Copyright manchestereveningnews
Manchester City Council is appealing for music venues across the city to apply for a grant. The council's £245,000 discretionary fund aims to support the city’s Grassroots Music Venues, and is now open for applications - with payments due to reach successful venues by the end of January 2026. It comes after reductions to the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief Scheme, and is designed to ease the financial pressure caused by Manchester’s grassroots music venues transitioning to the new business rates tariffs. The move is a direct response to one of the key recommendations within the forthcoming Music in the City report, commissioned by Manchester Music City. Manchester City Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said : "We understand the importance of smaller venues, the stages where talent is nurtured and the city's music begins. We also know that across the country, grassroots venues are struggling. "That's why in Manchester we're taking action to ensure that real support reaches our venues quickly. This swift delivery is virtually unheard of in the sector but we are determined to innovate." She continued: "Big gigs may hog the headlines, but we are pleased that, with the support of the Music Venues Trust, we've found a way to help their success support the grassroots venues which help launch acts and are an essential part of the ecosystem." Delivered in partnership with national charity Music Venue Trust (MVT) who, alongside national advocacy, are urging local councils to take action, the fund represents a rapid, targeted intervention to protect the small venues that make Manchester’s music culture world-renowned. The council has explained it is not a Business Rates Relief scheme but a discretionary grant designed to offset the impact of the national business rates changes. The fund recognises and highlights the vital contribution that grassroots music venues make to Manchester’s economy and to its identity as one of the world’s leading music cities. Jay Taylor, England Coordinator at Music Venue Trust, said, “Identifying the challenges facing UK Grassroots Music Venues and then bringing about meaningful solutions is central to the work of Music Venue Trust, so it’s incredibly gratifying to be part of such a focussed and impactful project from Leader of the Council, Councillor Bev Craig, and Manchester City Council. "It’s equally rewarding to see recommendations from the forthcoming Music in the City Report already manifesting as tangible support for music venues. It’s dynamic interventions like this that cement Manchester as a truly progressive global music city, and a model for other regions.” Music Venue Trust, the UK charity which represents hundreds of grassroots music venues, has consistently highlighted the financial strain caused by changes to the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Rates Relief Scheme - reduced from 75% in 2024/25 to 40% in 2025/26 - and the need for innovative local solutions. Kate Lowes, Director, Brighter Sound (sector lead Manchester Music City), said: "Our recent research, delivered by the hub, highlighted that business rates relief is one of the sector’s most pressing concerns. "It’s therefore fantastic to see Manchester City Council providing this vital funding, with Music Venue Trust administering the grant to ensure support reaches those venues most in need. "This kind of evidence-led, collaborative action is exactly what’s needed to strengthen Manchester’s live music ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to work with the Council and partners across the city to ensure that music and creativity can thrive at every level.” Grant applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are a live music location in the city of Manchester; that they have a dedicated live music or performance space; that they put on live music at least three times per week or consistently feature it as part of a wider cultural programme, and that they have an organizational focus on music with other services (alcohol, food, merchandise) being subsidiary or dependent on music activity. The size of grant awards will be based on an individual venue’s business rates liabilities with the maximum amount that can be applied for being 35% of its 2025/26 business rates liability or £20k. Applications for funding will open via the Music Venue Trust website on Tuesday 28th October and will close on Friday 28th November with applicants notified of outcomes by Friday 19th December. Payment information will then be provided to successful applicants and payments made by Saturday 31st January 2026. The application form with full details can be found here
