Internal Funding

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The Leeds Conservatoire Employability & Enterprise team is here to support students and recent graduates in developing their creative ideas into real-world projects.

Whether you’re releasing an EP, touring a show, starting a business or exploring something new, we can offer guidance every step of the way. You can book one-to-one sessions with our team and visiting industry guests to talk through your ideas.

We have a range of resources designed to help you refine your ideas and build a clear plan. Our Incubator Fund gives you the chance to present your project to a panel of industry professionals and apply for up to £500 of funding. We can also help you strengthen applications for other external opportunities, such as Arts Council funding.

If you’d like to know more, please click here to book one of our weekly Wednesday drop-in sessions. We’re happy to listen to your project ideas, business plans, or general career goals.

Develop Your Idea

Find out about our short course, designed to set your on your way into developing a fully formed project/business plan.

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The Incubator Fund

Find out about what funding is available and how you can apply.

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What funding is available?

Up to £500 per applicant 

£2,000 available per funding window (split across successful applicants).

Who can apply?

This support is open to current Leeds Conservatoire students and recent Leeds Conservatoire graduates (up to 2 years after graduation).

What can we support?

Here are some examples of what we may be able to fund: 

• Prototype Development/R&D 
• Photo/Video Production 
• PR & Marketing Campaigns 
• Specialised Business Advice 
• Studio Time 
• Logo/Branding 
• Mentoring (in-person or online) 
• Other reasonable, creative ideas (just ask!) 
  

This list is a guide. Each idea will be reviewed and supported based on its merits, professional impact, and creative value. 

What We Usually Don’t Fund 

We still welcome conversations around these – we may be able to suggest alternative support: 

• Projects that are directly assessed as part of your course 
• Retrospective activity (things you’ve already paid for or completed) 
• Musical equipment/software purchases 
• Activities directly funding people outside Leeds Conservatoire (beyond collaborators) 
• Audition fees (including for further study) 
• Tuition/course fees (short courses or postgraduate study) 
• Conferences or seminars 

How do I apply for funding?

How It Works 

1. Submit a Business or Artist Plan 
   
   Submit your plan using our online form, it follows a basic business plan structure.
   
   You will need to have thought about your aims, timeline, and budget.
   
   You can also submit via another format if you prefer, e.g. a video submission.
   
2. Present to the Panel 
   
   Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their idea in person to a small panel – please ensure you are free on this date. You’ll receive feedback whether successful or not.
   
3. Get Support Along the Way
   
   Drop in to see the E&E team on Wednesdays for one-to-one support – complete the form to book in.
   

NOTE: Our Wednesday sessions are open to everyone, not just those applying for funding. Whether you’re thinking about your career, exploring an idea, or pulling together a plan that doesn’t need funding, we’re here to help. We can also connect you with industry mentors if that would support your next steps. 

Who’s on the Panel? 

• An external industry representative from the music sector
• An external industry representative from the theatre sector
• Members of Leeds Conservatoire staff

The external industry representatives are both established partners of Leeds Conservatoire.

Get in contact

If you have any questions or want to talk through an idea, contact us at: eae@leedsconservatoire.ac.uk or find us in Room 401 

PRS & Spotlight Fund

Find out about our PRS and Spotlight fund.

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We understand that some of the most valuable services and memberships within music and the performing arts can also be expensive and inaccessible.

To help with this access, Employability and Enterprise are pleased to provide the PRS for Music, Ivors and Spotlight Fund, enabling access to lifetime membership with PRS for Music (as a writer/composer), Early Career or Standard Membership with the Ivors Academy, or your first graduate year of Spotlight.

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Who is this for?

This fund is available to undergraduate third year students studying at Leeds Conservatoire. The eligibility criteria are as follows:

These groups have been selected as part of our Access and Participation priorities and their definition supplied by the Office for Students or industry publications. As this activity is fully funded as part of this work, there cannot be any exceptions to them.

Due to the way this scheme is funded, unfortunately it cannot be offered to overseas/international students.

What is this fund for?

This fund will only allow for support with gaining membership to:

• PRS for Music Membership (one time fee to join as a writer/composer).
• The Ivors Academy Membership (one year membership fee to join with an Early Career Membership or Standard Membership)
• Spotlight Graduate Membership – your first year’s of membership post study.

You cannot apply for more than one.

What happens if you have already paid for membership?

You are still eligible for this fund so long as you joined and paid for membership to either organisation within this academic year (25/26).

You will be required to provide your user number and evidence of the date on which you joined.

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PRS For Music

PRS For Music is a UK based royalty collection agency who represent writers and composers across all genres.

• Under 25 Membership Fee: £30
• Membership Fee: £100
• Membership Period: Lifetime

The Ivors Academy

Connect with music creators, support our campaigns, access exclusive opportunities and take your career to the next level.

• Early Career (18-24) Membership Fee: £52
• Standard Membership Fee: £95
• Membership Fee: 1 Year

Spotlight

Spotlight connects performers with roles in theatre, television and film productions around the world.

• Graduate Membership Fee: £134.70 / €150 INC VAT PER ANNUM)
• Membership Period: 1 year – Graduate Membership
• Membership discounts are available to performers who identify as deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent. You can apply for this by emailing questions@spotlight.com. Deaf and disabled performers are also invited to join www.profileperformers.com – a free video database service (both for actors and industry users) hosted by Spotlight and the National Theatre, designed to champion and showcase Deaf and disabled talent.

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If you are unable to submit your application via the form, we will accept a video submission instead. Please contact EaE@lcm.ac.uk for further information, or to submit a video application.

You are required to complete a short application form (or provide a video submission) in order to be considered for this fund.

We will be required to check that all applicants belong to at least one of the characteristics identified in the support parameters.

If successful, we will notify you shortly after the application window closes, and request bank details. Funds will be transferred shortly after. We will then require the following:

• Confirmation of your membership – i.e. sharing of your User ID/Number for the associated organisation, and confirmation of you membership (screen shot, email etc.)
• Commitment to complete a short survey in one year’s time demonstrating how this fund has helped you.

There are two application windows throughout the academic year, in the first and second semester: 

Semester 1: 14/09/26 – 12/10/26 

Semester 2: 01/03/27 – 05/04/27 

If you have any questions regarding this support please feel free to with our Employability and Enterprise Team: EaE@lcm.ac.uk.