UK Touring Support Fund Doubles to £300K, Applications Close September 13
The UK's Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) has opened the second phase of its UKAT touring support fund, more than doubling the pot from £125,000 to £300,000. The money is meant to cover shortfalls in UK artists' touring budgets. Applications close at 11:59pm on Sunday, September 13, 2026.
The scheme is run by FAC in partnership with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Musicians' Union (MU). Funding comes from voluntary ticket levies collected by LIVE Trust, with contributions from donors including Harry Styles, Radiohead, Lorde, Kasabian and Wolf Alice. FAC chief executive David Martin told NME the expanded fund marks a bigger step toward making live music more inclusive.
How the fund works
- Application deadline: Sunday, September 13, 2026, 11:59pm
- Total fund size: £300,000
- Cap per application: £8,000, or 40% of the tour's eligible costs, whichever is lower
- Eligible shows: headline dates, support slots and festival appearances, which can be combined in one application
- Unconfirmed or tentative dates can be included in an application but must be confirmed before funds are released
- Eligibility: open to UK artists across all genres, regions and backgrounds
Martin said the point of the scheme is to let artists who would otherwise pass on a tour, because they can't absorb a loss, book dates first and then decide whether to go ahead once funding is confirmed. He cited working-class artists unable to withstand a £2,000 loss as the kind of case the fund is designed for.
What the first round delivered
UKAT's first phase launched in March this year with a £125,000 budget. It ultimately supported 26 artists across 211 shows, reaching an estimated 60,000 audience members. Martin said the first round proved that the 'top-up' model works, and that demand far exceeded expectations.
LIVE Trust has so far distributed more than £500,000 through UKAT and other schemes run in partnership with the Music Venue Trust, with several million pounds more expected to follow. The money comes from voluntary ticket levies on stadium and arena-level shows; Harry Styles has again agreed to donate £1 from every ticket sold for his 2027 London shows to the fund and other causes.
Martin described it as a full circle: donations from the biggest shows translating concretely into 26 artists being able to tour without taking a loss. Details on how to apply are available via FAC's website.