Photo Credit: Taís 🇧🇷
UK music charity Youth Music has opened applications for a new £2.4 million funding programme aimed at addressing racial inequality across the creative industries. The Recharge Fund: Racial Equity will support organisations led by and for communities experiencing racial injustice, providing grants of up to £120,000 over four years.
Funded by the National Lottery via Arts Council England, the scheme will support around 20 English organisations working creatively with young people. Spanning various art forms, it provides flexible core funding for urgent needs rather than limiting grants to specific projects.
The initiative addresses systemic inequalities highlighted by Youth Music research, where 76% of surveyed Black and ethnically minoritised-led groups felt race or ethnicity caused prior funding rejections. Additionally, Creative UK’s 2025 report shows ethnic minorities hold 15.9% of cultural workforce roles but only 9.8% of management positions.
Youth Music’s Born into Music, Locked out of Power research found that while 36% of Black and Global Majority youth (aged 18–25) envision a music career, they are nearly half as likely as white peers to see themselves in industry leadership. The new fund aims to address this representation gap by supporting community-led organisations. CEO Adam Joolia noted that core funding is transformational yet rare for small groups. Alongside grants, the programme provides workshops, webinars, application support, and one-to-one guidance.
Applications for the Recharge Fund: Racial Equity opened on October 16 and close on December 4, 2026, at 5pm GMT. Funding decisions are expected by the end of March 2027, with supported programmes scheduled to begin between June and September 2027. Eligible organisations can find application details and guidance through the official Youth Music website.
