Open Programme Application Form and Hot Tips
2010/11
NB: this document is for reference purposes only, if you wish to make an application you
must do so via the electronic form on our website
Section 1 - before you begin
1.1 Read the guidance and hot tips
Before you start this application, please read through our Applicant Guidance and the application questions and hot
tips included in this document. For most of our questions, we have provided ‘Hot Tips’ which show the kind of
information we would like you to tell us in your answers. These are only examples, which are intended to help you
understand the type of information we are looking for. They are not perfect or 'model answers'. Every application is
unique and you need to give us information which is specific to your project. We expect answers to our questions to
vary depending on the type, scope and size of a project. There are no 'correct' or 'set' responses. When you are filling in
your application form, give us answers you feel are realistic and right for your project and not what you think we want to
hear. If you are successful in your application we will ask you to report on your grant by referring to the answers you
have given, so it is important that they are an accurate representation of the work of your project. Our application
process is competitive, so please follow the Application Guidance and Hot Tips carefully to give your application the
best possible chance of success.
1.2 Contact your REO
We strongly recommend that you contact your REO (Regional Executive Officer) by email to discuss your application at
an early stage in the application process. Find your nearest REO. Youth Music’s REOs work in their local communities to
promote our work at a grassroots level. They operate in their region, working with local government officers, regional
staff from other organisations and funded programmes, gathering information and contacts. They act not only as
ambassadors for Youth Music, but also as the link between the community and head office.
Your REO can support you in the following ways:
 Advise you on potential partners that will extend the scope of the activity and legacy of your project
 Assist you in developing your project so that it meets your goals and our regional strategies
 Assist you through the application process
 Point you in the direction of other support in your locality
We strongly recommend that you contact your REO by email to discuss your application before you submit. If you
would like to enlist the help of your REO, we recommend that you contact them at least one month prior to the closing
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date (and preferably before). We cannot guarantee the level of support they will be able to give if you contact them
after this date. Many of our REOs hold Open Programme surgeries throughout the year – dates vary between regions,
but will commonly be at least 6 weeks before the closing date.
1.3 Plan your answers and start gathering the supporting information required
Read through all the applications questions before starting the form, and plan your answers – that way, you can use the
word limits to full effect, and don’t have to repeat information, Some questions have a maximum number of words and
it is important that you do not go over these. However, you may well be able to answer the questions in fewer words –
do not be concerned if your answer is shorter. We cannot assess applications that are incomplete or missing any
attachments – they will be withdrawn.
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Section 2 – Your organisation’s contact details
2.1 Your organisation’s name
This section should be completed by the organisation that will manage and support the project and be responsible for
the budget. Please provide the full name of your organisation as it appears on your governing document and the main
or registered address.
2.2 Address
2.3 Postcode
2.4 Local authority
2.5 Organisation type
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Company limited by guarantee
Registered charity
Local authority
School (in partnership with at least one other school) or university
Sure Start/Children’s Centre
Government/public body (for example a PCT or Youth Offending Institution)
Registered community interest companies
Voluntary and community organisations (including registered and unregistered charities, co-operatives, friendly
societies, industrial and provident societies, and unincorporated associations)
Music service
Other
2.6 If you are VAT registered, please provide your registration number
 If you are registered for VAT you must not include any VAT that you can claim back from HM Revenue and
Customs.
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2.7 Are you independent or a branch of a larger organisation?
2.8 If you are a registered charity, what is your charity number?
2.9 When was your organisation set up?
2.10 Is your organisation BAME led?
If more than 51% of your management committee is drawn from members of Black Asian or Minority Ethnic communities,
then your organisation is recognised as a BAME led organisation. We collect this information for monitoring purposes
only.
2.11 Please describe briefly what your organisation does (100 words)
Please provide a brief summary of the main activities of your organisation. This could include its vision, mission and aims.
Applicant Contact Details
You, the applicant, must be authorised to apply for a grant from us on behalf of the organisation. You should know
about the project, be able to answer detailed questions related to the application and can be contacted during office
hours. Please note that we will contact you by email in the first instance, so you must provide an email address.
2.12 Title (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Miss and so on)
2.13 First name
2.14 Surname
2.15 Your job title
2.16 What is the best phone number to contact you on?
If you are often out and about please provide a mobile number.
2.17 Your email address
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Section 3 – your project
3.1 Please select the Open Programme goal that your project will focus on
Hot Tip
Youth Music’s Open Programme goals and objectives set out what we want our funding to achieve. We expect
projects to focus on one of the following goals:
 Early Years
 Challenging Circumstances
 Encouraging Talent and Potential.
