Christopher BarrettWith millions of pounds already committed from forthcoming arena and stadium shows, the Live Trust has outlined how the money will be distributed to festivals, venues, promoters.
With applications invited ahead of the first grants being distributed in January, the LIVE Trust has explained how it will use the first wave of funds generated from the £1 per ticket contributions from shows at venues over 5,000 capacity. Launched in January, the LIVE Trust waspledged £500,000 within the first three months, and the figure has since grown significantly. In July, the Royal Albert Hall became the first 5,000+ capacity arena to commit to contributing to the Trust, a move worth £300,000 a year.
The LIVE Trust has published its initial grant making strategy detailing its approach to investing in programmes that benefit grassroots venues, artists, promoters, and festivals. This paper covers the Trust’s planned activities running up to the awarding of the first grants, expected in January 2026.
It said that the first round of funding will back up to six programmes, with the focus being on “benefiting diverse communities across the UK and supporting grassroots music scenes across all aspects of the ecosystem”.
LIVE said the Trust is not seeking applications from individual venues, artists, promoters or festivals, and that it would invite organisations to apply for funding: “We are looking to work with those organisations that are best placed to understand and deliver interventions that build resilience and capacity across the grassroots.”
Funded programmes must meet at least one of the LIVE Trust’s objectives:
- Reduce costs
- Invest in infrastructure
- Support risk-takers
- Provide expert advice and networks
- Nurture emerging talent on and off stage
“As we have stated from the outset, LIVE Trust will fund programmes that support venues, artists, promoters, and festivals – separately and in combination,” said LIVE CEO Jon Collins. “It was abundantly clear from our dialogue with stakeholders that the interconnected nature of live music means a programme will often have benefits for more than one sub-sector. We are keen to encourage interventions that, in addition to addressing immediate pressures, will deliver long-term benefits across our four key pillars; artists, promoters, venues and festivals.”
LIVE Trust chair Kirsty McShannon said, “We want the Trust to move with speed and agility while recognising that processes must be robust and transparent. This strategy helps us meet that objective and we look forward to assessing applications from qualifying organisations and programmes.”