The Arts Council of England has announced a new scheme aimed at supporting small music venues and promoters. The Grassroots Live Music scheme, with an overall investment of £1.5m, seeks to address the high level of competition smaller venues face when applying to the main Project Grants stream. 

Applications are now open for applications between £1,000 to £40,000 for venues working within genres such as pop, rock, hip-hop, folk and world music.

Commenting on the announcement, CEO of the Arts Council of England Darren Henley said:

Grassroots music venues are essential both for our world-renowned music industry and communities across the country, and there needs to be a collective effort from both the public sector and music industry to support them. With this fund we’re ensuring that grassroots venues and promoters … have the support they need to create the best possible environment for artists and audiences.

The deadline for applications is 31 March 2020. For more information, visit www.artscouncil.org.uk.