3.2 Please select the Open Programme objectives that your project will deliver
Hot Tip
We understand that not all projects will fit neatly into one goal. You may decide that your project will also meet some
objectives listed under one or more of the other goals. In which case, please also select these other objectives as
appropriate.
For example: your project is working with children aged 0-5 and supporting Early Years practitioners to deliver high
quality music making activities (Early Years). But you are also working in a place of disadvantage where provision is
patchy or low (Challenging Circumstances). In this case you should select:
 Early Years Objectives 1 and 2
and
 Challenging Circumstances Objective 1.
This would show us that your main focus is on Early Years, but that you will also deliver one of the Challenging
Circumstances objectives. What we are looking for here is a good quality project that delivers its objectives well. More is
not necessarily better. If you are successful in your application we will ask you to report on your objectives, so it is
important that they are an accurate representation of the work of your project.
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Early Years
If your project focuses on Early Years, you must deliver both objectives to be considered for a grant.
 Objective 1: To encourage a culture of high quality music making activities in Early Years settings
 Objective 2: To support Early Years practitioners to deliver high quality Early Years music making
Challenging Circumstances
If your project focuses on Challenging Circumstances, you must deliver at least one objective to be considered for a
grant.
Hot Tips
Children and young people in challenging circumstances are those who are marginalised by society, vulnerable, often
hard to reach, and who have the fewest opportunities. Examples could include young people who are carers, young
parents, looked after children and young people, those at risk of offending or young offenders, children and young
people with disabilities or long-term ill health. This is not an exhaustive list by any means and we would ask that you
make clear to us the case for how the children and young people you are proposing to work with are in particularly
challenging circumstances.
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Objective 1: to deliver high quality music making activity in place(s) of disadvantage where provision is patchy or
low
Objective 2: to deliver high-quality music-making activity which supports mainstream education in meeting the
needs of children and young people in challenging circumstances
Objective 3: to deliver high-quality music-making activity which facilitates learning and development for children
and young people who are out of mainstream education or who are NEET (not in education, employment or
training)
Encouraging Talent and Potential
If your project focuses on Encouraging Talent and Potential, you must deliver at least one objective to be considered for
a grant.
 Objective 1: to deliver high quality music making activity to develop the musical talent and potential of children
and young people and provide links to further opportunities for progression
 Objective 2: to deliver high quality music making activity to develop innovative ways to ensure that children and
young people can progress to musical excellence in genres where there is little or no support
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Objective 3: to deliver high quality music making activity to support and develop the musical talent and potential
of children and young people who would otherwise not have the opportunity
Workforce Development
We would like to encourage applications from projects that will also deliver one or more of our Workforce Development
objectives. However, we cannot fund Workforce Development on its own.
 Objective 1: to facilitate the sharing of good practice and the transfer of skills and knowledge in music leadership
 Objective 2: to support the development of young music leaders, particularly those in challenging circumstances
3.3 What is your project name?
Hot Tip
Give us a short title that we could use for publicity purposes. Try to make it unique to your project. We are aware that
this could change once the project begins, as many projects like to ask the children and young people to suggest a
name. Remember to let us know if the project name does change.
3.4 Please provide a project start date and a project end date
Hot Tip
Your project can last between 6 and 24 months. We cannot fund projects that have already begun. Due to the
timescales involved in processing your application, your start date should fall between 4 and 8 months after the closing
date.
3.5 What is the overall aim of your project? (50 words)
Hot Tip
As concisely as possible, tell us the overall aim of your project. Your aim should define:
 The overall change or difference you want your project to make.
 The children and young people that will take part in your project.
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3.6 What are you going to do? (500 words)
Hot Tip
This is your opportunity to tell us how your project will look and feel. What activity you will undertake with the children
and young people involved? We want to know what services, facilities and activities you will provide.
When planning your project activities, please think about the Open Programme goals and objectives you have
selected.
This is your opportunity to tell us what is distinctive and/or innovative about your project.
Remember, your project must include structured, regular music-making activities that progress children and young
people’s musical skills.
Where appropriate, we encourage organisations to put in place systems for accrediting young people’s skills. Many of
Open Programme projects use Arts Award (find out more about Arts Award) – but you may wish to offer some other
form of suitable accreditation.
3.7 Tell us about the children and young people your project will be working with and why (250 words)
Hot Tip
We want to know why you have chosen to work with these children and young people specifically and what their
needs are. This is your chance to demonstrate to us the effects your project will have on them.
