Serious Trust Limited

Serious Trust Limited, a registered charity established in January 2012, champions the transformative power of music to enrich society by funding music-based learning, participation activities, professional development for musicians, and the creation of new works. With a core ethos of fostering inspiration, creativity, and opportunity—particularly in jazz, international, and contemporary music—it primarily supports Serious Events, a key producer of live music, to amplify innovative projects, talent development, and inclusive engagement across the UK musical landscape. Its values emphasize excellence, innovation, inclusivity, and long-term sectoral sustainability through close collaboration with established partners rather than open grantmaking.

The Trust prioritizes arts initiatives focused on music education, artist capacity-building, creative commissions, workshops, masterclasses, training schemes, and live performance opportunities. Beneficiaries include musicians, emerging artists, young people, and the wider public, with emphasis on projects delivering communal benefits, youth-oriented development, and high-quality participatory outcomes, especially in jazz festivals like the EFG London Jazz Festival.

Eligible applicants are typically established medium-to-large arts organizations with proven track records in music education or participation, operating exclusively in England and Wales; grassroots or newly formed groups are not supported. Grants, awarded invite-only via trustee decisions at biannual meetings (no public deadlines or forms), range from £2,000 to £30,000 (most £10,000–£25,000) for project-specific costs like creative learning or performances, rarely covering core, unrestricted, or capital needs. Distinctive for its laser focus on professional upskilling and linkage to Serious Events, it excludes unsolicited applications, non-UK projects, and activities outside music innovation.