New Northern: A Promoter Bursary to Support Live Emerging Talent

Jazz North launches New Northern: a bursary scheme for promoters to programme emerging northern jazz artists

Jazz North is launching a new subsidised programme that offers up to £500 to jazz promoters, venues and programmers (voluntary or professional) living and working in the north of England to further support their work in programming emerging jazz artists from the north.  

These funds can be spent on programming and associated costs for artist fees, travel, accommodation, production costs or marketing etc. to help programmers develop emerging jazz artists as part of their ongoing programme.

By ‘emerging artists’, we mean artists that:  

• Haven’t yet completed a substantial tour of more than 3 dates

• Haven’t performed at a major festival 

• Haven’t performed a headline show yet 

• Haven’t performed outside their home city yet 

• Are likely to have been in existence for between 6 and 18 months 

The choice of artists is up to the programmer applying, although certain criteria will apply::

• Everyone in the band must be over 18 

• The bandleader and at least 51% of the band members must be based in the North 

All programmers are eligible to apply: voluntary or professional, small clubs, festivals or venues,and any type of constituted body: sole traders, partnerships, unincorporated associations, charities, limited companies. NPOs are eligible to apply but must demonstrate how this activity is in addition to their existing funded programme of work.   

Our priorities for the scheme 

We would like applicants to improve or increase the presence in their programmes of identified protected characteristics, especially those that are identified as under-represented in jazz. These characteristics include age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or socio-economic background. 

We are especially keen to support activity that:

•  helps increase cultural diversity across programmes

• champions artists living or working outside of the major northern cities

• features artists who have not progressed through formal education routes.

Jazz North’s support for Emerging Artists 

Artists programmed through this support scheme will be supplied with Jazz North’s ‘Emerging Artist’s Digital Handbook – A Toolkit for Building Your Career in Jazz.’

Additionally, artists will be required to attend one or both of the following sessions on zoom: 

Tuesday 19th September at 4pm: Jazz North Emerging Artists Forum 

Monday 11th March at 2pm: Jazz North Artist Workshop – Emerging Artists’ Toolkit 

Please ensure the artists you book are able to send at least one band member to one or both of these events. 

Applying for the scheme

This is a competitive scheme and available funds are limited. We will issue 10 bursaries to promoters across the North. You can apply for up to £500. Applicants must complete a short application form, providing basic details about your work,  the activity you would like us to support and the difference the subsidy will make to your work right now.

If you are successful, you will be asked to contribute to a short written report for Jazz North, celebrating what the fund has enabled you to do.

Activity supported must be completed by 1st April 2024.  

There is no requirement for match funds.

Mandatory Conditions for the Applicant 

• You must be based in the north (see note) 

• You must be working in jazz 

• You must be aged 18 and above

• The activity cannot have already started or begin before our decision on your application is confirmed

NB: for the purpose of this scheme, ‘the north’ refers to the following counties: Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire, County Durham, Northumberland, Tees Valley and Tyne and Wear, Yorkshire and the Humber (North and North East Lincolnshire)

Assessment Criteria

Decisions on your application will be made by the Jazz North team and board according to the criteria below. 

• The positive impact the proposed activity will have on emerging artists in the north 

• The positive impact the proposed activity will have on diversity within your programme

• The extent to which you have been supported by other project grant and regular programme funding over the past year (e.g. Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, HMUK)

Equalities Diversity and inclusion are core values at Jazz North and our priority aim is for this support to reach a diverse range of applicants across NE, NW and Yorkshire. 

Applications are now closed for 23/24. If you’d like to know about any other opportunities please sign up to our mailing list.