We also want to know what research or information gathering you carried out to establish that this project is the right
way for you to address the needs of the children and young people you have identified. For example, you may have:
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Run a pilot project or taster sessions
Worked with other agencies e.g. Local Authorities, schools and community groups to identify a need for this
project
Used existing research or carried out your own research
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Organisations often provide statistics about the local area, and tend to refer to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD).
This is useful contextual information, but is not sufficient on its own as it does not refer to the specific children and young
people who will be using the project - which is the information we are really interested in. The strongest evidence is likely
to be a mixture of both the ‘hard facts’ and more anecdotal evidence you have available. Who are you specifically
targeting to become participants in your project, and why?
We recognise that projects may not yet know exactly which individual children will attend their project. What we are
looking for here is a clear understanding of the children and young people the project is aimed at.
3.8 What outcomes will your project activity deliver? (100 words)
Hot Tip
Outcomes are the differences (or changes) you want to bring about through your project. Focusing on outcomes will
enable you to assess whether you achieved your project’s aim. While these will mainly focus on the children and young
people taking part in your project, they may also relate to their parents or ‘usual adult’, your staff or your organisation as
a whole.
The total number of outcomes will depend on the nature of your project and its aims but we would encourage you to
try and keep to about five. Remember to give us answers you feel are realistic and right for your project. If you are
successful in your application we will ask you to report on your outcomes, so it is important that they are an accurate
representation of the work of your project. For full guidance on outcomes, download our Outcomes Guide.
3.9 How will you ensure the quality of your project and music-making activity? (200 words)
Hot Tip
In the eligibility questionnaire we asked if you would be providing quality music making activities. Please explain here
why your music making activity will be high quality, and how you plan to ensure it remains that way. If you have one,
you might like to refer to your organisation’s quality assurance policy or framework.
3.10 What percentage of your project activity will take place in school hours?
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3.11 If any of your project activity takes place in school hours, please explain why (100 words)
Hot Tip
Projects can offer a maximum of 25% of provision within school hours. This restriction does not apply to:
Projects working with children in their Early Years.
Children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities.
Students in Pupil Referral Units [PRUs], Learning Support Units [LSUs], Young Offender Institutions [YOIs] or Youth
Inclusion Programmes (YIPs)
We recognise there are various access issues for these groups (transport, suitable venues, school as the only organised
venue/point in their lives) and so allow this work to take place in school hours.
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We fund activity that young people do mostly in their own time. This can be in breakfast clubs, lunchtimes, after school
hours, evenings, weekends and holiday sessions. We cannot fund curriculum-based activity in school hours or pay for
work that is normally covered by local education authorities or the Music Standards Fund.
However, we recognise that some young people need to be encouraged to get involved in music making within school
hours. You can propose that up to 25% of your activities will take place in school time if you can show that you cannot
engage the interest of the children and young people in any other way. We would need you to make the case for such
work and to demonstrate that this in-school-hours work will lead to out-of-school activities.
For example, there may be little or no music making taking place in the school currently or the school is in an isolated
community, making it difficult to provide activities outside of school hours.
3.12 Please select the Local Authority area(s) that your project will be working in
3.13 What legacy will your project leave behind for the children and young people? (250 words)
Hot Tip
We are interested in the long-term impact of your project.
We would like you to consider:
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 How your project will support and direct participants onto further music making activities
 If your project will be encouraging participants to gain formal training or accreditation in music making
 Any other long-term impacts the project may have on the children and young people
3.14 What legacy will your project leave behind for your organisation and the local community? (250 words)
Hot Tip
Please explain how you will develop the infrastructure and culture of music making for children and young people after
our funding has come to an end.
 How music making activities with children and young people will continue
 How the CPD opportunities for your project staff will support further music making in your area
 How you will identify, develop and share elements of good practice (good ideas or models of practice that may be
beneficial for other projects)
 How music resources, instruments and equipment purchased for your project will be used to continue music making
 How your organisation will develop networks and partnerships to support music making in your area
 Any other long-term impacts the project may have on your organisation or local area
3.15 How much money are you requesting from Youth Music (this figure should correspond to the one given on your
project budget)?
3.16 What is your total project budget (including match and in-kind – this figure should correspond to the one given in
your project budget)?
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Section 4 - Participation
4.1 How have children and young people influenced how you planned your project, and how will they continue to be
involved in how your project is run? (500 words)
Hot Tip
We are keen to see projects where young people are consulted throughout on their views and ideas, and where those
views and ideas are then taken into account. Under the UN Convention on the Right of a Child. It is every young
person’s right to have a say about things that will affect them directly. We also know that projects that have been built
upon young people’s interests, needs and ideas are very likely to be more successful. Download our Guidance on
Involving Young People.
