Interest-free loans are available to musicians at all stages for the purchase of musical instruments and equipment, to help ensure that more people across England and Northern Ireland can access instruments and learn to play music. 

The loans, which are made available through the Take it Away Scheme, work with 130 music retailers to allow applicants to buy almost any musical instrument and can also be used for musical equipment, software and tuition. 

The Allan Lane Foundation is offering grants of between £5,000 and £25,000 to charities and not-for-profit organisations working with young people aged 12-21 who are socially excluded or marginalised, and who may have experienced significant issues within their lives. 

The grants can be used to support a range of activities, including core costs, project work, and capital expenditure. 

The Foundation is particularly interested in supporting organisations that focus their work on: 

Charities, community groups and social enterprises that can demonstrate that their aims have identifiable public benefit in Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County Durham including Hartlepool can apply for funding to the Sir James Knott Trust.  Special consideration will be given to charitable activities that are known to have been of interest to Sir James Knott including: 

The Radcliffe Trust supports classical music performance and training, especially chamber music, composition and music education. Particular interests within music education are music for children and adults with special needs, youth orchestras and projects at secondary and higher levels, including academic research.

Boost small grants programme is for organisations supporting children and families in their local communities. It has been created to help groups that find the increases in basic running costs (for example utilities, salaries, transport) are making their work much more challenging. Boost will provide grants of £500-£3,000 to grassroots organisations and charities with a yearly income of up to £50,000 whose work benefits children and families.

The aim of this programme is to support individuals and organisations who have experienced barriers to accessing our funding. Creative Steps aims to address this by supporting artists, creatives, and organisations throughout their developmental journey.

You’ll find full details on the programme in the Guidelines.

There are Creative Steps programmes for Individuals and Organisations.

Online applications for charities whose annual turnover is less than £150,000.

Small Grants Scheme (£2000 -10,000) supporting charities registered and operating in the United Kingdom, especially those working at grass roots and local community level, in any field, across a wide range of activities.

Active Communities - Our open funding programme open in different parts of Great Britain at different times. We're looking for small and local projects, genuinely designed and run by local people. We offer funding of between £5,000 and £40,000 for projects lasting up to two years.

Your project should be for people who experience greater social and economic disadvantage than those living in other areas. It should create stronger connections between people by helping them to meet up regularly.

The Alec Dickson trust supports young people who, through volunteering or community service, aim to enhance the lives of others, particularly those most marginalised by society. 

Funding is typically up to £500 – for more information on applying, please see the charity’s website.

Grants are available to registered charities, both local and national, that are working for the relief of poverty, distress and sickness and the advancement of education, religion and charitable purposes which benefit communities in Dorset and West Hampshire.