The Greater Manchester Grassroots Music Fund

The Greater Manchester Grassroots Music Fund is offering grants of up to £3,000 to help emerging bands and solo artists from any of the ten Greater Manchester boroughs take the next step in their careers, with a focus on supporting live performance opportunities. The fund aims to support artists and bands embarking on a tour that involves a minimum of 2 dates that must include a headline show at a Greater Manchester grassroots venue. Artists and bands must have been formed for a minimum of 12 months and have experience of performing original music as part of their live sets. Funds were raised through an auction of guitars showcased across Manchester during the Music for the Senses Art Trail in summer 2025. The guitars were donated by members of the public and painted by professional artists, while others were contributed and signed by renowned bands and musicians including Oasis, New Order, Elbow, Doves, Busted, The Pixies, Peter Hook, Mani, PINs, and Sea Fever. The Music for the Senses initiative was produced by global art specialists Wild in Art, in collaboration with Manchester City Council. The fund aims to further support the grassroots music ecosystem in Greater Manchester by removing barriers that make it difficult for emerging musicians to tour and perform live. The Fund wants to enable artists to tour who otherwise couldn't afford to, increase live performance experience for artists, strengthen relationships between artists and grassroots venues, increase visibility for emerging artists, and increase audience for grassroots venues. There are 12 awards available in total.