We would expect some form of consultation to have taken place already, to help shape the ideas and direction of your
project. Once the project is underway, we want all participants to be actively encouraged to have a voice and a say
on all aspects of the project – from shaping the sessions, planning the performance opportunities and being involved in
the evaluation. Those most engaged could progress into a structured volunteering opportunity (see questions 4.4 and
4.5 for more information on formal volunteering opportunities).
Tell us how children and young people have been – and will continue to be – involved in all aspects of the project. For
example:
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Did you consult with children and young people in setting up the project? If so, what difference did this make to
the shape of the project?
How will the children and young people be able to continue to influence the project, once it has begun?
Will children and young people help run the project or deliver any of the activities?
We expect projects to consult with children and young people and to allow them to participate in project decisionmaking as much as possible. We recognise that there may be more scope to do this with some groups than others.
4.2 How will you recruit the children and young people who will take part in your project? (250 words)
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Hot Tip
We want to know how you will encourage the children and young people you have identified to take part and keep
them informed about your project activities. For example, this could include:
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Using your partnerships/links with other organisations
Advertising – local press, leaflets, posters, radio
Agency referrals
Secure online networks
Please ensure your methods of recruitment are appropriate to the goal area you have chosen. For example, being
situated in an area of deprivation will not necessarily ensure that the young people you recruit will be facing
challenging circumstances – we want to know how you will engage your target groups.
4.3 How many children and young people from the following age brackets does your project aim to work with?
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0-2 years (Early Years)
3-5 years (Early Years)
5-7 years
8-9 years
10-12 years
13-15 years
16-18 years
19-25 years (with special educational needs (SEN), disabilities or in detention)
Hot Tip
We understand the figures given here are an estimate at this stage, and may change slightly over the course of the
project. Please do not over-estimate the number of children and young people you plan to work with as we place
more value on a realistic estimate.
The children and young people you work with must be 0-18 years old (or up to 25 if they have special educational
needs (SEN), disabilities or are in detention).
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We will look at value for money in our assessment of your application and consider the unit cost (the amount you are
applying for divided by the number of children and young people on the project) as part of this. However, we will take
into account the particular needs of the children and young people you will be working with and the types of music
making activities you will provide.
We find that applications with higher unit costs generally include:
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Working with children and young people in the most challenging circumstances
A heavy reliance on technology in their music making
Encouraging talented children and young people to achieve their full potential
Niche music making opportunities
Do not include volunteers in these participant numbers, we ask for these figures separately in question 4.7.
4.4.1. In total, how many children and young people will you work with? (NB volunteers are counted separately - see
question 4.7)
4.4.2 How many children and young people will be ‘core’ participants (i.e. those who will take part in core project
activity, rather than just taster sessions)?
4.5 Will you be providing formal volunteering opportunities for young people (up to the age of 25)?
Hot Tip
We would like to encourage organisations to provide formal volunteering opportunities for young people where
appropriate.
Volunteering is when a person spends time, without pay, doing something that will benefit other people. You might
have project participants or other young people (up to the age of 25) you work with who could progress and be
supported in a more formal volunteering opportunity as part of your project. Please note that this cannot replace the
trainee position, which is a paid role within the project.
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4.6 What will the young volunteers do, and how will they be supported? (250 words)
Hot Tip
If you do plan to provide volunteering opportunities, we expect them to be based on the interests and skills of the young
people. We expect you to work within good practice guidelines, which will include volunteer induction, training,
reward and recognition, payment of expenses, health and safety considerations, and ongoing support arrangements.
If your application is successful you will be asked to provide a copy of your volunteer policy, a volunteer role description
and agreement (not a contract). Download our guidance on setting up and supporting a volunteering scheme.
We encourage organisations to put in place systems of accreditation for training. Many projects choose to offer the
Arts Award to their participants. Find out more about Arts Award. Volunteers aged 16-25 in England are also eligible to
have their volunteering hours recognised through the vinspired awards. Find out more about vinspired. Alternatively,
there may be other forms of suitable accreditation that you or a partner organisation can offer your volunteers.
4.7 How many young people (aged up to 25) do you plan to recruit as volunteers?
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Section 5 - management and leadership
5.1 Who will manage your project, and why have you selected them? (100 words)
Hot Tip
Please give the name of the project manager. This person will be responsible for the day to day running of the project,
whose responsibilities could include, for example:
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Liaising with Youth Music, partners and project staff
Recruiting and supporting staff and volunteers
Coordinating activities
Managing the budget
Involving parents/carers and keeping them up to date
Monitoring and evaluating the project
Please explain how their skills and experience are appropriate to the needs of the project.
