WOMEN MAKE MUSIC CRITERIA

Women Make Music is available to any music creator whose project or programme fits with all three of our funding priorities:

1. To support the creation, performance and promotion of outstanding new music in any genre

We are particularly interested in the quality of the music

2. To enable the UK’s most talented music creators to realise their potential

We are interested in how your project will develop the songwriters and composers involved. We are committed to supporting UK based songwriters and composers of all backgrounds

3. To inspire audiences

You will be asked to outline who you are reaching and how. This includes audiences at a local, regional, national or international level

You may also find it useful to consult our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Please note that we no longer fund organisations through Women Make Music. If you came to this page looking for funding as an organisation to commission a woman music creator for an upcoming project, please apply to the Open Fund for Organisations, where projects involving a diverse range of music creators will be looked on favourably.

Click here to apply

What is a music creator?

The following are considered by PRS  Foundation to be Music Creators:

• songwriters,
• composers, or
• artists, bands, producers and performers who are writing their own music or commissioning other songwriters or composers

Activities we can support:

• projects involving the creation, performance or promotion of new music by living, UK-based music creators (e.g. a commission, residency, education project or tour)
• recording costs
• programmes that strongly feature or are based around new music (e.g. promoting a series of live events featuring outstanding new music, the new music component of a festival programme, artist/composer/talent development programme or multiple commissions)
• equipment/rehearsal space hire if it is an essential part of the project
• administrative costs (e.g. time spent organising the project, letters, printing, stamps)
• development time (e.g. the time it will take the music creator to work on the new material)
• promotional activity/PR costs relating directly to your development as a music creator/the project
• website creation (only if crucial to the promotion of the project)
• music videos when part of wider project activity
• musician fees (we will not fund a project if you do not pay your musicians)
• international activities when part of majority-UK based project (restricted to 30% of grants request)
• contingency (up to 10% of the total project budget)
• concerts, record launches, gigs, tours, installations, festivals and promoters which feature a significant programme of new UK music.

Applicants with access requirements

We recognise that for disabled music creators with access requirements, some proposed activity which supports music creator development (e.g. live performance, touring, access to studios) incurs additional costs, meaning that applicants may require grant support of more than £5,000.

Music creators with access requirements are advised that:
– When submitting Stage 1 applications, applicants should submit Total Project Budget and Request Amounts that do not consider additional access costs.
– When submitting Stage 2 applications which includes a budget section, please outline non-accessibility related expenditure and income. An additional budget question allows applicants to detail additional access requirements needs which will be considered by management team and will therefore not be seen or considered by external advisors unless mentioned in main Funding Priority responses.

Funding decisions will not be affected by additional accessibility support requests and if selected, an appropriate offer amount will be pledged.

We can’t support:

• projects that contain no element of live performance or creation. Although we can support marketing and promotional costs, we require there to be elements of creation and/or performance
• technology projects (unless they contain a significant aspect of new music creation)
• the purchase of vans and cars
• bursaries, tuition/education costs, or scholarships
• capital projects (e.g. building work)
• any project raising funds for another charity
• buying equipment
• building a studio
• organisations or projects that have been running for less than 18 months
• music creators who do not have a track record of 18 months or more
• retrospective activity (i.e. projects that have already taken place)
• activity that falls before our decision date (check our application stages and deadlines when you are applying)
• organisations based outside the UK
• music creators based outside of the UK – projects can involve international music creators but such costs must clearly be covered elsewhere and we prioritise UK-based creators
• British music creators no longer permanently resident in the UK
• composers and songwriters who are members of other performance rights collection societies
• international tours/international activity unless part of a majority-UK based project (see below)
• radio stations/broadcasting costs
• start-up companies or record labels
• a roster of artists on a record label
• living costs and salary costs, as outlined in FAQs
• core funding

Companies limited by shares will be considered on a case by case basis (see below).

Who can apply?

UK-based:

• music creators or their representatives

Ineligible applicants:

• individuals in full-time education, unless an exception is made by the Grants Team
• under 18s, unless represented by an adult with a valid DBS check
• those resident outside of the UK
• those without a track record of more than 18 months
• projects where the lead composer/songwriter is a member of another Performance Rights Organisation (i.e. UK based music creator must either be a member of PRS or should be in a position to join)
• Organisations or companies such as promoters, venues, talent development bodies, orchestras or large performance groups (please apply instead to The Open Fund for Organisations)

Can I apply for international activity?

Applicants to The Open Fund for Music Creators, The Open Fund for Organisations and Women Make Music may include international activity where:

• International activity is essential to the applicant’s project and music creator development
• The requested support costs of international activity make up no more than 30% of PRS Foundation’s grant (e.g. up to £1,500 of a £5,000 grant can go towards international activity)
• The applicant can demonstrate clear demand for new music and/or performances overseas
• The applicant can demonstrate significant audience grown and/or significant showcasing of new music as a result of international activity
• The applicant must show a clear need for funding of international activity

We will prioritise touring and composer travel costs, with secondary priorities of songwriting camps and residencies and recording overseas.

We are unable to offer the following:

• comments or advice on your music
• advice on signing to a label or how to organise tours/projects
• advice on gigs/venues
• advice on promoting your music, unless it has been directly funded by PRS Foundation
• application form checking, prior to submission (however, you can email us with specific questions)

Please note that we are not able to accept hard copies of applications. All applications must be completed online (please email us if you consider yourself to have a disability which could prevent you from completing the online application)

PRS for Music Membership

If applying to The Open Fund for Music Creators (or Women Make Music), we will ask if the music creators involved are already PRS for Music members. Our decision will not be affected if you are not yet a member of PRS for Music but grantees will be signposted to PRS for Music to ensure they are maximising collection society income opportunities.

If you are applying to The Open Fund for Organisations and activities include events, to ensure the writers and publishers of the musical works are paid correctly, your event will need to be licensed appropriately by PRS for Music. If you are unsure whether the correct licence is in place, please contact PRS on 020 3741 3622 and they will be happy to confirm or support you through the licensing process.

Multiple applications

Due to high levels of demand for our funding schemes, we can only accept one application per calendar year to Women Make Music. Women music creators are able to apply once per calendar year to Women Make Music and once per calendar year to The Open Fund for Music Creators*.

Music creators are also restricted to receiving one grant per calendar year.

We advise individual composers, artists, bands and other music creators to choose the most appropriate funding scheme between The Open Fund for Music Creators and our targeted support schemes such as Women Make Music, The International Showcase Fund, Steve Reid Innovation Award, Flash Funding or Momentum.

Please contact the team if you are unsure which funding scheme is most appropriate.

*Please click here for guidance on the limits to the number of applications you can submit per calendar year.

If you have any concerns about eligibility, please email us.
Do you still have some questions? See our Frequently Asked Questions page.