Max SteventonThe Music Industry Therapist Collective (MITC) has launched a £272,000 fund to provide occupational health support to artists and crew working on small and mid-scale tours.
The Pay It Forward Fund will support 150 touring teams over a three-year pilot, with the programme funded by organisations and individuals from across the live entertainment industry.
AEG International, d&b audiotechnik, Fly By Nite, Live Nation, Lockton, The Team and Universal Pixels are among the founding funders, alongside Radiohead drummer Philip Selway and Live Free 999.
Funded teams will receive a Tour Health package including 10 confidential sessions with qualified mental health practitioners, a 90-minute occupational health consultation for tour and production managers, a Healthy Touring workshop and resources covering performance, communication and collaboration.
The sessions will be available online around the clock and in several languages, with no diagnosis, referral or previous experience of therapy required.
MITC said the initiative is intended to improve access to preventative support for smaller productions, where health and welfare services can be harder to include within touring budgets.
The first application round is open to eligible touring teams worldwide for tours starting between October and December. Applications close on 30 September. The organisation will oversee the allocation of the funded packages and carry out impact assessments during the three-year pilot.
MITC founder Tamsin Embleton said, “The Pay It Forward Fund is about making specialist support accessible to tours working within tight budgets, but it’s also about moving beyond the idea that support should only be sought when crisis hits.”