Your Help Musicians Support
Congratulations on your successful application! We’re so pleased to be able to support you to continue your musical career.
Receiving your grant
To receive your money, you’ll need to:
- Accept the terms of your Grant Agreement via the application portal.
- Send us a written confirmation to confirm your supported activity is still going ahead as planned. If anything has changed since your application, let us know what these changes are. This should be sent in response via email to your relationship manager.
- Make sure your banking information is updated on your portal including a bank account name, account number, sort code and supporting bank statement clearly showing these details; we won’t be able to trigger your first instalment without this. Please note the name on the account must match the name on your application in order for us to verify your bank details.
The schedule and size of the instalments you receive will depend on the type of support you are receiving:
As set out in your Grant Agreement, your financial support will be released to you in two instalments:
- 80% (of total amount) will be released after you have completed step 1,2 and 3 outlined above
- 20% (of total amount) on submission of satisfactory final report and confirmation that business advice sessions have all been completed.
- An additional progress report part way through your funded activity will also be required before your second payment is released, this should be submitted no later than 6 months from your start date.
In your progress and final report, we’ll ask you to describe what you’ve spent your money on, along with a few other key details about your activity and your progress. A report template can be found under ‘upcoming activity’ in your online portal, if you miss your report deadline these templates will then move over to ‘outstanding activity’ in your online portal.
As set out in your Grant Agreement, your financial support will be released in one instalment:
- You are required to submit written evidence of your learning and development opportunity. This needs to confirm the date, cost and confirmation of your learning opportunity, and can be shared via email with your relationship manager. This could be in the form of email communication, an acceptance letter or confirmation of purchase to an online course.
- 100% of your grant will be released after you have submitted your written evidence, as well as step 1,2 and 3 outlined above.
- Once your activity has been completed, a final report will need to be submitted via Smart Simple. This should be submitted no later than a year after their activity start date.
In your final report, we’ll ask you to describe your learning and development opportunity, outline the impact it has had on your career, along with a few other key details about your activity and your progress. A report template can be found under ‘upcoming activity’ in your online portal, if you miss your report deadline these templates will then move over to ‘outstanding activity’ in your online portal.
As set out in your Grant Agreement, your financial support will be released to you in two instalments:
- 80% (of total amount) will be released after you have completed step 1,2 and 3 outlined above
- 20% (of total amount) on submission of satisfactory final report and confirmation that business advice sessions have all been completed
- An additional progress report part way through your funded activity will also be required before your second payment is released, this should be submitted no later than 6 months from your start date.
In your progress and final report, we’ll ask you to describe what you’ve spent your money on, along with a few other key details about your activity and your progress. A report template can be found under ‘upcoming activity’ in your online portal, if you miss your report deadline these templates will then move over to ‘outstanding activity’ in your online portal.
As set out in your Grant Agreement, your financial support will be released to you in two instalments:
- 100% of Develop Your Skills support & 80% of the remaining budget will be released after you have completed step 1,2 and 3 outlined above
- 20% (of total amount) on submission of satisfactory final report and confirmation that business advice sessions have all been completed
- An additional progress report part way through your funded activity will also be required before your second payment is released, this should be submitted no later than 6 months from your start date.
In your progress and final report, we’ll ask you to describe what you’ve spent your money on, along with a few other key details about your activity and your progress. A report template can be found under ‘upcoming activity’ in your online portal, if you miss your report deadline these templates will then move over to ‘outstanding activity’ in your online portal.
Making changes
Your support period is 12 months but we understand that sometimes plans change. If you need to extend your activity, we’ll be happy to discuss this with you as you progress. Please bear in mind that, although we anticipate that your activity may need to shift over the course of your financial support, all Help Musicians grants must be spent in-line with the eligibility criteria published for your support strand.
Who to contact
All correspondence should be directed to your personal Relationship Manager. Your Relationship Manager should have already been in touch, however, if you’re unsure who this is, please email support@helpmusicians.org.uk.
Your business advice sessions
If your support includes business advice sessions with industry experts, find out how to access these below.
In your application, you chose some business advice themes. Our Business Advice Coordinator will be in touch with you via email to ask you to review these choices and select the two specific topics most relevant for your current music activity. Once you’ve re-confirmed your topics, you will be matched with your business advisor(s) and will receive instructions for setting up your session(s).
As it may have been sometime since you submitted your application, you have an opportunity to review your existing business advice themes before confirming your topics.
