Latest PPL Momentum Music Fund grantees across the UK and PPL Momentum Accelerator grantees in Liverpool City Region and Tees Valley announced
- 9 talented UK artists receiving PPL Momentum Music Fund support
- 6 exciting artists and 7 future industry professional based in Liverpool City Region and Tees Valley selected for targeted PPL Momentum Accelerator support
PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading charitable funder of new music and talent development, announces today the latest artists to receive UK-wide support from the PPL Momentum Music Fund and the Liverpool City Region and Tees Valley-based artists and industry professionals receiving PPL Momentum Accelerator support. The PPL Momentum Music Fund is in partnership with PPL, Creative Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and the PPL Momentum Accelerator is in partnership with MusicFutures, Sonic Futures, Generator, Tees Valley Combined Authority and the UK Government.
The artists who have been selected by a network of industry experts to receive PPL Momentum Music funding are:
- Ben Ellis – 5-date UK headline tour, marketing and stage production
- COSTELLO – Promoting debut EP
- Cowboy Hunters – Recording, touring and marketing
- Hilit Kolet – Collaboration fees, recording, mixing, mastering, visual content, press and radio promotion for new EP
- Frankie Archer – Touring extra dates
- LAUSSE THE CAT – Immersive theatre residency featuring a full live band, theatrical staging, set design and costumes
- Marla Kether – Touring and show development
- Mount Palomar – Composition, pre-production, orchestration, collaborations and studio recording across Northern Ireland and England for debut album
- SOFY – Touring debut album across the UK
This latest round features critically acclaimed artists such as Frankie Archer who received a 5***** star review in MOJO Magazine, Cowboy Hunters and Marla Kether receiving positive coverage in Louder Than War and Crack Magazine respectively and SOFY being tipped as one to watch in Notion.
PPL Momentum Music supported Mount Palomar said, “This support gives me the time, confidence and resources to realise my debut album without compromising my vision, making ambitious creative collaborations possible at a pivotal moment in my career.”
PPL Momentum Music Fund is the ground-breaking support for artists who have reached a crucial tipping point, have a team already in place and ready to take the next step in their careers. Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, PPL, Creative Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
PRS Foundation’s PPL Momentum Accelerator offers grants of up to £5,000 to talented artists with a growing fanbase, currently working to establish a music industry team and based in targeted regions of the UK.
The Liverpool City Region-based music creators receiving PPL Momentum Accelerator support which is in partnership with MusicFutures are:
- Niki Kand – Recording and release third EP
- Bethane – Creating, recording, releasing and marketing debut EP
- Jazmine Johnson – Working with producer, recording, releasing and marketing new tracks
The latest Tees Valley-based music creators receiving PPL Momentum Accelerator support which is in partnership with Sonic Futures, Tees Valley Combined Authority and UK Government are:
- Celia Grace – Debut album creation, recording, mixing, mastering, release and PR
- Herberta – Recording, release, and promotion for EP
- Jodie Nicholson – Working with a new producer on new album
Additionally, PPL Momentum Accelerator support of up to £1,000, which can include micro-grants, mentoring or other holistic support, is offered to future music industry professionals to develop their skills and careers. The 2 Liverpool City Region and 5 Tees Valley-based industry professionals receiving support this round are:
- Carrick Moran (Liverpool City Region) – Accessing UK conferences and meetings as well as creating capacity for new marketing strategies
- Tobi Osekita (Liverpool City Region) – Professional recording of a live set, a dedicated AUDIOFEATHER card release, and a series of pop-up activations
- Dennis Wachepa (Tees Valley) – Develop Pre Game Lobby into a sustainable platform for emerging rap and R&B artists in the Tees Valley
- Madelaine Stonehouse-Hedley (Tees Valley) – Tailored programme of mentorship and networking, developing skills as a producer and supporting progression from early-career delivery roles towards a more strategic, artist-centred producing practice
- Paige Hughes (Tees Valley) – Capacity building as an artist manager
- Reese Wake (Tees Valley) – Jaded Radio digital artist station for creatives in the North East
- Shahin Hashemi (Tees Valley) – Professional showreel to show presenter, host and curator work and mentorship.
