Music Venue Trust launches new grant scheme for small venues

The UK’s Music Venue Trust (MVT) has launched a new grant scheme for small venues.

Unveiled earlier this week (19th October), the Pipeline Investment Fund will offer grants of up to £5,000 to grassroots venues across the UK. These grants are intended to help with small-scale projects that enhance venues such as lighting, ventilation, sound, staff training, and diversity initiatives.

Funding is open to all venue operators and organisations that comply with any of the three definitions of a grassroots music space, which can be found on the MVT website.

The launch has been funded by ticket sales from the Revive Live programme, presented by MVT in partnership with The National Lottery.

“We have been working on music industry-based funding support for Grassroots Music Venues since 2018. The launch of the Pipeline Investment Fund is an important indication of how the grassroots sector supports and nurtures each other, says Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd.

He continues: “It provides a targeted opportunity for individuals, companies and organisations right across the industry to get involved and provide direct and meaningful financial assistance to the venues which support artists to launch and build their careers. We hope that the industry will see this as a real chance to make a genuine difference.”

Find out more about the Pipeline Investment Fund and how to apply here.

As we reported in June, soaring inflation amid the UK’s cost of living crisis is having a significant impact on the UK’s nightlife industry. Seeking the views of around 200 nightlife businesses in the UK, research from the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) concluded that almost half are “unsure” of whether they will still be business beyond the next year, while more than half of the surveyed businesses reported a 30% increase in operating costs compared to pre-pandemic levels.