Touring is where independent budgets go to die: vans, flights, visas, accommodation, a crew member if you're lucky. It's also the area where public funding is most generous — because governments and export offices actively want their artists playing abroad. If you've never looked into touring support, you're probably leaving money on the table.
The three main sources
- Travel and mobility funds — cover transport and accommodation for specific trips, often with quick decisions and simple forms. Typically a few hundred to a few thousand per trip.
- Export offices — most music-exporting countries run one. They fund international touring, showcase appearances and market trips, and they like artists with confirmed dates.
- Showcase festival support — if you're invited to play a showcase festival, there is very often a dedicated fund (from the festival, your export office, or both) to get you there.
The golden rule: confirmed dates first
Touring funders almost never pay for "we'd like to tour someday." They pay for "we have six confirmed dates in Germany in November, here are the contracts." Book first, then apply — most travel funds are designed to slot into that gap between confirmation and departure. This is the opposite of album funding, where you apply long before the work exists, and it trips people up constantly.
What the application will ask
- The dates, venues and fees (or invitation letters).
- A tour budget: costs on one side, income and other support on the other.
- Why this tour matters — new market, label interest, festival slot.
- Proof you can deliver: past touring, press, streaming numbers.
Plan the paperwork with the booking
The workable rhythm looks like this: dates get confirmed 4–6 months out; the funding application goes in immediately after; the decision arrives 6–10 weeks later; you tour knowing what's covered. Build the application into your booking process — the moment a run of dates is confirmed is the moment to check what's open on GrantGigs for those countries and those months.
Browse all open funding, or start with your home market — UK, USA, Spain or Denmark.