Resources:
Instrument Purchase & Loan Schemes
The Countess of Munster Musical Trust website includes a listing of organisations that fund instrument purchase and/or provide loan schemes.
Take it away
The scheme offers an interest-free loan for the purchase of musical instruments, equipment, software and tuition. You can buy an instrument using the loan scheme at one of the 130 music shops across England and Northern Ireland. For full details see the website.
Universal Music UK Sound Foundation
The Universal Music UK Sound Foundation (previously known as EMI Music Sound Foundation) provides grants up to a total of £1,500 towards the purchase of musical instruments and/or equipment for individuals who are in full time education. Please note that they do not fund retrospectively. To be eligible to apply, you must have been resident in the UK & Eire for a minimum of three years and are either a British citizen or a national of a member state of the European Economic Area, or have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK for an indefinite period or hold a certificate of right of abode in the UK. You are not eligible to make this application if you are present in the UK only for the purpose of education or attending a course of study.
Loan Fund for Musical Instruments
The Loan Scheme is for professional players under the age of 36 who can show that they have sufficient income to be able to repay the Loan. The Grant Scheme is designed to help students and young professional musicians from the beginning of their third year of full-time study until two years after the completion of their full-time course. A Grant will NOT be made for more than one third of the purchase price of any instrument. The maximum Grant is £5,000. Preference is given to British Nationals. Awards are not made in respect of electric or electronically-controlled instruments. Applications must be The next meeting of the Trustees is planned for February 2021 and completed applications must be received by 15 January. Find out more.
The Countess of Munster Musical Trust Awards – Instrument Purchase Loans
The Trust offers interest-free instrument purchase loans to musicians who have received a study award from the Trust in the past and who have completed their studies and are working as professional musicians. Loans are repayable over periods varying from 5 to 12 years, depending on the size of the loan advanced. Closing date for applications: 10 February. Find out more.
The Albert Cooper Music Charitable Trust
The Albert Cooper Music Charitable Trust was founded for the benefit of young persons ‘who play an instrument with the bow’, i.e. violin, viola, cello and double bass. The Charity can provide help towards the purchase of an instrument. Support is provided to students up to about 30 years of age.
The Tom Acton Memorial Trust
The Tom Acton Memorial Trust supports young musicians from Essex aged 25 or under with financial help for instruments, tuition, and other expenses. Applications must be received by 31st May. Auditions will then be held in early July.
The Radford Trust
The Radford Charitable Trust supports musicians from Cornwall by providing grants for tuition, instrument purchase, ensemble and workshop fees as well as travel costs for attendance at college auditions or lessons. They have a stock of good student instruments which they lend free of charge for up to three years. Applications for grants and instruments can be made at any time. The majority of decisions on grant applications are made at the annual meeting of the Trustees in September. Applicants must be resident in Cornwall. In the case of university and post-graduate students, residence up to the age of 18 is acceptable.