The project manager can also be a music leader, but responsibility for management, monitoring and evaluation and
music leading should not all lie with one person.
Please specify here whether your project manager is employed on a sessional basis or is already employed by your
organisation.
5.2 What other organisations will you partner with to deliver your project? (500 words)
Hot Tip
As part of the attachments section of the form, you must upload a letter on headed paper from each partner showing
that they agree to work with you on your project and outlines their role in the partnership (see section 9 for more
information)
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Please list the organisations that have agreed to work with you on your project. Please provide us with:
 The name of the organisation
 Their address
 The name of your main contact
 Their email address and phone number
 A brief description of what they will provide or do for your project
We want to encourage meaningful, long term partnerships that are about more than just financial support. We expect
that partnerships are mutually supportive and beneficial, to bring about outcomes of better joined-up planning,
resource allocation and project delivery at the local level. You must have at least one partner and schools must work in
partnership with at least one other school. If you are a Local Authority department or directorate, we expect at least
one of your partners to be external to the council.
If you plan to partner with a lead organisation from a Youth Music-funded YMAZ, NYMO, MusicLeader or Power Play
programmes, please note that there is specific guidance in relation to this. For example, if the Open Programme
applicant employs a YMAZ music leader, the YMAZ can recover the cost of:
 The employee
 The employee’s National Insurance and pension (if applicable)
 VAT, if payable by the organisation
 A maximum of 10% of the value of the (net) fee can be made for management/overheads (this is not included in
your overall core costs allowance).
If they are also match funding your project, or providing in-kind support, this must be from another source besides Youth
Music. We will ask for written confirmation from you and the partner organisation to ensure this is the case.
5.3 In addition to your formal partnerships, how does your project fit with other services in your local area, and what is
your relationship with them? (500 words)
Hot Tip
We would like you to:
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Tell us about other projects that exist locally for children and young people and how your project will complement
and not duplicate them. Your REO should have a good idea of existing local music provision.
Explain how your project is additional to statutory services, particularly if it is working in an area where there is
significant statutory investment (such as schools)
Tell us about any local links which will help you deliver the project
Tell us if your project fits with your Local Authority Music Plan
Let us know if your project will link to Sing Up - particularly if you are a primary school or working with primary aged
children
5.4 Who will deliver the music making activities for your project and why have you selected them? (250 words)
Hot Tip
You must name at least one music leader here. You may also include additional sessions with visiting musicians if you are
able to demonstrate why they are needed.
For both music leaders and visiting musicians, we expect you to recruit the appropriate number for the size and duration
of your project and the needs of the children and young people (i.e. to enable participants to receive adequate
support to progress their musical skills).
Please provide their names and explain how their skills and experience are appropriate to the age and needs of the
children and young people and the music-making activities you will be offering. They need to be experienced with
good music and social skills and relate well to children and young people. They should be CRB checked prior to starting
work on your project. They must also have experience of supporting trainees.
Please upload CVs of all the music leaders that you name in this section, detailing the experience and qualifications
they have that relate to their suitability to be working on your Youth Music project. We look at these CVs as part of the
assessment process, and so it important that this information is supplied. All music leaders must be recruited before the
project delivery begins - if you are offered a grant and further music leaders are recruited, we will ask you for their CVs
as well.
We strongly advise that all music leaders become a member of MusicLeader.net, to keep up-to-date with the latest
news, training, jobs, services and resources. Youth Music fully endorses the Music Education Code of Practice, a good
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practice framework designed by the profession for the profession. Please see the MusicLeader website for more
information.
5.5 Please provide the name(s) of your trainee(s) (100 words)
If you do not have a trainee in place, please give details on how you will recruit them.
5.6 What will the trainee(s) do and how will they be supported? (250 words)
Hot Tip
You must have at least one paid trainee who will be trained as part of your project.
A trainee is someone who has music making skills or skills related to music (e.g. music technology, production skills, event
management), who will be trained to lead music making activities. For example, they could be:
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A member of your staff who has the potential and commitment to develop their skills in leading music making
sessions with young people.
A young person who has participated in any of your projects before whose career prospects would benefit from
training in leadership or facilitation.
A parent or Early Years practitioner who is keen to work in Early Years music making.