If required, our Business Advice Coordinator can arrange a call with you to discuss your business advice options before you make your decision.
Once you have been introduced to your advisor(s), it is more difficult to change topics. However, we will do our best to accommodate any changes to your circumstances. It’s important to remember that our business advisors have very busy schedules so please consider your topics carefully before submitting your preferences.
We recommend completing your sessions by your progress report. You must complete your business advice sessions before the submission of your final report.
You are eligible for up to a total of six hours of business advice sessions — three hours with each topic.
You can speak with your Business Advisor(s) directly about breaking this up into two 1.5‑hour sessions or three 1‑hour sessions, depending on your needs and your advisor availability.
You should be emailed by one of our Business Advice Coordinators. If you have any questions about business advise you can contact them directly.
If you haven’t heard from the Business Advice Coordinator yet, then please speak to your Relationship Manager who can answer any questions you have.
Cancelling or re-arranging sessions
We know that you will find your business advice sessions really valuable so we encourage you to make the most of them. They are fully funded by Help Musicians and you must participate in the sessions in order to receive your support. If you are unable to attend your arranged session, please ensure that you notify your business advisor as soon as possible, and where reasonable, we ask that you provide them seven days’ notice to rearrange an agreed session. It’s very important to us that our advisors’ time is respected.
We understand that in extenuating circumstances, it may not be possible to provide seven days’ notice. In this instance, you must make reasonable attempts to contact your business advisor and, if you are unable to reach them, please get in touch with your Relationship Manager as soon as possible.
If you cancel your business advice session with less than 24 hours’ notice or fail to attend an agreed session without any prior communication, this will be considered as non-attendance of your session. Repeat non-attendance may result in a breach of your Grant Agreement terms.
We kindly ask you to respect your business advisors’ time, and to note that no-shows actually cost the charity money, wasting vital funds which are meant to go towards supporting other musicians in need.
Keeping you healthy
Your health is important so we facilitate a 1:1 health consultation with our expert partners to help keep you on track.
We partner with BAPAM who deliver expert health and wellbeing services in the performing arts by offering a range of clinical services for illness and injury. You will receive personalised support from clinicians who really understand the issues musicians face and can offer the right kind of help.
If your consultation highlights a need for further health and wellbeing support, such as performance-related physical health treatment, confidence and resilience training, counselling and therapy, you may be able to access funding from Help Musicians to help with the cost.
BAPAM will be in touch directly to book your 1:1 consultation within your 12-month support period.
If you are struggling to cope, you can access mental health support any time of the day or night through our dedicated mental health service and support line, Music Minds Matter. It doesn’t have to be a crisis, or about music. We’re here to listen, support and help at any time.
Contact Music Minds Matter on 0808 802 8008
You can also explore online resources, personal stories, guidance from professionals and further organisations offering support through our online wellbeing platform, Music Minds Matter Explore.
In addition to the above, we also run regular online sessions to help you gain coping strategies to work through particular mental health struggles, and provide a space to listen and be listened to about the challenges of working in music among peers from the industry who can identify with your experience.
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How to prioritise self-care when working in music
Free, guided self-care sessions to provide techniques to help with challenging times
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Peer Support Groups
Listen and be listened to in a safe space of peers from the music industry
We are also here to look after your physical health, including heavily subsidised preventative hearing protection and support through injury and sickness, both in the short and long term.
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Protect your hearing
Audiological assessments and custom-made hearing protection for musicians
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Physical health
We can support you through injury or sickness, and help prevent future hearing issues
Celebrating your success
Your success in becoming a Help Musicians supported artist is a huge achievement, and one worth shouting about.
Sharing the news on your social media channels and including the ‘supported by Help Musicians’ logo on your CDs, tour flyers or anywhere else related to your creative activity, is a great way to demonstrate that you are a part of a community of musicians actively using your valuable skills and creativity to bring something great into the world.
Make sure you leave some clear space around the logo so that it has room to breathe and does not get cluttered by text or other graphic elements. Use the height of the capital letter ’H’ in ‘Help’ as a guide.
Examples of how you might use the logo
What happens next
If you’re still unsure about anything or have further questions about the details of your support, don’t worry, you’ll have the opportunity to talk with the team during a dedicated Q&A session as part of your upcoming induction session. This session is also a great chance to meet other supported musicians and find out more about other ways Help Musicians can support you. We look forward to seeing you then!