Applicants

Our budgeting principles provide an approach to budgeting that is fair and sustainable. If you’re applying for Youth Music funding, you should use these to inform your costings. The principles are:

• Equity and wellbeing – paying people fairly and removing barriers to access for those who need more support.
• Beyond delivery – ensuring budget for things like core costs, equipment and evaluation.
• Room to adapt – building flexibility to make changes, respond to opportunities and budgeting for inflation.

Funded partners

The cost of living crisis means projects are facing increased costs such as staff payments, overheads, access and wellbeing support. Our flexible funding means that:

• There’s room to make changes with your grant when it comes to things like budgets, grant reporting timescales and project outputs.
• Whilst we can’t always increase the overall amount of your grant, we can be flexible about the programme to help you deal with current needs. For example, scaling back delivery outputs (e.g. number of workshops or events) so that grant money can be diverted to core costs or used to increase pay rates.
• As a living wage funder, we’d encourage you to ensure fair pay and especially to pay the Real Living Wage. In September 2022, rates increased to £10.90 per hour and £11.95 in London. 
• We can bring forward some of your last grant payment if you need it for cash-flow.

You’ll need to run most changes by us, unless they are minor or cost less than £1,000. If your project outcomes are the same, you’re on top of the project management, then it’s likely we’ll be happy with your request. Please contact your Grants and Learning Officer if you wish to request a change.