A young person serving an apprenticeship in music, as a music leader, or in music related industries, either in your
organisation or with another
They will need specific support that includes regular feedback and discussions about their progress. Please describe the
tasks they will be expected to carry out for the project and the support that they will receive. If your application is
successful we will ask you for a job description and training plan.
We expect that a relevant training plan will be negotiated with your trainee, which could include formal qualifications.
You may wish to consider MusicLeader’s Start Up programme, which provides free information, advice and guidance
for those just setting out on a music leading career. The MusicLeader website has details of local training courses and
contact details of your regional network.
Remember to include a suitable amount for trainee CPD in your budget.
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5.7 Will any non-music support workers be involved in your project? If so, what will they do? (250 words)
Hot Tip
Please tell us about any non-music support workers that will be involved in your project, and indicate whether they will
be funded by Youth Music.
This is your opportunity to make the case for non-music support for the children and young people involved in the
project, if you are requesting funding from us to cover this cost. This is especially relevant if you are working with children
and young people in challenging circumstances. You can include the cost of non-music support workers provided you
are able to demonstrate why they are needed and why these costs cannot be met by other funding sources.
Please provide their name(s), if possible, and explain how their skills and experience are appropriate to the age and
needs of the children and young people and the kind of support they will be offering. For example, this could include:
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Children and young people with disabilities who need the additional support of a care worker during their musicmaking activities
Working with children and young people in challenging circumstances who would benefit from a youth worker
providing additional support
Any support workers must be recruited before the project begins.
Youth Music cannot pay for practitioners of other art forms besides music (e.g. visual arts and dance). If you are
involving practitioners of other art forms, the associated costs must be covered by your match funding.
5.8 How will you identify and support the continuing professional development (CPD) needs of your project staff? (250
words)
Hot Tip
Your project must include continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for your music leader(s), project
manager, trainee, and any additional support worker(s). The CPD can include training courses, seminars, and skills
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sharing or shadowing opportunities. We will pay for the costs associated with this and you must budget for at least 5% of
your grant from Youth Music to be spent on CPD.
If you are working with children and young people in challenging circumstances, we are especially keen to see CPD
that supports the learning and development of your project staff in this area.
MusicLeader is a support service that provides access to professional development and training for music leaders at
every stage of their career. Youth Music strongly recommends that applicants contact their MusicLeader regional
network and that all project managers and music practitioners sign up to MusicLeader.net. Your music leaders may be
interested in MusicLeader’s Development Needs Analysis, which offers tailored advice and guidance for experienced
practitioners working in music education. Your regional MusicLeader network may also be able to broker training on
your behalf.
5.9 If your application is successful, would you like to opt in to the Youth Music Open Programme Buddy Scheme?
Hot Tip
The buddy scheme will link together two Open Programme projects in order for them to develop a mutually beneficial
relationship. This scheme is non-compulsory, and your choice to opt in or out will not inform the assessment of your
application.
This is a new approach to CPD for your project staff. If you want to include expenses for your involvement in the buddy
scheme (such as travel to your buddy’s location) as part of your application budget to Youth Music, these must make
up no more than 2% of your total grant amount. They can count towards your 5% minimum CPD requirement.
We will endeavour to ‘buddy’ you with a project that complements yours. Youth Music Open Programme grant-holders
come in all shapes and sizes, and Youth Music believes there are benefits from working with those who might be coming
from a different point of view to yours: buddy pairs that cross rural and urban boundaries, or work within different genres
may prove to deliver the most dynamic learning outcomes for the staff involved
Your buddy relationship can develop in any way that you and your buddy see fit. As well as supportive and problemsolving phone calls and emails, Youth Music envisages some travelling/exchange of music leaders and/or managers
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and/or trainees between the two projects to share their practice. You might even want the process to culminate in a
trip for all staff to see the other project in action. The buddy scheme is your oyster!
While we will endeavour to match you with an organisation that fulfils the areas you identify for receiving support, we
cannot guarantee the particulars of your buddy project. Youth Music cannot guarantee any learning outcomes from
your participation in the buddy scheme. Please approach the buddy scheme with an open mind.
5.10 In what areas do you feel your project could offer support and advice to another Open Programme project? (150
words)
Hot Tip
Please detail the areas in which you feel your project and organisation are particularly strong and/or experienced in areas that you would feel comfortable advising and supporting another Open Programmes project with. For example,
this might include your strategies for ensuring children and young people involved in your project are consulted and
engaged with in a meaningful and effective way. Another example could be managing music projects with many
music leaders, multiple locations and several funders and stakeholders to report to.
