Performing Right Society Foundation grants
Performing Right Society Foundation funds new music through several separate schemes, usually contributing to part of a project budget rather than the whole cost.
Guidance last checked 16 July 2026· from the funder’s own website
Overview
PRS Foundation, registered as the Performing Right Society Foundation, funds new music and gives to both organisations and individuals. It runs a number of separate schemes, each with its own criteria and deadlines, and you can apply for a maximum of 3 different schemes per calendar year. Because of the size of its grants, it usually expects to make a contribution to an overall budget rather than supporting the whole project. Individual schemes usually set a minimum requirement for non-PRS Foundation support of between 10% and 25%, so line up other funders first. In most cases the musicians, producers and studio must be UK-based, and you are not eligible if you are a member of another performing rights society. Competition is real: it says that in The Open Fund approximately 10% of applications are successful.
What they fund
The Charity Commission register records this charity under arts, culture, heritage and science. Its objects are specific to music.
Who and where
The register records that it works across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Its own guidance says that in most cases the musicians, producers and studio must be UK-based for all funding schemes.
Who they help
Where they fund
What Performing Right Society Foundation says in its own guidance
Quoted directly from the funder’s own website, with a link to the page each quote came from. Always the most current word is theirs — check the source before you apply.
Who they say they'll fund
“because of the competitive nature of programmes, we would expect that a music creator applicant has a track record of creating or performing of over 18 months.”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
“In most cases, the musician(s) and producer(s) and studio must be UK-based for all funding schemes.”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
“However, you are not eligible if you are a member of another performing rights society”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
“Please check the criteria of individual schemes to see if there is a minimum requirement for non-PRS Foundation support (usually between 10% and 25%).”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
What they say they won't fund
“We cannot support core organisational costs, salary costs or living costs.”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
Deadlines they mention
“Next Deadline: 18 March 2026”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Deadlines - PRS for Music Foundation →
How they say to apply
“in The Open Fund approximately 10% of applications are successful.”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
“you can ask for administration costs of up to 15% of the requested amount”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
“No. In view of the size of our grants, we usually expect to make a contribution to an overall budget rather than supporting the whole project.”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
“You can apply for a maximum of 3 different schemes per calendar year.”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Maximum applications per year - PRS for Music Foundation →
“All PRS Foundation applications are completed online unless otherwise stated”
Source: prsfoundation.com — Guidance & FAQs - PRS for Music Foundation →
Their charitable objects
As registered with the Charity Commission (their formal purposes):
The advancement of the education of the public in music and the appreciation of music by such means as the trustees decide including:-(1) the provision of financial assistance to composers and songwriters, particularly those resident in the united kingdom with a view to encouraging the composition and performance of…
How to approach them
Start with the official sources — they’re always more current than any directory, including this one.
Common questions
How much does PRS Foundation give?
We do not have sourced grant sizes for this funder, so we cannot give a figure or a range here. For scale, its most recent Charity Commission return records £1,932,520 in grants to organisations and £1,641,252 in grants to individuals. It usually expects to make a contribution to an overall budget rather than supporting the whole project. You can ask for administration costs of up to 15% of the requested amount.
What does PRS Foundation fund?
Its objects are the advancement of the education of the public in music and the appreciation of music. That includes financial assistance to composers and songwriters, particularly those resident in the UK, to encourage the composition and performance of new music. It also covers education and training for practitioners of music. A third strand is the promotion of public performance through concerts, recitals, festivals, competitions, seminars and training courses.
Who can apply?
In most cases the musician or musicians, producer or producers and studio must be UK-based for all funding schemes. You are not eligible if you are a member of another performing rights society. Because its programmes are competitive, it would expect a music creator applicant to have a track record of creating or performing of over 18 months.
What won't PRS Foundation fund?
It cannot support core organisational costs, salary costs or living costs. It also usually expects to fund part of a budget rather than a whole project. Individual schemes usually require between 10% and 25% of support from sources other than PRS Foundation.
How do I apply?
All PRS Foundation applications are completed online unless otherwise stated, and you can apply for a maximum of 3 different schemes per calendar year. Each scheme has its own deadline, published on its deadlines page. Check the funder's own website (www.prsfoundation.com) and its Charity Commission entry (charity number 1080837) for current deadlines and guidance, as processes can change.
Is your charity a fit for Performing Right Society Foundation?
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Contains public sector information from the Charity Commission for England and Wales licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, and grants data from 360Giving used under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Figures are derived (filtered and summarised by TrusteeMeetings), not republished unchanged. About the data · Terms of use. This page is a starting point for your own research, not a promise of funding, and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Performing Right Society Foundation.