Music Education Grant (MEG) funding for schools
Music Momentum Fund for Schools
The Music Momentum Fund for Schools is a new Devon Music Education Hub grant programme designed to support schools in developing and enhancing high-quality music education opportunities for children and young people across Devon and Torbay. Open to maintained schools and academies, the fund provides grants of up to £500 for individual schools and up to £2,000 for collaborative projects involving two or more schools.
The fund aims to support innovative, sustainable and impactful projects that align with the priorities of the National Plan for Music Education, helping more children and young people to access, participate in and progress through musical learning. Applications may be submitted by individual schools, federations, multi-academy trusts (MATs) or groups of schools, with one organisation acting as the lead applicant.
Projects could include support for Whole Class Ensemble Tuition, opportunities for progression into instrumental or vocal learning, the development of school ensembles, collaborative performances and creative projects, or targeted initiatives that increase participation among pupils facing barriers to engagement.
Funding is limited and applications will be assessed against published criteria, with priority given to projects that demonstrate clear outcomes, strong value for money, sustainability and meaningful benefits for children and young people. Applicants are encouraged to discuss proposals with their Music Development Lead before applying and should ensure that all applications have the full support of senior leaders.
Applications will be considered across two funding rounds during the 2026-27 academic year. Schools successful in Round 1 (application deadline 18 September 2026) will not be eligible to apply again in Round 2 (8 January 2027).
Self-evaluation toolApply for Music Momentum Fund
Instrumental and vocal tuition bursaries for secondary school students
A fixed budget will be set aside each year to subsidise instrumental and vocal tuition for secondary school students in Devon and Torbay. All maintained, academy, free schools and special schools with secondary phase students are eligible to receive this funding.
The amount that each school will receive will be a pro rata allocation calculated on the number of secondary phase students on role who were eligible for free school meals the previous academic year. The head of music or headteacher can use their own discretion on which students are subsidised and by how much. Generally this would be for students eligible for free school meals, however this does not always have to be the case, for example a particularly talented student, not eligible for FSM, for whom instrumental or vocal lessons would have a significant impact in their future but financial means are a barrier.
The school must make a return to the Hub at the end of each academic year showing:
- the individual students who were subsidised (anonymised by listing as a number or a letter)
- the instrument learnt
- total cost of lessons
- amount of subsidy
- name of Visiting Music Teacher (VMT) who delivered the lessons
Your local Music Development Lead may quality assure the process through a brief visit or conversation during the academic year.
The overall impact and effectiveness of the scheme will be assessed over a three-year period. This assessment will include a yearly comparison, including pre-pandemic years, based on the proportion of students on role receiving instrumental or vocal tuition and the proportion of those students who are of lower economic means.
Applications are made by half term for that term’s tuition.