5.11 In what areas do you feel your project could benefit from support and advice from another Open Programme
project? (150 words)
Hot tip
The areas you identify as needing support in will not be used in the assessment of your application. Please specify any
areas where you would like specific advice and support, or where you feel additional consultation would add value to
your project and/or organisation. For example, you might have a fledgling volunteer scheme and would like to talk to
an organisation with a long-established and successful record of involving volunteers.
Youth Music works with organisations all over England. Remember to tell is if it would be a problem for your buddy to be
located a long way from your project.
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Section 6 – monitoring and evaluation
6.1 What systems will you put in place for gathering monitoring and evaluation information? (200 words)
Hot Tip
Before your project starts you will need to decide how to collect the information needed to be able to evidence
whether you have achieved your outcomes. Each outcome should be measurable either by quantitative tools (e.g.
questionnaires) or qualitative tools (e.g. interviews, focus groups, observation diaries). You will be expected to provide
evidence relating to each of your outcomes throughout your project. For further information see the outcomes guide.
For example, you may want to:



Capture video, photos and audio footage of your project in planning, action and performance
Interview key stakeholders (e.g. participants, music leaders, parents/carers)
Consider how other people, wanting to run similar projects, could benefit from the experiences of your project
6.2 What will you do with the evaluation information you have gathered, and how will you use it to assess whether you
have achieved your project outcomes? (200 words)
Hot Tip
We would like to know how you will use the evaluation information once you have collected it and what difference it
will make to your project. For example, how will it feed into your project’s ongoing development? How might it be used
as a learning tool?
How will any evaluation material be disseminated for maximum strategic impact?
6.3 Who will be responsible for (i) gathering this information and (ii) using it to evaluate your activities? (100 words)
Hot Tip
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Please provide the job title and name (if you already know who it will be) of the person responsible in both cases. For
example, you may decide that your music leaders will be responsible for gathering information but your project
manager will use it to evaluate the activities.
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Section 7 – publicity
If your application is successful, we will publish this information on our website using our project search tool. Your project
title will be included too.
7.1 Contact Name
This should be a name that we can publish on our website, for correspondence with the general public
7.2 Phone number
7.3 Email address
7.4 Website
7.5 Are your sessions open access?
Y/N
If there are not open to everyone, we will not publish details on our website.
7.6 What genre(s) of music will your sessions cover?
Choose up to five genres from the following list:
 African
 Asian popular
 Beatboxing
 Caribbean
 Contemporary classical
 Country
 Dance/electronic
 East Asian
 Folk
 Garage
 Gospel
 Grime
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
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
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








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Hip hop
Indian classical
Indie/grunge
Jazz and blues
Music theatre
Opera
Other Asian
Other non-Western
Pop and Rock
Rap/MC
Reggae
RnB
Roots
South American
western classical
Other
If you don’t know what kind of genre you will be delivering, please estimate or leave this section blank.
7.7 Please provide a short description of your project (maximum 30 word summary)
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Section 8 – repeat applicants
8.1 Have you received funding from Youth Music before?
Hot Tip
You can only hold one Open Programme grant at any one time. This is because Youth Music wants to distribute the
money available as widely as possible. There may be certain exceptional circumstances where we allow organisations
to apply for more than one grant. In such cases, the request to make an additional application must be approved by
both the Regional Executive Officer and Youth Music’s Open Programme team. Such requests must be made through
your Regional Executive Officer.
For clarification purposes, different departments of the same Local Authority (e.g. the Youth Service or Arts Team) are
classed as the same organisation.
8.2 If yes, please provide the URN.
8.3 Please tell us which repeat applicant criteria your project meets
Hot Tip
Please note that if you have received funding from Youth Music before, your application must meet at least two of our
repeat applicant criteria, one of which must be the repeat applicant criteria 1 – working with new or additional groups
of children and young people.
8.3.1 Does your project meet the repeat criteria number 1 (you must meet this to be eligible to reapply)?
1. Your project will be working with new or additional groups of children and young people from those involved in your
previous Youth Music project.
8.3.2 What other criteria does your project meet (you must meet at least one of these to be eligible to reapply)?
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2. Your project activities will help children and young people to significantly improve their music-making skills and
expand the types of music making they have started.
3. Your project will reach new communities by expanding or changing the geographical area it serves.
4. Your project will provide significantly different types of music-making activities to provide new experiences for the
same children.
5. Your project will offer greater responsibility or professional development to your trainee(s) or apprentice(s) or it will
employ new ones.
