PRS Foundation — Composers’ Fund

Up to fifteen composers a year receive between GBP 8,000 and GBP 15,000 to make one specific step forward at a point where money would genuinely change the trajectory. There is no set activity. Past awards have paid for recordings, getting existing works performed or toured again in the UK and abroad, international co-commissions, travel to build relationships with overseas festivals and ensembles, extended time working with performers, residencies and sabbaticals with a defined artistic result, promotional support and childcare costs.

This is a classical-genres fund — classical, contemporary classical, dance, opera, sound art, Indian classical among others — for composers writing primarily for live performance. You must be based in the UK and a member of PRS for Music, with critical acclaim and a real track record: national or international broadcasts, national press coverage, works performed at major venues and festivals, and recognition among UK commissioners and professional performers. A manager, booking agent, PR or trusted adviser may submit on a composer's behalf, but the grant belongs to the composer and is reclaimed if it does not reach them.

It will not cover full project costs; applications asking for 100 per cent are unlikely to be funded, so bring other money. Activity must start after the decision date.

Applications go through the online system by 6pm on the deadline, and decisions come within about ten weeks from a panel of expert advisers. Most rejections come down to competition rather than failing the criteria. Worth weighing before you apply: receiving this closes off most other PRS Foundation creator funds afterwards.