Since PPL Momentum Accelerator’s launch, 5 artists have progressed their career to a tipping point and become eligible to apply for and receive the PPL Momentum Music Fund after initially receiving PPL Momentum Accelerator support. Lucas Alexander and fellow Wales-based LEMFRECK and Luke RV as well as the two Yorkshire-based Downtown Kayoto and Chiedu Oraka all first picked up PPL Momentum Accelerator support early in their careers before successfully receiving PPL Momentum Music Fund support. Further recent Accelerator successes include English Teacher winning 2024’s Mercury Prize and BRITs Critic’s Choice 2026 winner Jacob Alon including Liverpool industry professional Abby Meysenburg in their management team.
PPL became headline sponsors of the Momentum Music Fund in February 2020. Since then, 265 talented music creators at tipping points in their careers have received this vital support to break through to the next level.
The first 50 rounds of the PPL Momentum Music Fund have supported:
- The creation of 329 albums (including dozens of top twenty chart placements)
- Support for over 300 UK tours and over 1,600 live dates
- Artist who have received PPL Momentum Music Fund have gone on to receive 7 Mercury Prizes, 13 MOBO Awards and 6 Brit Awards
PRS Foundation and Arts Council England initiated The Momentum Music Fund in 2013. Arts Council England originally established the need for this specific fund and supported the programme from 2013-18.
Next deadline to submit an application for the UK-wide PPL Momentum Music Fund support and also for PPL Momentum Accelerator Sbardun support for those based in Wales is 10th August 2026 at 6:00pm.
The next deadline to apply for PPL Momentum Accelerator support for those based in Liverpool City Region or Tees Valley is 26th October at 6:00pm.
Find out more and apply via prsfoundation.com.
PPL Momentum Music Fund is crucial for both music creators’ careers and the wider industry as the 10 Years of Momentum Report (2013-23) found. To date, the fund has been transformational with over £5.2 million awarded to artists across the whole of the UK, resulting in:
- Helping to generate £22 million for the UK music industry
- Over 600 artists awarded PPL Momentum Music Fund support
- Creation of more than 275 albums (including Mercury Prize nominated albums and dozens of top twenty chart placements)
- Support for over 300 UK tours and over 1,600 live dates
- Over 7,300 applications received over 40 funding rounds with a 7% success rate of funds being granted
Following the report’s release in 2023, recent PPL Momentum Music artists continue to make waves and progress their careers. Sam Fender was awarded the 2025 Mercury Prize (the third PPL Momentum Music fund grantee in a row to do so following Ezra Collecitve and Little Simz) Jordan Adetunji released one of the most viral tracks of the last 12-months ‘Kehlani’, and Dry Cleaning picked up a 2024 Grammy Award.
An evaluation of the PPL Momentum Music Fund and evidence from thousands of applications PRS Foundation receives each year identified talent pipeline gaps across the UK. Many music creators show strong musical potential but are unable to capitalise upon this due to financial barriers, gaps in regional infrastructure, knowledge, advice, and access to industry platforms.
PPL Momentum Accelerator was subsequently launched as a targeted scheme to support the development of outstanding artists and bands who are writing their own music, and early career Industry Professionals, outside London and who face additional barriers in reaching a crucial career tipping point based on their location.
About PRS Foundation
PRS Foundation has for 25 years invested in the future of music – funding new music and supporting careers from the grassroots up. Since 2000, PRS Foundation has given more than £50 million to over 9,000 new music initiatives.
PRS Foundation supports outstanding talent from all backgrounds, covering the whole of the UK and all genres, with grantee success stories including Little Simz, Wolf Alice, Dave, Sam Fender, Years & Years, AJ Tracey, Anna Meredith, Yola, Glass Animals, Ezra Collective, Ghetts, English Teacher, Sarathy Korwar, Floating Points, Nadine Shah, The Fanatix, Imogen Heap, IDLES, Kae Tempest and Kojey Radical.
