Cost Of Living: A list of help and resources

On Tuesday 14 February, Mixmag launched our series exploring how the current UK cost of living crisis is impacting those who work, live and love dance music and club culture.

Following a difficult two years for electronic music in the UK during the pandemic, the electronic music scene in the UK is being faced with an even bigger challenge. The combined effects of inflation, soaring energy bills, Brexit and stuttered recovery from COVID-19 are now proving to be an near-impossible hurdle for our industry. More needs to be done to save our nightlife venues, to support our artists, to make music accessible to everyone and to keep our culture alive.

We’ll be adding a list of our features in publish order below, as well as a list of resources available to people In dance music and beyond who are being impacted by the cost of living crisis, we will continue to update it in the coming weeks.

How The Cost Of Living Crisis Is Impacting Nightclubs And Promoters
Kicking off our Cost of Living series, Megan Townsend looks at the catastrophic knock-on effect that higher energy prices are having on nightlife spaces and promoters in the UK
Read the feature

UK-wide

• Music Venue Trust Pipeline Investment Fund: The Music Venue Trust offer small-scale grants of up to £5000 to grass roots music venues to help cover capital costs (such as equipment) or staff training.
• Music Venue Trust Emergency Response: The Music Venue Trust offer assistance and advice to venues being threatened with closure from issues such as noise complaints and licensing issues.
• Help musicians grant: Help Musicians offer grants to artists who are in need of emergency help, considering those with £500 a month shortfall to be in severe financial hardship.
• Royal Society of Musicians support: The RSM offer advice and financial support to help artists suffering from financial hardship, as well as ill-health.
• Help musicians resources: For those who don’t qualify they also have a number of resources and programmes to help musicians who are struggling — such as advice, career help and workshops.
• Musicians Union Benevolent fund: The Musicians Union offer small grants to artists suffering with severe financial hardship.
• British Council UK music funding: The British council regularly give funding to musicians and music organisations, they are currently offering a Cultural Protection Fund small grant that you can apply for here.
• PRS Foundation grants for music creators and organisations: PRS offer funding for both individuals/artists and businesses.
• PRS women who make music fund: PRS offer a grant of up to £5000 to help grow female artists’ careers. The deadline is 11 September 2023.
• PRS Power Up fund: The PRS Power UP fund aims to support Black creatives and organisations and address disparities within the industry. The deadline for this year’s fund is on the February 20.
• PRS PPL fund (Wales, Yorkshire, Liverpool City Region): Helps artists begin their careers with grants between £5-£15k. The deadline is November 3 2023.
• The Licensed Trade Charity grants: Turn2Us is a licensed trade charity that support workers, or former workers, in licensed premises’. They offer grants to help with financial hardship, including rent/deposits and household bills.

Wales:

Scotland:

• Creative Scotland funding: Creative Scotland are funded by the National Lottery and the Scottish government, and offer a range of schemes for music makers, organisations and ideas.
• Cultural Enterprise Office funding: The Cultural Enterprise Office issues support and funding to creative businesses in Scotland, whether they are at the idea stage, established or want to change directions
  

Northern Ireland:

Any funding/help sources we’ve left off this list that you think we should know abut? Send them over to megan@mixmag.net.