Music Development Fund 2025 - Call for Proposals

Overview

The UK government has set out an ambitious plan for change, focused on 5 national Missions: ambitious, measurable, long-term objectives that provide a driving sense of purpose for the country. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) proactively supports Mission-delivery: pushing power out to communities everywhere, with a focus to kickstart economic growth and promoting opportunities in all parts of the UK. For more information, please visit the UKSPF webpage.

Vibrant and Active City Programme

As part of Birmingham City Council’s UKSPF allocation to Communities and Place, the Vibrant and Active City Programme will support Birmingham’s Cultural spaces and Music sector leading to higher footfall, higher use, higher pride in place and the long-term sustainability of spaces.

The Programme offers three funding streams:

• Enhancing Cultural Spaces Fund (capital funding)
• Music Infrastructure Fund (capital funding)
• Music Development Fund (revenue funding)

The Vibrant and Active City Programme is led by Birmingham City Council Cultural Development Service.

More information about the programme along with applicant information is available on the Cultural Development Service webpages.

All applicants must carefully read the Applicant Information before applying to any of the three the funding streams.

Music Development Fund

Through this fund, we want to support the development of grassroots music across Birmingham, including developing the producers, promoters and musicians that make it so unique. Applicants can include in their proposals any initiative that can contribute to these purposes. Examples of eligible applications could include:

• Micro training programmes that extend the knowledge and understanding of music producers and promoters across the city.
• Micro talent development programmes - potentially run by music producers or promoters - that enable greater access to Birmingham’s music scene for emerging artists, or in other ways provide insight, knowledge and support for emerging artists.
• Initiatives that promote musical collaboration, help develop alternative or emerging musical genres, or in some other way spark innovation and creativity across Birmingham’s music scene.
• Initiatives or programmes that enable music artists greater access to developing their skills and performance in a range of settings, from ad-hoc community spaces to established music venues.
• Support for individual promoters, producers and musicians to pilot their ideas and approaches.

We are open to supporting experimental ideas and approaches to developing Birmingham’s music scene.

Applicants can apply for revenue grant funding between £2,000 and £10,000.

In total we will distribute £20,000 Music Development funding. We aim to make up to 5 awards.

The Music Development Fund is a revenue fund. This means that you can only apply for a project focused on delivering time-limited activities, programmes and initiatives. This fund does not include the purchasing of equipment or expenditure on physical assets.

The closing date for all Vibrant and Active City Programme applications is 12 noon on Monday, 01 September 2025.