The Power of Music Fund How does it work?
- The Power of Music Fund will be accepting applications until 22 December 2023. Dementia choirs, musical activities for carers and other initiatives supporting people through music will be able to apply for multi-year grants of either £1,000 or £2,000 per year, depending on the size and scope of the project. There will also be one larger grant of £500,000 for a Centre of Excellence.
- Through the fund, the National Academy for Social Prescribing will also carry out research and evaluation to develop a model that will ensure health systems are able to work closely with community groups, with sustainable funding. This will ensure that music can play a key role in dementia care across the country.
- The Power of Music Fund builds on a smaller fund specifically for dementia choirs, which provided grants of £1,000 to 100 local groups in early 2023.
- The Power of Music Fund is being managed by the National Academy for Social Prescribing and has been kickstarted by a £1 million donation from The Utley Foundation. It is also supported by Music for All, Arts Council England and other donors, including members of the public.
What grants are available?
We are currently offering two types of grants under the Power of Music Fund:
- Small grants of either £1,000 or £2,000 per year for hyper local music provision are available on a multiyear basis.
- We will offer one grant of £500,000 over 3 years to a centre of excellence.
What are the aims of the fund for NASP?
Through the small grants we will:
- Deliver funds to grassroots projects as part of social prescribing, especially in parts of the country
where the needs are greatest, to cover basic costs such as room hire and travel. - Provide support for people living with dementia and their families, improving their physical and mental wellbeing and creating moments of joy and connection through music.
- Connect the work of grassroots groups to the health system, improving access to activities and strengthening community connection.
Through the Centre of Excellence we will:
- Create a robust, transferable and scalable business case, with economic analysis, to enable local health systems to invest in new models of community support for dementia utilising music and maximising local community assets at a place-based level.
- See a step change in the approach taken by the new NHS Integrated Care Partnerships in their approach to dementia; a transferable, scalable model to embed music as a fundamental element in key care pathways including community provision and support at primary care. To achieve clarity on the risks, challenges, critical success factors and opportunities, especially cost savings.
- Foster effective collaboration at local system/ place level between community assets supporting people with dementia, NHS dementia and primary care, and Integrated Care Partnerships (which include universities, social care, and other relevant partners) to drive improvements in care and support for people with dementia building on the Power of Music.
What are the benefits to grantees?
- Resources and financial stability
We will connect organisations and providers we fund to other funders including local community foundations (for philanthropy and grants), NHS Charity and national funding streams for local community provision including Lloyds Foundation and National Lottery ‘Awards for All’.
- Integration
We will link funded music provision with health and social care, at a local level this includes Primary Care Networks and local authorities, and regional level this is Integrated Care Partnerships and constituent members.
- Training
We will provide access to high quality training and support, linking with partners and driving up the quality of provision.
- Peer support
We will develop national, thematic, and geographic communities of practice to enable sharing of knowledge, skills, tools and resources with other provision and wider stakeholders (building on the value of the recent round tables). This will have a particular focus on equity and inclusion supporting provision to widen access and will also include access to NASP’s Innovation Network.
- Developmental support
Provision will be linked to our partners NAVCA (for connection to local VCSE infrastructure organisations offering development and training) and NCCH for connection to the Creative Health Associates. For organisations with a wider remit than music/ creativity, there will be links to our partners in physical activity, natural environment, and heritage.
- Social prescribing support
We encourage access and utilisation of NASPs’ wider offer and resources, for example access to our newsletter, webinars and evidence hub, including our new guide for VCSE organisations to measure the impact of social prescribing on their work.
What are the outcomes for participating local systems within the Centre of Excellence?
- Reduction in health inequalities for people living with dementia in their area, through targeted, integrated additional provision to improve wellbeing and reduce isolation.
- Potential reductions in pharmaceutical prescribing, A&E attendances and unplanned admissions (subject to the type of activity funded under POM) as well as use of primary care.
- Improved pathways for clinicians and health professionals to access targeted, evidence-based provision; utilising Link Workers to support people most in need to access Power of Music activities.
- Increased investment into local community assets contributing to enhanced health and wellbeing and social inclusion in local place.
Apply for funding
Applications will open on 22 November 2023
You can also sign up to our Power of Music mailing list to hear about new funding rounds, updates and ways to support the fund.
The Fund has been generously kickstarted by a £1 million grant from The Utley Foundation. We're aiming to raise a total of £5 million to bring hope and joy to thousands of people, through the power of music.
