Managed by PRS Foundation, the PPL Momentum Music Fund awards grants of £5,000-£15,000 using funds from PRS Foundation, with support from PPL, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

PPL Momentum Music Fund provides vital financial support which will help talented artists and bands to take their career to the next level. Activities eligible for support include recording, writing, touring and marketing.

1. This application is not for artists/bands just starting out, demoing and playing their first gigs. If you are at an earlier stage in your career please click here for other funding options, including The Open Fund.
2. Those working in contemporary popular music are more likely to be supported than those working in contemporary classical. We recommend The Composers’ Fund for composers at the ‘Next Level’ of their careers
3. Those working behind the scenes as Songwriters or Producers with writing credits should apply to our Hitmaker fund.

If you answer YES to the questions below you may qualify for the PPL Momentum Music Fund and should consider applying.

• Are you an artist/band based in the UK?
• Do you write and perform your own music*?
• Have you been profiled/featured in national press, media and received coverage in UK wide blogs as an artist/band?
• Have you played shows or been asked to play multiple shows across the UK?
• Do you have evidence of a strong fan base nationally and regionally?
• Do you have at least one team member (e.g. a manager, booking agent, record label, publisher, PR/Plugger, and/or lawyer)
• We are unable to support artists signed to ‘major label deals’

* Eligible applicants will be artists, bands or producers who write their own music or play an active role in the creation of new music. For non-performing or behind the scenes songwriters and producers please see our Hitmaker Fund.

Please note: PRS Foundation has full eligibility criteria that apply across our funding schemes which you can read on our Applicant Guidance and FAQs page.

Artists/Bands applying for the PPL Momentum Music Fund must be at a crucial tipping point in their careers, showing current progression and growth as an artist with the potential to significantly develop their careers over the next two years.  The activity that PPL Momentum Music funding would support must take place in the UK.

In exceptional circumstances we will support activity such as recording in international territories. Applicants must make a compelling case as to why this activity cannot happen in the UK and we recommend you speak to a member of the team to check eligibility.

Applications can be made by artists/bands directly or representatives of the artist. Those who can apply on behalf of an artist are;

• Manager
• Label
• Publisher
• Booking agent
• PR/Plugger
• Lawyer
• Trusted advisor to the artist

Please note: Any resulting grant offer is made to the music creator. Authorised representatives can in effect project manage funded activity. However, should there be a change in team around the artist or should the funding support not reach the music creator, the PRS Foundation would reclaim monies paid/owed in order to ensure that the funds are used solely for the purposes outlined in the application directly for the benefit of the music creator.

You can apply for £5,000 – £15,000 to contribute to the development of you as an artist. We recommend you budget realistically to show what you need. Our average PPL Momentum Music grant is roughly £10,000.

For Guidance on application budgets please see our Applicant Guidance and FAQs page.

• Recording – new album, EP, single, producer, engineer, mixer fees, studio hire, session musician fees, etc. or a combination of these elements.
• Touring (UK only*) – travel, accommodation, musician fees, set/production design, tour management, equipment hire, etc.
• Marketing and promotions – PR, radio plugger, digital marketing, music videos, merchandise production, etc.
• Purchase of equipment / software / hardware (covers up to 20% of costs)

Note: We will prioritise contributing to expenditure which helps you/the artist to develop professionally and creatively. The PRS Foundation will also prioritise project activity that is based in the UK.

*For artists and bands based in Northern Ireland we recognise that live dates in the Republic of Ireland will likely have a good career impact. As such we can support and encourage PPL Momentum-funded dates to in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

• Van/car purchase
• International touring
• Support for a roster of artists – each application must focus on one artist
• Projects requesting funding that would, is or could be covered by the deal the artist/band has with a label, publisher, management company or other relationships (e.g. touring costs). Please see further guidance and FAQs.
• Capital projects (e.g. building work)
• Building a studio

*You will be asked to outline in your application the details of any label/publishing deals that you are currently covered by and will be given the opportunity to explain why they are unable to cover the costs of this project.

We advise you make a start on the application when you’re sure you’re eligible for this fund and have a clear plan in place for the next stages of your career.

The PPL Momentum Music Fund has 4 deadlines a year. We aim to communicate results back to all applicants with a decision within 8 weeks of a deadline passing. All our funding decisions for PPL Momentum are made by an expert group of panellists and you can find more info about our advisors and decision making process here.

