The Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has expanded its UK Artist Touring (UKAT) fund after funding from LIVE Trust rose 140%, increasing support available to artists facing touring budget shortfalls.
The second round offers grants of up to £8,000 and broadens the types of shows eligible for support. Applications open at 10am on Wednesday 26 August and close on Friday 11 September.
Expanded eligibility
The revised application terms allow artists to seek funding for:
- Up to £8,000 or 40% of total eligible tour expenditure, whichever is lower.
- A combination of headline, support and festival appearances.
- Unconfirmed or tentative bookings, provided they are confirmed before funds are awarded.
FAC chief executive David Martin encouraged applications from artists with confirmed shows or provisional offers between the announcement and April 2027. The fund accepts applications across all genres.
“It is incumbent on the sector to ensure that the maximum value is realised from every single £1 ticket donation.”
Martin said demand was still expected to exceed the funding available.
First round supported 26 artists
Launched in March 2026, UKAT was established with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and Musicians’ Union (MU) to help artists cover gaps in their touring budgets.
The first distributions followed in April 2026, supporting 26 artists across the UK with proceeds from £125,000 collected by LIVE Trust.
The initial funding supported 211 UK shows that might otherwise have been cancelled.
Artists providing accounts of the fund’s impact included Belle Chen, Brown Horse, Chris Brain, deary, Demob Happy, Emily Portman, Jim Ghedi, MEMORIALS, Oslo Twins and V.I.C.
Support across the touring workforce
MMF chief executive Annabella Coldrick said the funding also provides remuneration for music managers, whose work on tours can go unpaid.
Kelly Wood, the MU’s National Organiser for Live, Theatre & Music Writers, said touring costs can leave even well-known artists with sold-out shows out of pocket, prompting reductions to bands and crews.
Dame Caroline Dinenage DBE MP, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the committee had heard directly from artists about rising touring costs and the pressure on their ability to work.
The committee recommended using contributions from large-scale live music events to support artists further down the sector. Dinenage said LIVE Trust and UKAT were putting that recommendation into practice.
The FAC also announced a new partnership with the Northern Music Export Office.
