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Youth Music launches £2.4 million racial equity fund
Howard Lake | 8 November 2026 | News
Youth Music has launched a £2.4 million fund to tackle racial inequity in the arts, offering grants of up to £120,000 over four years to grassroots organisations working creatively with young people across England. Applications close on 4 December 2026.
Flexible core funding for organisations led by communities experiencing racial injustice
The Recharge Fund: Racial Equity in the Arts is aimed at organisations led by and for communities experiencing racial injustice that work creatively with children and young people in England. It is funded by the National Lottery via Arts Council England, and supports a range of art forms, not only music.
Around 20 organisations are expected to receive grants of up to £120,000 each over four years. The money is flexible core funding, which Youth Music says could be spent on leadership development, governance, staff wellbeing, fundraising, strategic planning, digital infrastructure, workforce development and other essential running costs.
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Supported organisations will also come together as a cohort to share experiences and build long-term resilience. Youth Music says the fund is designed to reduce the time organisations spend chasing short-term funding, at a time of rising costs and growing demand.
The evidence behind the fund
Youth Music cites research from the Pathway Fund’s Funding Justice report, which found that 76% of Black and ethnically minoritised-led organisations surveyed believed they had been refused funding because of their race or ethnicity. It also points to Creative UK’s State of the Creative Industries 2025, which found that people from ethnic minority backgrounds make up 15.9% of the UK workforce but hold 9.8% of management and director-level roles across the cultural sector.
Its own Born into Music, Locked out of Power research found that 36% of 18 to 25-year-olds from Global Majority backgrounds can see a future career in music, but are almost half as likely as their white peers to see themselves represented in music industry leadership.
Youth Music CEO Adam Joolia said:
“Core funding can be transformational for small organisations but is like gold dust to secure. Which is why I’m hugely excited to be launching the Recharge Fund: Racial Equity, and investing in brilliant organisations reaching young people across the country.”
How to apply
Applications opened on 16 October and close on 4 December 2026, through a one-stage application process. Applicants can access workshops, webinars, one-to-one guidance, access support and application access funding. Full details are available from Youth Music.
Youth Music is a national charity that raises around £10 million a year to fund grassroots music projects for marginalised young people. It is funded by the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of the Postcode Lottery, and partners, fundraisers and donors.
- New £2.25 million fund for disabled young people to help equalise access to arts (5 September 2025)
- £45 million Plan for Music announced by DCMS (14 July 2026)
- Charities invited to take part in 12-month anti-racism & race equity programme (15 April 2024)
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.