FUNDING SOURCES for MUSIC BUSINESSES
North East Top of Page
	Tyne & Wear
	For those of you who live on Tyneside Another fund to approach could be the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund. Sammy Johnson was the actor best known for played "Stick" in Spender. After his death in 1998 some of his friend including Tim Healy, Jimmy Nail and Ray Stubbs, set about creating the fund in his memory to "support creative talent on Tyneside". To apply you must be 16 years or over and live on Tyneside. Music is just one of the creative areas considered by the fund that grants up to £1 000. An assessment panel sits every six months with applications deadlines of 31st March and 30th September each year. For further details contact the Community Foundation on 0191 - 222 0945. For those of you who do not live on Tyneside there may be a "cultural" fund near you that could help. Ask your MIC next time you meet.
	Looking for Business Support? If you live in Tyne & Wear, a quick way to find out who offers what support to help you go self-employed is on Business Link Tyne & Wear's (BLTW) www.startconnecting.com website. Search the database by locality, type of support (grants, advice, premises) or area of specialism. BLTW hope it will become a first point-of-contact to signpost individuals and businesses toward the right organisations that can help them.
	Region Wide
	"Cultural Business" Grants Northern Art's Cultural Business Venture (CBV) grant is design specifically to help the "cultural" sector. It was first launched in 1999 and the current CBV programme is now due to finish at the end of March 2002. Grants are available for "creative" individuals working in the "cultural" sector (music being a key "cultural" industry). Though it is unlikely to fund arts activities or creative development (performances, songwriting, recording), it will support other business essentials like computers, promotional costs and possibly equipment. Available for both new and existing businesses, the CBV can grant between £1 000 - £10 000 at up to 75% of costs (e.g. if a computer costs £2 000, CBV will grant £1 500) - the other 25% coming from your own pocket or another source. Business plans are required and other rule applies. For details, send a S.A.E. to: Cultural Business Venture, Northern Arts, Central Square, Forth Street Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3PJ.
	Generator are involved in a fund called Breaking Boarders which has been set up specifically to help performers of "new music" go on tour. The scheme is administered by Generator on behalf of three Regional Arts Boards (RABs): Northern Arts, Yorkshire Arts and North West Arts. Tours should cover at least 2 RAB areas which, for North East applicants, could be Northern Arts and say Yorkshire Arts. However, with the catchment covering an area from the Scottish boarders in the north to a line below Liverpool in the west and north Lincolnshire in the east, the scheme offers a great opportunity to play in some major centres. In addition to the entire North East, just some of the cities covered include: Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Hull and York. Grants of up to £3 000 are available to cover marketing, travel and accommodation costs. However, it is a "gap" fund which means it only covers your losses! So if you get paid for a gig, the income is first deducted from the overall tour costs. It is also an "arts" scheme so it may support more "unusual" musics than main stream rock or pop. However, one of our ND musicians found that their creative visual show which is part of their live performance helped their application - more on this in the next issue of MusicNet News! For details on Breaking Boards, contact Jim Mawdsley @ Generator on: 0191 - 245 0099 or check out their website @ www.generator.org.uk.
National Top of Page
	The Prince’s Trust support young people aged between 18-30 years old and can help ND musicians in a variety of ways. They have funds to support the purchase of equipment, to help you research your music market and to help you start trading in the music business. Support comes in the form of grants and "soft" loans that can be for several thousand pounds for those starting a business. They are a "last resort" funding organisation which means they may fund ideas that other traditional bodies (like the banks) have rejected, usually due to the risk or lack of a track record. As we all know, music is a very risky businesses to get into because factors like "taste" and "trends" have such a big influence. For details on the Prince’s Trust, either call: Tyneside 0191 - 420 3940, Teesside 01642 - 245 400 or Freephone 0800 - 842 842 and ask for your nearest contact. Alternatively more information can be found on their website @ www.princes-trust.org.uk.
	Does your band have transport problems? If so the Countryside Agency who run the Rural Transport Partnership may be able to help by funding up to 75% of vehicle costs. Their aim is to help people in rural areas gain access to work, leisure and social activities. When we asked them if it might support bands needing vans, they said yes! - a band is a business after all that must travel for live work. You will need a business plan (your MIC can help). For details call Dinah Jackson on 0191 - 269 1600 or call MIDI.