Eligibility FAQs
Find out if you are eligible to apply for our support
Professional musicians of all genres and disciplines are welcome to apply for our support, with a focus on independent music creators who are controlling one or more aspects of their career (e.g. self-managing, self-releasing, self-producing). You can be a solo artist, composer, group member, songwriter, producer or a multidisciplinary artist. This is not a fund for organisations.
If you’ve any questions about the support we can offer, want to talk through your plans, or are looking for advice about the application process, you can book some time to talk it through with one of the team.
Generally our support isn’t available for full-time undergraduate students, however we may be able to make exceptions if you are able to demonstrate you are working alongside your studies and are earning a living through music related activity. Due to level of demand, we do prioritise those who are working as a professional musician.
If you have a performance related health issue then you may wish to apply to our Emerging Musicians’ Health Scheme.
You are welcome to apply to us for more support. Please bear in mind that we are unable to provide you with the same type of support more than once in any 12 month period. However, you can apply for a different type of support towards your creative activities at any time.
For example, if you’ve received support towards recording and releasing music in the past year, you can also apply for support to develop your skills or collaborate whenever you are ready.
To be eligible to apply, you must be a professional musician working in any genre. You can be a solo artist, composer, group member, songwriter, producer or a multidisciplinary artist. You must be over 18, based in the UK and have a UK bank account, and be able to demonstrate that you have less that £16,000 in savings.
If in doubt, you can read more in the guidelines on the website, email support@helpmusicians.org.uk, or book in for a 1:1 advice session with our team.
We can’t support the same activity twice. If you are applying for the same activity, for example if you’re a band looking to record a new album, you should nominate a lead applicant to complete the form and you’ll be able to add other members to the form as collaborators or co-applicants within the online system.
Co-applicants can edit the application but cannot submit it on your behalf, whereas collaborators can only view the application.
If you are looking to undertake individual activities, apply separately, but you would each need to explain why the development opportunity is significant to you. If in doubt, you can book in time to talk to one of the team directly.
No. If successful, it takes 8 – 10 weeks from when you’ve applied to when you will receive your first payment, so we ask that the activity you want us to support starts at least three-months after you apply.
No, we are unable to support activities that have already occurred.
The maximum amount for each strand of support is different:
- Skills and Professional Development – up to £1,500
- Record and Release Music/MOBO Help Musicians Fund – up to £3,000
- Touring & Live — up to £5,000
You can apply for more than one type of support at the same time, but the total must not exceed £5,000. For example, you could apply for £3,000 towards creating and releasing music and £1,500 towards developing your skills in one application.
Please note: you are unable to apply for both Recording and Release and the MOBO Help Musicians Fund.
Yes. Each application will be considered separately but you can only be awarded one grant for one type of activity in any 12-month period.
There is no ‘better’ or worse time to apply for our support; we advise that you plan your application at least 3 months in advance and apply for what you need, when you need it.
Our financial support is highly in demand, so we have robust assessment processes in place to ensure we make decisions which will be most impactful on musicians’ creativity and careers. We track and monitor the demand for applications throughout the year but your application must be of a high standard to be successful. We’re always available for a 1:1 chat to help you make the most of applying, book some time to speak to us.
We are committed to supporting musicians from all over the UK so where you live makes no difference to your application. We’re particularly keen to receive applications from musicians based outside of the capital and major music hub cities, but we also recognize that these places are often where most musicians are based. Our robust assessment processes ensure all applications are viewed fairly, no matter where you live.
If you have any questions about the support we can offer, want to talk through your plans, or are looking for advice about the application process, you can book some time to talk it through with one of the team.
Managers, partners and project collaborators can be involved in the application process, however all applications must be submitted by the musician who requires support. Any applications received in a different name will not be accepted and will be deemed ineligible.
Musicians should create an account and start the desired application form. They will be able to add co-applicants or collaborators to their application within the first page of the application form.
Co-applicants can edit and write an application on behalf of the musician, however they will not be able to submit the application.
Collaborators will be able to view the application, but will not be able to edit or submit the form.
Once the application has been written, the musician can view, edit and submit the application.
There is high demand for this support, and in 2022 the charity was able to support around one in five applications from the funds available. We do understand that this process can be challenging, and we are here to support you, but due to the volume of applications our guidance cannot guarantee a successful outcome.