6. Your project will collaborate with other groups or organisations in your area that you have not worked with before.
8.4 Please describe how this project will meet the criteria you have selected (250 words)
Hot tip
We’re looking for an explanation as to how you meet the criteria you have selected.
8.5 Please describe how the learning and experience from your previous project has informed the development of this
project (250 words)
Hot Tip
We would be unlikely to fund a project that looks like a continuation of a previous project. If you are using a similar
project model to the previous Youth Music project, we would like to see how you have applied the learning to develop,
expand or improve your offer.
We will refer to your previous application and monitoring reports in our assessment of your application and we will look
at how efficiently the grant was administered by your organisation. We will also look at how your project fulfils the repeat
applicant criteria in your application.
Organisations that have already received a grant from Youth Music will not be given priority. Any new application is
judged according to the objectives and criteria for the programme.
8.6 If you have received youth music funding before, please also confirm that:
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Your previous Youth Music project is finished, you have submitted the final report and received confirmation from
us that the grant is closed.
 The legacy plans (also known as your ‘What Next?’ plans) for your previous Youth Music project have been
implemented or a suitable alternative sought with good reason.
NB you must confirm both of these statements to be eligible to reapply.

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Section 9 – attachments
Your application will not be complete until you have attached the required additional information. If you do not submit
all of the attachments listed below, your application will be withdrawn. If these documents are not available
electronically, we can accept them by post or fax (see below) but these must reach us by the closing date.
9.1 Your Project Budget Form
Please download the project budget form, save it to your computer and submit as an attachment. Instructions on
completing the Project Budget form can be found in the first worksheet of the budget template. When completing your
budget please remember that you should only include income and expenditure that is directly connected to your
project. Download our example budget.
9.2 Your Declaration
Please download the declaration form, save it to your computer and submit as an attachment.
9.3 Your Equal Opportunities Form
Please download the equal opportunities form, save it to your computer and submit as an attachment.
9.4 Session Details Form
Please download the session details form, save it to your computer and submit it as an attachment.
9.5 Your most recent accounts
We are unable to accept applications without accompanying accounts. These accounts should be the most recent
available. If these are more than 18 months old you must also provide draft accounts which provide a more recent
update.
The accounts you supply must also be appropriate to your organisation. Please note that the following is advice and
does not supersede any legislation or independent or legal advice you have received about the appropriate accounts
for your organisation.
 From a large organisation (income over £250,000) we would expect to receive externally audited accounts. This is
likely to be a document with a detailed Trustee report and notes to accounts.
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 From a medium size organisation (income over £10k but less than £250,000) we would expect to receive accounts
that have been reviewed by an appropriately qualified person (this is not deemed an audit). We would expect this to
be a slimmed-down version, but still similar to the accounts that a large organisation produces.
 From a small organisation (income less than £10,000) we would expect to receive a small document highlighting
income and expenditure and any balance sheet items.
We do not require statutory organisations (local authorities, schools etc.) to submit their accounts.
9.6 Your Governing Document (unless you are a registered charity, company or a statutory body)
If you are not a registered charity, company or statutory body you will need to supply a copy of your governing
document. A governing document sets out in writing how an organisation works. It may be called a number of things,
such as a constitution, set of rules or trust deed. It explains what your organisation is set up to do and how it does it.
Schools, health bodies and local authorities are statutory bodies, while registered charities and companies are
regulated, so we do not need to see their constitutions or governing documents. If you are a registered charity, please
ensure that you have provided your charity number. We will then be able to access information directly from the
Charity Commission.
9.7 Music leader CV(s)
Please attach a CV for each music leader you have named in your application. This should detail the experience and
qualifications they have that relate to their suitability to be working on your Youth Music project.
9.8 Letters of support from your partners
These must be submitted with your application form. Please attach a letter on headed paper from each of your
partners which shows that they agree to work with you on your project. This letter should describe their organisation and
the nature of their involvement in your project. Letters of support from all named partners should be included with your
application. If you cannot obtain a letter of support from a partner prior to the closing date, you should remove them
from your application.
Hard copies of supporting information
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We accept paper copies of your additional information, but only if these are not available electronically. Please
endeavour to scan your paper copies and send them in electronically if at all possible. If you need to send or fax these
to us, please clearly label them with the name of your organisation, the main contact's name and a contact phone
number. You can post the information to:
Open Programme Team
Youth Music
One America Street
London
SE1 0NE
Or by fax to: 020 7902 1061
You should make sure that any extra information you send by post will reach us by no later than the closing date.
The closing date for submitting the online application form is 11.59pm on the evening of the closing date.
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