LIVE Trust UK Details Grassroots Music Sector Help

The LIVE Trust has published its initial grant making strategy detailing its approach to investing in programs that benefit grassroots venues, artists, promoters, and festivals.

This paper covers the Trust’s planned activities running up to the awarding of the first grants, expected in January 2026. Plans include the distribution of the £1 ticket levy, which the bigger events and tours – performances at venues over 5,000 capacity– have been voluntarily collecting from ticket sales to fund the grassroots music sector.

Back in April, LIVE announced that it had already had over £500,000 ($568,000) pledged in ticket contributions from UK tours of domestic and international artists, including Pulp, Diana Ross, Mumford and Sons, Hans Zimmer, and more.

Pollstar understands that millions of pounds have already been committed from forthcoming arena and stadium shows by major artists and this is the route map showing how that money will help venues, promoters, artists, festivals, and others.

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The LIVE Trust’s grant making strategy builds on principles set out by LIVE when establishing the LIVE Trust and draws on input from trustees, sector bodies, policymakers, and grassroots practitioners from across the UK.

It sets out how the Trust will use the first wave of funds generated from tours building the £1 contribution into performances at venues over 5,000 capacity, which, according to LIVE, is “increasingly the norm for qualifying shows.”

As the LIVE Trust put its in its now published grant making strategy paper, “It is not our intention to create a dependency culture where organizations end up relying
on LIVE Trust funding to exist. Instead, by working with organizations, we will put funds to work on programs that deliver for our promoters, venues, artists and festivals.”

It’s part of the reason the LIVE Trust is not seeking applications from individual venues, artists, promoters, or festivals, but is rather looking to work with “organizations that are best placed to understand and deliver interventions that build resilience and capacity across the grassroots.”

In round one, the LIVE Trust will fund up to six programs. Funded organizations will already exist and have the ability to deliver impactful programs as soon as possible.

Funded programs must meet at least one of the LIVE Trust’s objectives:

• Reduce costs
• Invest in infrastructure
• Support risk-takers
• Provide expert advice and networks
• Nurture emerging talent on and off stage

In phase one, organizations can apply for funding by invitation of the LIVE Trust. The plan is to “put money immediately where it is most needed, addressing the most urgent
challenges the sector is facing; fund high impact work across the sector; develop phase two funding opportunities & long-term strategy; build and test robust internal processes.”

Eligible organizations for phase one must be based in the UK; have a bank account in their organization’s name; have a track record of high-quality program delivery with clear impact; have the structure in place to quickly deliver programmed interventions in their context; be able to provide the a minimum governance documentation that includes proof of incorporation/registration, and equality, diversity & inclusion policy, health & safety policies, and more criteria, which can be inquired about by contacting LIVE.

Phase one will run from October 2025 through to 2026, with phase one grants being awarded in January.

See: Live Trust Welcomes $568K In Ticket Contribution Pledges

Comments:

Kirsty McShannon, chair of the LIVE Trust: “I would like to thank my fellow trustees and the LIVE Trust team for their diligence and professionalism in formulating this strategy. We want the Trust to move with speed and agility while recognising that processes must be robust and transparent. This strategy helps us meet that objective and we look forward to assessing applications from qualifying organisations and programmes.”

LIVE CEO, Jon Collins: “As we have stated from the outset, LIVE Trust will fund programmes that support venues, artists, promoters, and festivals – separately and in combination. It was abundantly clear from our dialogue with stakeholders that the interconnected nature of live music means a programme will often have benefits for more than one sub-sector. We are keen to encourage interventions that, in addition to addressing immediate pressures, will deliver long-term benefits across our four key pillars.”

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