All PPL Momentum Music Fund applications must be submitted by 6pm on the day of the deadline.

Please contact info@prsfoundation.com should you require any further information.

Check the deadlines page for the next deadline here and please be aware of our limits on maximum applications per calendar year.

What are the most common reasons applicants are unsuccessful?

Many applicants meet our funding criteria and score well. But high demand means we have to prioritise the highest scoring applications. The competitive nature of this fund is in most cases the reason an application has not been funded.

• Some applications are ineligible (e.g. applying for activity that is happening before the decision date).
• Applicants applying for 100% project costs from PRS Foundation are unlikely to be selected (we are unable to support full project costs).
• The activity plan submitted did not demonstrate how funding would have a significant impact on their careers.
• The activity did not highlight clearly why funding is needed.
• The application did not show enough confirmed provisional activity in detail.

What is a crucial career tipping point?

PRS Foundation understands that the journey for each music creator is unique, and therefore we are not prescriptive as to what constitutes a crucial career tipping point as this will vary between music creators. However, we do expect that applications can demonstrate a strong UK-wide fanbase and national press/radio coverage, have at least one team member and are in a position to make significant creative and professional development following a PPL Momentum award.

It is worth noting that once you have received PPL Momentum Music Fund you are ineligible for further support from the PRS Foundation except through our International Showcase Fund award.

Can I apply to the PPL Momentum Music Fund and another scheme such as the Open Fund for Music Creators?

We advise applicants to only apply to the funding scheme that they feel best fits their career level and project.

As an Artist Manager, can I apply for costs to cover my time project managing?

Many applications are made by artist managers on behalf of individual artists and bands. Artist managers make a significant contribution in terms of planning, managing and implementing planned Momentum projects.

Since launching in 2013, PRS Foundation has found that in many cases artist managers are contributing financially to ensure a project goes ahead. We expect and plan for this trend to continue, particularly where established managers and large management companies are involved.

In the vast majority of cases, PPL Momentum Music Fund support has had a significant impact on long-term income generation for the artist and their management team.

Since April 2018, and following advice from the Music Managers Forum (MMF), PRS Foundation recognise that for many artist managers industry trends have presented significant barriers to entry and income uncertainty. As a result, artist managers who are able to justify project management cost allocations may include a fair sum under ‘Artist Manager Project Management Contribution’ within the Expenditure Section of the Momentum Budget.

The ‘Artist Manager Project Management Contribution’ will be considered by independent advisors and PPL Momentum partners on the following basis:

• We will prioritise expenditure which directly and significantly impacts on the career development of the artist*,
• A maximum of 15% of the total Momentum request amount can be attributed to ‘Artist Manager Project Management Contribution’,
• Any contribution made to cover project management costs must be justified within the application and in a separate question in the Budget section of the Momentum application form.
• Where it is possible for the artist manager or management company to contribute to the costs of the project we expect the application to include income contribution from management**
• Any resulting grant offers are agreements between PRS Foundation and the artist and grant support is paid to the artist. In the event that the artist terminates their working relationship with the artist manager before or during the proposed Momentum project activity timeline, any monies allocated to ‘Artist Manager Project Management Contribution’ shall be reclaimed by PRS Foundation and reallocated fairly at the discretion of PRS Foundation following consultation with both parties,

* Please weigh up the potential long-term impact of your project management contribution against the potential impact on your artist’s development of spending the grant elsewhere

** The artist’s offer amount may be reduced if independent expert advisors recommend that management could or would otherwise be contributing financially to the proposed project.

PRS Foundation also encourages artist managers to state the in-kind value of their support on the project within the ‘in-kind income’ box below the budget.

Am I eligible to apply if I am signed to a major?

If you are signed to a deal with one of three large major record labels (Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group) then it is highly unlikely you would be eligible for PRS Foundation support through PPL Momentum Music Fund.

If you are currently signed to a major label or publisher on a traditional record deal model you are likely ineligible for PRS Foundation support. However, we understand that new models and deal types can result in uncertainty. Should you be concerned and want to discuss further please get in touch to discuss your application with the grants team directly via info@prsfoundation.com

This would also apply to any subsidiary labels from these majors.

If you have read all the guidance and checked the deadlines page

Apply Here