creative music project: a single, EP or contribution towards an album campaign. The music can be already made or in the process of being created.
- A music-based business: starting a record label or music platform.
- A platform that supports underrepresented voices and perspectives: supporting leaders that build communities and help facilitate others in pursuing their creative goals, and
- An event or series of events showcasing other emerging artists: they want to support new promoters and help new artists gain experience performing on stage.
Applications from the following applicants are likely to be prioritised for grant support:
- People that are too early stage to be funded by larger grant programmes like Arts Council England and PRS Foundation.
- People who are creative, entrepreneurial and are multi-disciplinary - even if they don’t recognise themselves as such
- People who do not have the financial means to invest in themselves to get their ideas started, and
- Those who might be discriminated against, for reasons that could include Gender, Race, Disability, location, or other characteristics.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply can be found on the Youth Music website.
The next application deadline is at 5pm on Friday 6 February 2026, with successful applicants expected to be notified in May 2026.
The provisional dates for Round 14 of the fund are:
- Fund opens to applications: Friday 28 August 2026.
- Deadline for applications: Friday 25 September at 5pm.
Applicants notified: January 2027.