The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has launched the UK Artist Touring Fund to provide ‘top up’ support for headline tours that face financial shortfalls.

The UK trade body representing artists’ interests said the UKAT Fund will open for applications on Wednesday, 11 March, and they must be received by 20 March.

Created in partnership with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Musicians’ Union (MU), UKAT was established to help address the impact of the escalating cost of touring at a grassroots level.

FAC said UKAT will help to alleviate the challenges facing touring artists by providing strategic top-up contributions to reduce shortfalls in touring budgets, and help reduce the financial risk, to keep more tours on the road.

Initially, UKAT will distribute proceeds of £125,000 collected by the LIVE Trust as part of a voluntary ticket contribution applied on arena and stadium shows. FAC said the ‘rapid-response’ Phase One of UKAT will be open to UK-based artists performing domestic headline tours in small to mid-sized venues. These shows must take place before 31 October, and the majority must be promoter-booked with guarantees.

“Beyond this initial Phase One, our ambition is to create a positive ripple effect across the entire sector and provide a long-term solution for making grassroots live touring more sustainable,” said FAC CEO David Martin. ”I would like to put on record my thanks to all who’ve helped us get UKAT off the ground, especially the MMF, the MU, the LIVE Trust, LIVE, UK Music, Arts Council England and, most importantly, all the artists and teams who have contributed so generously to the Trust and the fans who’ve bought tickets to their shows.”

The association’s chair David Rowntree added, “Because of the LIVE Trust, we now have a system where revenue can flow from some of the UK’s largest shows towards some of the smallest. That’s a wonderful thing, and something I think most music fans will support – especially if it means helping a new generation of artists, and reducing some of the insane financial pressures they face when touring. The UK Artist Touring fund provides a vehicle for us to do that, and I’m immensely proud that the FAC is leading at the heart of this process.”

Applications for Phase One of the UKAT Fund are encouraged from artists of all genres – or their representatives – that meet the following basic criteria:

  • Applicants must be 18+, UK residents and have released new original music within the past three years.
  • Applicants can apply for up to £7,000 or a maximum of 40% of total eligible tour expenditure – whichever is lower.
  • To qualify, tours must have a minimum of 3 UK headline shows in venues of between 75 and 2,000 capacity.
  • At least 75% of dates must be promoter-booked with guarantees, with no more than 25% self-promoted or dry-hire.
  • Shows must be completed by 31st October 2026.
  • Applicants must provide evidence of a financial shortfall between the costs of delivering these shows and the projected income from guarantees and fees.
  • All artists, musicians, managers and crew involved must receive fair and reasonable pay – covering show days, travel days and rehearsal time.
  • An additional Access Fund is also available to help cover access-related, caring or childcare costs.

Full application criteria for the UKAT Fund can be found here on the FAC website.

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