The London Music Fund has expanded its grassroots funding programme in partnership with YouTube.
The music education charity’s fund supports small organisations providing training opportunities within the music industry, widening access to creative pathways for young people who face barriers in their careers.
The programme, which has been running in London since 2020, has supported 20 creative projects to date, reaching over 500 young people.
Amplify London will be announcing the next five projects in receipt of funding, in March 2025. The initiative will expand with Amplify Liverpool, which will launch in the spring of 2025, supported by UNESCO City of Music.
Chrissy Kinsella, CEO of the London Music Fund, said: “After five successful years of Amplify London, we are excited to be expanding this initiative to Liverpool, a city with such amazing musical heritage. This is the first programme that LMF has taken outside London since our own launch in 2011 and is an important step in our development. We are looking forward to working with local experts and delivery partners in supporting the creative ecosystem in this amazing city.”
The programme, supported by YouTube, aims to empower organisations to develop their work, forging links with the music industry and music education sector to develop new initiatives that address issues in creative provision for underrepresented young people.
Amplify works with young artists, producers and musicians aged 14-21 to access creative projects, mentors, personal development programmes and performance space, supporting them into careers within the creative industry.
Previously funded projects include Multi-Story Orchestra: Young Creatives, designed to give talented you people aged 16-18 the opportunity to create their own music; Rap Club’s award-winning programme The Spit Game; Girls of Grime’s Big Sister-Circle Project aimed at empowering young women in the industry; and HvH Arts Camden-based Rock-U-Mentory supporting 10 talented young band members aged 14-16.
We are thrilled to be widening the reach of the Amplify programme
Christina Matteotti
Debbi Clark, founder and CEO of HvH Arts, said: "HvH Arts are proud to have been one of the Amplify London recipients for 2024. This grant was instrumental in giving our young people the opportunity to perform live as a 10-piece band – The Crimson – playing at Wilderness Festival, Camden Inspire, HvH Festival, The Scoop and Coram’s Fields Fireworks Event. Their confidence has soared to such a level that we will be applying to Glastonbury and Latitude Festivals next year as well as entering the music documentary Rock U Mentory into film festivals in January 2025.”
Funding will be available in Liverpool from March 2025, for projects that support young people in pathways towards creative careers. Up to £6,000 in grant funding will be available for five organisations within the Liverpool City Region.
Kevin McManus, head of UNESCO City of Music Liverpool, supporting the launch of this project in the region, said: "Liverpool has long been celebrated as a UNESCO City of Music, with a rich heritage and thriving contemporary music scene that continues to inspire the world and we are very much looking forward to the London Music Fund’s Amplify programme extending its reach to Liverpool in 2025. This grant funding will provide invaluable support to local organisations and young people, helping to nurture the next generation of musical talent and ensure that music remains at the heart of our city’s culture and community."
Christina Matteotti, head of music partnerships at Google (EMEA), said: “We are thrilled to be widening the reach of the Amplify programme, which has already had a significant impact on grassroots organisations across London, to a city with such a fantastic musical heritage as Liverpool. YouTube is committed to increasing access to career pathways in the creative industries for young people from under-represented backgrounds, and we know that previous participants in Amplify programmes are already making strides in their careers, thanks to opportunities provided by this important funding programme.”
Organisations providing musical training or development opportunities in the Liverpool City Region, aged 14-21 who face barriers in their music-making and need support to take their skills to the next level, can now apply for a grant of up to £6,000 towards projects starting from June 2025 onwards.
An in-person launch event will be taking place on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. To find out more, contact: AmplifyLIV@londonmusicfund.org.
