PRS Foundation is the UK music industry's primary grant-giving body, but most artists only know about Women Make Music. The Foundation runs multiple programmes covering international showcasing, emerging artist development, touring support, and specialist funds for underrepresented communities. This is the complete picture.
PRS Foundation vs PRS for Music: the critical distinction
PRS Foundation and PRS for Music are separate organisations. PRS for Music is the collection society that manages copyright licensing and distributes royalties to songwriters, composers, and publishers. PRS Foundation is an independent charity funded by PRS for Music and other music industry donors that awards grants to UK music creators and industry professionals. Joining PRS for Music does not give you access to PRS Foundation grants, and PRS Foundation grants are not royalty distributions. The Foundation's grants are competitive awards for specific projects — you apply, meet eligibility criteria, and go through an assessment process.
The Open Fund for Individuals
The Open Fund is PRS Foundation's primary grant programme for individual UK music creators. It funds projects that develop a career in new and creative directions. Grants typically range from £1,000 to £10,000 and cover specific project costs: recording, touring, professional development, and international activity. Eligibility requires that the applicant is a UK-based professional music creator (songwriter, composer, performer, or producer) and that the project has a specific development goal. The Open Fund runs in multiple rounds per year. Unlike some other funds, it is open to all genres and career stages, though competition is significant and proposals must demonstrate clear artistic merit and career development rationale.
The Momentum Music Fund (with Help Musicians)
The Momentum Music Fund is a joint programme between PRS Foundation and Help Musicians. It is designed for UK artists who have established a track record and are at a critical point where funding could accelerate their career to the next level. Grants of up to £15,000 are available for projects including recording, touring, marketing, and team development. Momentum is selective — applications must demonstrate that the artist has an existing fanbase, commercial traction, and a clear plan for how the funding will accelerate specific career outcomes. It is one of the more commercially-minded funds in the PRS Foundation portfolio.
The International Showcase Fund
The International Showcase Fund supports UK artists to perform at international music industry events — showcases, conferences, and festivals where industry professionals attend specifically to discover new talent. Events supported include SXSW (Austin, Texas), MIDEM (Cannes), Reeperbahn (Hamburg), WOMEX, and equivalent events across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. Funding covers travel, accommodation, and event costs. The fund is specifically for showcase events rather than general touring, and applicants must demonstrate that the event has industry attendance relevant to their career goals.
Women Make Music
Women Make Music is PRS Foundation's best-known programme — and one of the longest-running gender-specific music development funds in the UK. It funds projects led by women and gender-diverse individuals across all aspects of music creation. The fund is open to artists, composers, songwriters, and producers. Projects can include recording, live work, international development, and professional training. Women Make Music has a strong track record of supporting artists who go on to significant careers. Applications are reviewed by a panel with gender expertise. The programme has run continuously since 2012 and is one of the models for gender equity funding in the music sector internationally.
The Tom Searle Composer Award
The Tom Searle Composer Award is PRS Foundation's specialist award for UK-based composers working in contemporary art music, experimental, and new music genres. It commemorates Tom Searle, guitarist of Architects, who was also a passionate advocate for contemporary composition. The award supports a single exceptional composer each year with a substantial grant and professional development support. It is specifically for composers in non-commercial genres — pop and commercial music creators are not the target audience for this award.
Help Musicians UK and Arts Council England: adjacent funding
Two adjacent funders operate programmes that music creators regularly apply to alongside PRS Foundation grants:
- Help Musicians UK: a charity providing emergency and development funding to professional musicians. Its programmes include the Momentum Music Fund (in partnership with PRS Foundation), the Artist Welfare Fund for musicians in financial difficulty, and various specialist programmes for health and wellbeing. See helpmusicians.org.uk.
- Arts Council England: the primary public arts funder in England, operating the National Lottery Project Grants programme which funds creative projects including music. Music creators can apply for grants from £1,000 to £100,000 for projects with artistic and public benefit. Arts Council grants are separate from PRS Foundation and have a different eligibility framework — they are publicly funded rather than music-industry funded.
Tips for a successful PRS Foundation application
From the Foundation's own guidance and observation of successful applications:
- Read the fund criteria carefully before applying — each fund has specific eligibility requirements that are assessed at the sift stage. Applying to the wrong fund wastes your time and the panel's.
- Be specific about budget: vague budget proposals are a common rejection reason. Provide a line-by-line budget with justified amounts for each cost.
- Demonstrate what you have already built: PRS Foundation grants are for artists who already have a foundation to build on, not for artists at the very start of their career. Evidence of existing audience, releases, or professional relationships strengthens your application.
- Explain the counterfactual: make clear what would not happen without the grant. The panel wants to understand that the grant is genuinely enabling something, not supplementing something that would happen anyway.
- Get feedback on unsuccessful applications: PRS Foundation provides feedback to unsuccessful applicants on request. Use it to improve your next application.
Code Group Music does not administer PRS Foundation grants, but understanding your publishing setup is essential context for any grant application — funders often ask about your income structure and rights administration as part of evaluating viability. Our free catalog assessment gives you a clear picture of your current royalty setup. Start at codegroupmusic.co.uk/#catalog-assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a PRS member to apply for PRS Foundation grants?
PRS Foundation grants are primarily available to UK-based professional music creators. PRS Foundation and PRS for Music are separate organisations. PRS Foundation does not require PRS membership as a formal condition in all cases, but being a PRS member signals professional standing and is practically beneficial for any music creator applying for development funding.
Can I apply for multiple PRS Foundation funds at the same time?
PRS Foundation's guidance on simultaneous applications varies by programme. Check the current terms for each fund before applying. Generally, applying for multiple rounds of the same fund or for overlapping projects may be questioned at assessment.
What is the success rate for PRS Foundation Open Fund applications?
PRS Foundation does not publish exact success rates, but the Open Fund is significantly oversubscribed. Success rates are typically under 20% in competitive rounds. Specificity, realism, and evidence of existing professional activity are the most consistently cited factors in successful applications.
Can labels apply to PRS Foundation, or only individual artists?
Most PRS Foundation programmes are designed for individual music creators. Some programmes have eligibility for organisations or ensembles. The Open Fund is specifically for individual UK music creators. Check each programme's eligibility criteria — some have changed over time.
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