GrantRadar

Youth Music

Youth Music Recharge Fund: Racial Equity

A one-off fund giving core funding of £40,000 to £120,000 over four years to creative organisations in England that are led by and for communities who experience racial injustice and that work with children and/or young people. Any art form is eligible, not only music, and organisations with little or no core funding are prioritised. Organisations must have been delivering for at least a year and have income of no more than £500,000. Applications close at 5pm on Friday 4 December 2026, with decisions by the end of March 2027.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£40,000 – £120,000
Deadline
35 days left
4 December
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Legally constituted creative organisations in England that are led by and for communities who experience racial injustice: Youth Music typically expects at least 51% of trustees, senior leaders, staff or key decision-makers, and at least 51% of participants, to be from those communities (unusual structures can explain how they meet this)
  • CICs, registered charities, CIOs, limited companies, social enterprises and unincorporated groups with a constitution and management committee can apply; the applicant must be a legal entity with its own bank account (no fiscal hosts)
  • Organisations must work with children and/or young people, have been delivering activity for at least one year before December 2026, and have had income of no more than £500,000 in their last financial year
  • The fund covers all art forms
  • Organisations with Arts Council NPO or other core funding can apply, but those with little or none are prioritised
  • Single-organisation applications only

What it funds

Long-term core funding to support the development, resilience and wellbeing of the organisation, including:

  • Existing roles and replacing lost funding
  • Rent, utilities, salaries, on-costs, training, governance, and monitoring and evaluation costs
  • Paying founders, directors or trustees who do work or provide services (trustees must follow Charity Commission CC11 guidance)
  • Payments to young people on advisory groups, and volunteer expenses
  • Unrestricted reserves, if you explain why, the appropriate level and how they support stability
  • Equipment, technology and software (capital costs up to 20%)
  • VAT the organisation cannot reclaim
  • Contingency costs within the £120,000 cap

personal access costs for leaders, freelancers and employees can be requested on top of the £120,000 cap, up to 10% of the grant request. Funded organisations join a paid Learning and Exchange Programme (quarterly online meetings).

What it will not fund

  • Work that does not benefit young people in England
  • Individuals and sole traders
  • Organisations with income above £500,000 in their last financial year
  • Collaborative or joint applications
  • Applications through a fiscal host
  • Repeat applications from unsuccessful applicants (this is a one-off fund)

How to apply

  1. Read the applicant guidance, application questions and FAQs; watch the Q&A recording, book a 1:1 call, or attend an application support workshop (3 November, 11am, or 10 November, 2pm)
  2. Apply through the Youth Music grants portal by 5pm on Friday 4 December 2026
  3. Applications are assessed on eligibility, ethos and practice, track record and engagement, need and impact, and strategy and systems (including IDEA, safeguarding, governance and finance)
  4. All applicants are notified by the end of March 2027; funded programmes start between 1 June and 30 September 2027

d/Deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent applicants, or those with a long-term health condition, can apply to the Youth Music Application Access Fund for support to apply.

Have ready

  • Financial records from the last year (e.g. a spreadsheet or the records presented to your board or management committee) showing income, expenditure, assets, savings, debts and financial commitments
  • A description of your current financial position, including free reserves, and how it has changed since your records were finalised
  • A track record example
  • A four-year budget reflecting actual delivery costs
  • Evidence of how your organisation is led by and for the relevant communities
  • Constitution or governing document, if you are an unregistered voluntary group

More like this

Other grants open to organisations like yours.