BRIT Trust grant-giving total goes past the £30 million mark
The BRIT Trust – the principal charity of The BRIT Awards and of the UK recorded music industry, which works to improve lives through the power of music and the creative arts – today announces that it has distributed more than £30 million in grants since its foundation by UK record labels and the BPI in 1989.
Thanks largely to income generated annually by The BRIT Awards and by the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS), among other sources, the BRIT Trust has in the course of its 35-year history made nearly 300 grants to a broad range of eligible causes across the UK that promote education and wellbeing. This giving has been led by grants to its long-term beneficiary charities – The BRIT School, the world-renowned, Croydon-based performing and creative arts school that is free to attend, and to Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity.
The £30 million landmark has just been surpassed thanks to the BRIT Trust’s latest round of annual grant-giving that will see 10 charities benefit in all, funding a breadth of activity ranging from the provision of equipment for the BRIT School’s theatres and training Nordoff and Robbins music therapists, to building sound-proof studios for music students in Scotland and the rehabilitation of young men in UK prisons. See Notes for more details & quotes.
- The BRIT School
- ELAM (East London Arts and Music)
- Key4Life
- Loud ‘n’ Proud
- Music Support
- The Music Works
- Nordoff and Robbins
- Tonetic Records
- UD Music
- WeJam Foundation
The BRIT Trust’s Grants Committee invites and then evaluates the applications received annually via its website from registered charities that are eligible1 to apply for funding. A recommendation is made to the Trustees for their November Board Meeting and a final decision is communicated to the successful applicants. Grants are confirmed once due diligence has been completed, as required, and the annual applications process begins again.
BRIT Trust Chair, Tony Wadsworth CBE, said:
“We know just how tough it is for charities right now – their incomes have barely recovered to pre-pandemic levels, but their costs are spiraling, while demand for their services is rising exponentially also. So every penny counts, and we hope these grants to a diverse breadth of wonderful charities that support education and wellbeing across our industry will make a meaningful difference to the amazing work they do through the power of music. We congratulate them all and wish them well, and look now forward to receiving next year’s round of applications.”
The BRIT School
Opened in 1991 with the support of the UK recorded music industry through The BRIT Trust and the BPI, the BRIT School is the leading Performing and Creative Arts school in the UK and is completely FREE to attend. Its mission is to train and educate young people for future careers in Performance and Creative Arts and related industries. It provides a unique education for over 1,400 pupils aged between 14 and 19 in Music, Film, Digital Design, Visual Arts and Design, Production and Performing Arts, underpinned by an excellent academic programme of GCSEs, Level 2&3, A Levels and PE - the BRIT Fit initiative and Ethics Beliefs & Culture.
Stuart Worden, Principal of the BRIT School, said:
"Since The BRIT School opened, the BRIT Trust has been instrumental in their support to enable a free, innovative education and a unique culture of student experience, impacting over 13000 graduates from all social backgrounds. This year, the BRIT Trust supplied us with vital equipment for our theatres and supported students from low income families to have opportunities of a lifetime and help them realise their dreams."
ELAM (East London Arts and Music)
East London Arts & Music (ELAM), founded a decade ago by Will Kennard—one half of the chart-topping duo Chase & Status—is an Ofsted Outstanding sixth-form college located in Tower Hamlets. Offering a free, two-year specialist education in Music, Games Design, or Film & Television studies, ELAM is guided by its founding vision that—all children growing up in the UK should see themselves reflected in UK culture. With support from partners such as the BRIT Trust, the college aims to develop a highly skilled and well-rounded creative workforce that reflects the cultural and socioeconomic diversity of the world we live in. See BRIT Trust Diary post here.
Charlie Kennard, ELAM Principal, said:
‘’We’re very grateful to the BRIT Trust for their gift, which will enable us to deliver vital programmes that prepare our Trainees for the creative industries as well as supporting their mental health and wellbeing. With the support of the BRIT Trust, ELAM is building an inclusive future for the creative sector.’’
Key4Life
Launched in the wake of the 2011 riots, Key4Life is an innovative crime prevention charity which rehabilitates young men (18-30) in prison or at risk of going to prison through an innovative 7-Step programme. The model includes a powerful blend of music, football, equine therapy, employability and emotional resilience work. Independent research shows that those who complete the Key4Life programme are four times less likely to reoffend and four times more likely to be in employment and training compared with those who have not been through the programme.
The BRIT Trust funding will be instrumental in supporting Key4Life to continue transforming the lives of young offenders in prison and those at risk of going to prison.
A Key4Life Participant said:
"If it wasn’t for Key4Life I would be dead or back in a cell.”
Loud ‘n’ Proud
Loud n Proud is a Paisley-based charity that has evolved over the years from a local community project to become Scotland’s Rock and Pop School. It is a place to prepare students for careers in music through the study and practice of contemporary music. It has three main aims: Teach you how to play; put you in a band; and get you on a stage.
