External Funding Opportunities
If you’re looking for funding to support your studies, you may be able to apply to a range of charitable trusts, foundations and other organisations that can help.
The level of financial support available varies between organisations, and it is common for students to apply to several to meet their funding needs. Many organisations have fixed application deadlines, often well in advance of the academic year they relate to. For this reason, you should begin researching and applying for funding as early as possible.
Whilst some organisations award funds directly to students, others provide helpful information on money management and fundraising.
If you would like any more help or information please contact the Senior Student Funding Officer at studentfundingofficer@gsmd.ac.uk
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Tips and Guidelines
Searching for Funding
When you start looking for external funding opportunities it can be useful to think about your unique personal, academic and creative background so you can focus your search. There are helpful directories and fundraising guides you can give you ides on raising funds.
Thinking about the following questions may help focus your search for funding.
What distinguishes you from others? For example, any personal characteristics such as your nationality and demographic background.
What course will you be studying? You should also consider your principal study or pathway.
How much money do you need to raise to fund your studies? This is usually the difference between what you have in savings and any loans, and the total amount you need.
Smaller organisations often have specific criteria such as funding musicians who are from a particular part of the world or an under represented group in that sector. This should not dissuade you from applying for a wide range of funding opportunities, but should hopefully inspire you to broaden your scope of what is possible.
Books and websites
Your local library. This will have local information as well as useful books, including some of the ones mentioned below.
The Directory of Social Change (DSC) - Provides a comprehensive range of fundraising guides.
Sponsorship & Funding Directory - Book published by Hobsons.
Sponsorship and Donations Year Book - Book published by Hollis.
National publications about studying abroad - For example, Study Abroad published by UNESCO.
The Grants Register - Published by Palgrave Macmillan.
The British Council - Provides international students with a wide range of information on studying in the UK.
Fundsnet Services - Contains information on fundraising for US students.
Brightside - Provides resources to young people thinking about the future education, training and careers.
Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) - A UK based umbrella body for benevolent funds and charitable organisations that provide financial and wellbeing services to individuals.
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland - A faith based directory of general support that may be helpful to some students.
Turn2Us - A UK based organisation provides support with financial wellbeing and includes a directory of grants.
Other contacts
Your teachers, school/university tutors and careers advisors are a valuable network who may have helped other students raise funds and could have ideas and contacts.
Local Education Authorities – Ask for advice and refer to local authority websites which may list charitable trusts established to benefit people from your area.
Resources at Guildhall School
Guildhall School subscribes to the resources below which support student's financial wellbeing and provide ideas for funding opportunities.
Guildhall has partnered with BlackBullion which is a financial wellbeing platform and also has a large database of scholarships that can be sorted according to subject, level of study and much more.
It is a free service that Guildhall students can sign up to by visiting their website.
The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding is a database that is available to successful offer holders and students at Guildhall School.
It comprises details of charities and organisations that other postgraduate students have found in their fundraising journey. In addition to listing organisations and charities the site also offers useful guidelines and tips on how to secure funding.
To get access to the database offer holders and students should contact the Senior Student Funding Officer at studentfundingofficer@gsmd.ac.uk
Available to all Students
The links listed below are examples of external awards/competitions that Guildhall School students have applied to in the past. Each funding opportunity will have specific criteria. Make sure you read through the criteria on the websites and contact the external funder for more information.
Arts Council England: Developing Your Creative Practice Fund
Il Circolo - Italian Cultural Association
IvyPanda Annual Video Contest Scholarship
Oppenheim-John Downes Memorial Trust
The Black Heart Scholars Programme
The Gilchrist Educational Trust
The Society for Theatre Research Awards
Drama and Production Arts
The links below are examples of external awards that are specifically for Acting and Production Arts students. Each award will have their own specific criteria and application process so please check the information on the websites carefully.
Music
The links below are examples of external awards that are specifically for Music students. Many of these awards/competitions are for students studying a specific instrument or discipline so make sure to contact the organisation directly.
5th Tokyo International Viola Competition – Held every three years.
Bucharest International Jazz Competition
Domingo's Operalia, The World Opera Competition
Drake Calleja Trust Scholarship
Eric Thompson Trust for Organists
European Piano Competition Bremen – Held every two years.
International Vocal Competition (IVC)
Pierre Fournier Award – International Cello Competition.
The Concours International Symphonies D’Automne Mâcon - International voice and French art song competition.
The Geneva International Music Competition
International Young Musicians Platform
Philharmonia Instrumental Fellowship Programme
The Countess of Munster Music Trust
The Honens International Piano Competition
The Michael Hill International Violin Competition
The Mirjam Helin International Singing Competition
The Royal Philharmonic Society
Yamaha Music Europe Foundation (YMEF)
Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition at Mayfield Festival
Musical Instruments Rental
In addition to funding your studies there are organisations out there which can help you with finding instruments. The links below are some examples and provide further information.
Abbado European Young Musicians Trust – Assistance (usually interest free loans) for young musicians to help buy suitable instruments, mainly strings, woodwind and brass.