Widely respected as an inclusive, collaborative and proactive funding body, PRS Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity through direct grants to music creators and through support for pioneering organisations, including venues, festivals, promoters and other talent development organisations. PRS Foundation founded the Women Make Music fund, co-founded global gender equality initiative, Keychange and most recently launched the POWER UP initiative to tackle anti-Black racism in music. www.prsfoundation.com
About PPL
PPL is the UK music industry’s collective management organisation (CMO) for performers and recording rightsholders. We help ensure that our members’ talent and investment is fairly rewarded.
We license recorded music in the UK when it is broadcast (TV and radio) or played in public places (retail, hospitality, workplaces, gyms, etc). When our members’ music is played around the world, they can appoint us to collect royalties through our network of more than 110 agreements with other CMOs.
Our members include both independent and major record companies, together with performers ranging from emerging grassroots artists through to established session musicians and global superstars.
In 2024, PPL’s revenue was over £300 million, the highest in the company’s 90-year history and we paid over 172,000 performers and recording rightsholders. In the last five years alone, PPL has distributed over £1.25 billion to performers and recording rightsholders.
About Creative Wales
Creative Wales is an internal agency of the Welsh Government. Our mission is to drive growth across the creative industries, build on existing success and develop new talent and skills –positioning Wales as one of the best places for creative businesses to thrive.
About the Arts Council of Northern Ireland
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead funding and development agency for the Arts providing support to arts projects throughout the region, through its Treasury and The National Lottery funds. Arts Council funding enables artists and arts organisations to increase access to the arts across society and deliver great art that is within everyone’s reach.
To date, National Lottery players have helped to raise £52 billion for Good Causes, with more than 670,000 projects funded since 1994 . With hundreds of lottery grants in every postcode district and £32 million raised each week for Good Causes, most people will have benefited from a National Lottery-funded project.
About Arts Council of Wales
The Arts Council of Wales is the country’s official public body for funding and developing the arts. Every day, people across Wales are enjoying and taking part in the arts. We help to support and grow this activity. We do this by using the public funds that are made available to us by the Welsh Government and by distributing the money we receive as a good cause from the National Lottery. By managing and investing these funds in creative activity, the Arts Council contributes to people’s quality of life and to the cultural, social and economic well-being of Wales.
About MusicFutures
MusicFutures is a five-year research and innovation programme led by the University of Liverpool in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University. Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) through UKRI’s Creative Industries Clusters Programme, it will position the Liverpool City Region as the UK’s leading hub for music research, development and innovation (R&D&I).
Working with more than 27 industry partners — from global companies such as Universal Music, to national bodies including UK Music and PRS Foundation — MusicFutures unites academia, industry and government to tackle the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Its mission is to drive inclusive, sustainable and world-leading innovation across music production, technology, policy and entrepreneurship. Through pioneering R&D, investment in skills and training, and collaborative approaches to IP and data, MusicFutures will open new pathways for artists, businesses and entrepreneurs.
Rooted in Liverpool’s UNESCO City of Music status and powered by a network of 1,500+ regional music businesses, MusicFutures will reimagine how music can fuel economic growth, cultural impact and environmental sustainability — shaping a stronger, fairer and more future-ready UK music industry.
About Sonic Futures
Sonic Futures is a visionary, TVCA-funded programme dedicated to nurturing Tees Valley’s next generation of musical talent while strengthening the region’s musical infrastructure. Powered by Generator, Sonic Futures seeks to establish Tees Valley as a vibrant hub for music creativity.
Tees Valley Combined Authority
The Tees Valley Combined Authority was created in April 2016. Its purpose is to drive economic growth and job creation in the area. It is a partnership of five authorities; Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees, working closely with the business community and other partners to make local decisions to support the growth of our economy.