Tommy McGrory of Loud ‘n’ Proud, said:
"This grant from the BRIT Trust means we can go ahead with our vision of building five soundproof studios to support out three key priorities for young people: Teach them how to play, put them in a band, and get them on a stage. It was the middle part of that journey that we didn't have, so having rehearsal studios will now give them the opportunity to learn how to play as a band and rehearse till they are ready to perform.”
Music Support
Music Support is a registered charity that helps peers who work in the UK music industry experiencing substance use, addiction and/or mental health challenges. They promote early intervention through Support Services, Education and Workshops.
Joe Hastings, CEO Music Support, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to the BRIT Trust for awarding us this grant at such a pivotal time. Over the past year, we’ve seen a 51% increase in demand for our support, highlighting the growing need within the music industry. Our work spans a range of services, from preventative self-care workshops to critical support for those facing substance use and mental health challenges. This grant will enable us to broaden the reach and accessibility of our vital and life-changing programmes, reinforcing our commitment to helping UK music industry peers at every stage of their journey. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful difference, saving careers and changing lives.”
The Music Works
The mission of the Music Works is to transform young lives through music. They are specialists in working with young people in challenging circumstances around the UK to help them reach their full potential in music, in learning, and in life.
Deborah Potts, CEO The Music Works, said:
“We're hugely thankful to The Brits Trust. Their funding will help our music bus bring hands-on music-making to young people in areas where creative opportunities are scarce, breaking down barriers to participation and sparking new musical journeys.”
Nordoff and Robbins
Nordoff and Robbins is the UK’s largest music therapy charity, with a unique approach shaped by more than 60 years of practice. Through the power of music, it breaks through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, disability and social isolation. The charity does this through providing music therapy to people across the UK, whilst also training the music therapists of the future and funding research to measure and improve the impact of its work.
Sandra Schembri, CEO Nordoff and Robbins, said:
“The continuous support Nordoff and Robbins has received from the BRIT Trust over the years has helped the Charity increase the number of people we reach with music therapy year on year, from those living with dementia to children facing mental health challenges. Music can be the difference for them, and it has literally meant we can keep the music going. As we navigate the pressing challenges of growing demand, increasing costs and decreasing donations, this regular trust funding is a lifeline to a charity like us, for which we are incredibly grateful.”
Tonetic Records
Tonetic Records is a youth run record label based in Thanet Kent. It provides an inclusive space for young artists living in Kent to develop music skills, gain performance experience, connect with others, and access vital industry knowledge.
Tom Postgate, Tonetic Records’ Lead Music Assistant, said:
"We greatly appreciate the funding from the BRIT Trust, which will be used to run our Artist Programme & Short Term support programme. Our free recording sessions, mentoring, music industry talks and gig opportunities lay the groundwork for disadvantaged young artists in Kent and Medway to find their creative voices and kickstart entry into the world of performing, promoting and releasing music. In these current circumstances, young musicians face multiple economic and social barriers to accessing their creative potential, and Tonetic strives to use this funding to meaningfully impact their lives."
Tonetic Records artist ellhan, said:
“My experience with Tonetic has been unreal. I have learned so much in such a short space of time. I have gained so many new skills from performing to producing that I never thought I could have done before I joined. It’s pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way possible but also at my own pace too!”
UD Music
Stratford, East London charity UD Music educates, empowers and creates life opportunities for young people inspired by the sounds, words and rhythms of Black music culture.
UD Director & Co-Founder, Pamela McCormick, said:
"Thanks to the BRIT Trust funding, UD will be able to develop the ground-breaking work we do with Flames Collective, our flagship programme for young people who demonstrate vocal excellence, supporting them to move into paid employment and industry opportunities, like our previous collaborations with RAYE, Kojey Radical, Grace Carter and more. Through the delivery of satellite projects in three regional cities and new progression routes, Flames Collective will gain a national presence.
As we approach our 25th anniversary, the BRIT Trust funding will also allow UD to expand its annual Industry Takeover All Dayer event, in partnership with regional talent development organisations, to strengthen networks within Black music and culture.”
WeJam Foundation
WeJam Foundation’s simple mission is to make young people feel like rockstars.
David Tshulak, Founder WeJam Foundation, said:
“Support from the BRIT Trust enables us to bring the power of rock music to young people from one of the most deprived inner-city estates in the country. The funding enables us to provide a full year of workshops to Skyway youth club where participants will form their own bands to gain not just musical skills, but an improved sense of mental wellbeing as their confidence, teamwork and self-esteem builds over the course of the sessions.”
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About The BRIT Trust The BRIT Trust is the principal charity of the UK recorded music industry, and works to improve lives through the power of music and the creative arts. Funded largely by The BRIT Awards and the Music Industry Trusts Award (MITS), the BRIT Trust’s work is enabled by a Board of Trustees chaired by Tony Wadsworth CBE. Since its foundation by record labels and the BPI in 1989, the Trust has distributed more than £30 million to causes that promote education and wellbeing through music across the UK, including The BRIT School, Nordoff and Robbins, ELAM, Music Support, and Key4Life, among others. To help explain its work and that of the causes it supports and feels aligned with, the BRIT Trust publishes a series of BRIT Trust Diaries in association with Music Week. Applications for BRIT Trust Funding can be made here.