Registrations are now open
Register for Round Four of the Essentials Fund. Registrations close Monday 9 March 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Our Essentials Fund provides small grants to enable creators to access otherwise unaffordable tools, resources and support they have identified as being key to developing their practice and career.
Created to address the ever-increasing financial challenges of emerging and original music creators in the UK, this fund was established to provide vital financial support—helping artists overcome barriers and secure essentials they need.
It stands as a testament to our enduring commitment to empowering artists, having awarded over £250,000 in grants over the past five years.
We support between 20 and 30 creators annually through several open calls each year.
- We received over 230 applications in Round One and we awarded 11 funds
- We received over 280 applications in Round Two and we awarded 13 funds
- We received over 400 application in Round Three and we awarded nine funds
The Essentials Fund is made possible thanks to the generous support from Arts Council England and the Francis Chagrin Award. Francis Chagrin was the founder of the Society for the Promotion of New Music (SPNM), one of the new music organisations that merged to form Sound and Music in 2008.
See previous Essential Fund awardees
How does it work?
The Essentials Fund is a small grant of £250–£450 to support your composing practice. You can use it for self-learning projects, equipment, mentoring or other expenses directly related to your composing practice.
We recommend applying for a specific amount relevant to your needs rather than automatically requesting the maximum. Most successful applications are typically between £300–400.
For example, you can use the Essential Fund to pay for:
- An online course
- Coaching or mentoring sessions
- Purchasing and learning new software or hardware
- Buying technical equipment integral to the creation of a specified new work
- Costs associated with recording your works
- Developing a self-directed composition project that would benefit from a period of rehearsal, workshopping or collaboration with a musician(s), ensemble or other artistic collaborator (e.g., visual artist, other performing artist)
- Venue hire to bring together composers in your community to share learning or new works
Costs must relate to composing or music-making practice. We're looking for applicants with a clear idea of what they want to access and what difference it will make. There's no requirement to complete a new work or have a performance date secured.
“Receiving the Sound and Music funding was a transformative experience that significantly shaped and redefined my creative journey. It provided essential financial support and instilled a deep sense of validation, affirming that my music and artistic voice truly matter.”Essentials Fund Awardee
Who can apply?
The Essentials Fund is open to any music creator in the UK who has not previously received a grant from the fund.
Eligibility criteria
You must:
- Be a creator and be applying for expenses relating to your practice around making original music (not tribute bands, performance-only costs, or other generic expenses)
- Be based in the UK and have lived in the UK for the last two years
- Be aged 18 or over at the point of applying
- Not be in full or part-time education (in any subject) at the point of applying
- Not currently be on one of our artist-development programmes (Seed Award, In Motion, In the Making, or an active commission)
- Not have previously been awarded an Essentials Fund
- Not have received one of our funds, grants, commissions, awards or participated on an artist development programme by Sound and Music or our Composer Advisory Group in the last six months
- Not have an open application for In Motion
Your costs must be realistic, reasonable and clearly connected to your composing practice. Applications may be marked as ineligible if costs are unrelated to your practice or lack clear justification.
You can apply for the Essentials Fund as part-funding for larger projects where you've secured other funding sources, as long as the expenses you are applying to the Essentials Fund for are not already covered by another funder or organisation.
Our commitment to equity
We strongly encourage applicants from under-represented backgrounds to apply to the Essentials Fund, whether because of a protected or other characteristic. We want to ensure our funding supports artists where it will have the most impact.
Despite many positive changes in recent years, barriers in the sector still limit access to opportunities. We actively want to address these imbalances.
You can read more about our Fair Access Principles and our commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity.
How do I apply?
Registrations are now open.
Registration closes Monday 9 March 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
The application process has two stages:
- Complete a short Registration form with your personal and eligibility information and intention for the grant
- If you are shortlisted via our random draw, you will be invited to submit a full application.
If shortlisted you will be invited to submit a full application covering the following:
- a short biography (up to 800 characters)
- the total amount you are applying for and the type of expense
- a budget if your costs are part of a larger project
Answer our application questions outlining in detail what activity or expense you want to apply funding for, the impact it will have on your practice, and financial need for the support (up to 800 characters per question).
The application form is on Airtable however we are also happy to accept video or audio applications (up to three minutes) via the Airtable form or email.
Please note that, if you have an open application for In Motion 2026 or if you have previously received an Essentials Fund, you won’t be eligible to apply to the Essentials Fund Round Four.
If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact us to help you select the right opportunity for you.
Open registration form
How we select applicants
For Round Four, we are trialling a new two-phase selection process, developed in response to feedback and evaluations from Round Three.
Applicants will first complete a short Registration form. We will then form a shortlist of 50 registered applicants and invite them to submit a full application, which will be reviewed and scored internally.
Read more about the Round Four selection process
Read more about the Round Three selection process
Access support
We offer access support to and will always work to ensure as many people as possible are able to apply to and participate in our programme activities.
If you would like to request the application materials in a different format or would like to ask us to make any reasonable adjustments to the application process, please contact Grace Bailey (Grace.Bailey@SoundandMusic.org).
Read more about our access support
Questions?
If you have any additional questions or would like to get in touch about In Motion, you can contact Grace Bailey(Grace.Bailey@SoundandMusic.org).
Ready to apply?
See also
In Motion is our annual artist development programme for anyone aged 18 and over working with music and sound in the UK. It is artist-led and celebrates the curious and intrepid.
In the Making is our annual trailblazing artist development programme for young people aged 14-18, including a one-week residential in Huddersfield followed by a 12-month programme of online tutor groups, workshops, and composition tasks, and a final showcase. Applications now open.
New Voices was an 18-month programme that ran from 2018 to 2023 and supported composers at pivotal stages of their careers to explore new ideas, new sounds and new music.
Find out more about New Voices and the composers we supported