BENSLOWMUSIC – The organization loans out instruments as well as offering guidance on further support and funding.
Cherubim’s Fine Instrument Loan
The Loan Fund for Musical Instruments
The EMI Music Sound Foundation
Location Based
Some external funding will have criteria such as being from a particular part of the UK or being a national of a particular country. The links below are examples of this type of external funding. For a full list of application deadlines and criteria please visit the links below.
Alderman Newton’s Educational Foundation - Open to UK students under the age of 25 who live or whose parents live in the Diocese of Leicester.
Anglo-Danish Society Scholarships – These are for postgraduate study for students with Danish nationality (+Danish undergraduate degree) to study in the UK, or for students with UK nationality (+ a UK undergraduate degree) to study in Denmark.
BritishSpanishSociety - Open to United Kingdom or Spanish Nationals who are or will be engaged in university studies at postgraduate level that have some connection with bilateral links and relationships between the United Kingdom and Spain in any field of academic interest.
Coro Nuovo Young Musicians Bursary - The bursary is intended for a young musician or musicians in the age range 18 to 26 with a Sussex connection, to help with their musical studies.
Essex Young Musicians Trust (EYMT) - Provides bursaries for members of the Essex Youth Orchestras who live in Essex, who qualify for their financial help towards the cost of their Post Graduate tuition fees. For more information email grants@essexcf.org.uk.
The James Pantyfedwen Foundation - Applications can only be considered for Welsh students taking postgraduate study.
Radford Trust – Applicants must be resident in Cornwall.
The Ryan Davies Memorial Fund - Applications are invited from young Welsh artists in the Performing Arts for grant assistance. For further details and application form contact: Blod Jones, Ysgrifennydd y Gronfa/Fund Secretary blod@blodjonespr.co.uk.
The Norfolk Youth Music Trust - Applications are accepted from musicians up to the age of 25 whose home remains in Norfolk, although they may be undergoing their music studies elsewhere.
Ashley, Churchill & Thorner Educational Trust - Assists young people around Dorchester and Crossways in Dorset.
Billericay Educational Trust - The Foundation is an Education Charity operating in the Billericay area which aims to give financial assistance to school children and young persons under the age 25 years and residing within a six mile radius of Billericay.
Hervey Benham Charitable Trust - The Trust supports individuals from the area of Colchester and North East Essex with potential artistic (especially musical) talent who are held back by physical, environmental or financial disability.
St Olave’s Foundation Fund – Offers support for students under 25 who have lived in the London Borough of Southwark for at least 2 years prior to the start of their course.
The Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund (CCSF) - Provides awards ranging from £2,000 to £5,000 to Canadian students studying for full-time multi-year graduate programmes in the UK.
Tower Hamlets and Canary Wharf Further Education Trust – For undergraduates, not eligible for Statutory Student Finance (fees and loan) from a source such as Student Finance England, and for Postgraduate courses, conferring a vocational qualification. Must have lived in Tower Hamlets and have been resident in the borough for 3 years.
The Glasgow Educational & Marshall Trust - Provides funding for the people of Glasgow to advance their academic or vocational qualifications, whatever age or stage.
The Scottish International Education Trust – The Trust welcomes individual applications especially from Scotland who wish to study at postgraduate level.
McGlashan Charitable Trust – Applicants must be either studying, working or have been born in Scotland.
Cross Trust - Provides grants to students of Scottish descent.
Edmonds & Cole Scholarships - People under the age of 25 who live in the ancient parishes of Henbury, Westbury-on-Trym or Horfield (Bristol) and have done so for at least three years.
The Stirlingshire Educational Trust – Offers grants for those born in Stirlingshire or who have lived there for at least 5 consecutive years.
Derwar Arts Awards - To be considered for a Dewar Arts Award, an applicant must: be under the age of 30; live or work in Scotland; demonstrate outstanding talent in any artform; and be without the financial means to achieve their full potential.
The Robert Peel Foundation/Taliaris School Charity - The Trustees will consider applications for awards from persons under the age of 25 years who are at the time of application resident in the ancient parish of Llandeilo Fawr and have been so for a minimum of two years.
The Thomas and Elizabeth Williams Scholarship – Postgraduate students who have been resident within the Carmarthenshire for at least two years during the ten years immediately preceding the date of application.
The Carmarthenshire Intermediate and Technical Educational Fund – For pupils who have attended the following schools for not less than two years: Queen Elizabeth High School, Queen Elizabeth Cambria Comprehensive School, Queen Elizabeth Maridunum Comprehensive School and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Myrddin.
Yorkshire Ladies’ Council of Education – Offers grants of up to £400 to support fees for British women of 21 years of age or over. It provides small awards to help British women who do not qualify for support from Student Finance. However, women who are eligible for a Postgraduate Loan may apply.
Miscellaneous
Some organisations offer funding for travel or putting on shows.
The LET Award - Administered by Les Enfant Terribles, this award provides professional and financial support to new theatre companies to present their work at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Further Reading
There are many useful websites like the ones listed below which have compiled external sources of funding. Follow the links below for more information.
