Decca Bursary

Decca is the biggest classical record label in the UK, and a brand recognized for excellence. They pride themselves on breaking down the barriers associated with classical music, encouraging accessibility for everyone. In celebration of their 90th year, Decca supported the launch of a new Universal Music UK Sound Foundation bursary in 2020 – the Decca Bursary – to give young people in the UK the opportunity to experience classical music.

The Decca Bursary is a restricted fund of the Universal Music UK Sound Foundation. It provides grants to schools and individuals at the very start of their classical musical journey.

We Support *Applications for funding up to £1000 for the below: School aged individuals resident in the UK or Eire who are in full time education with funding for music lessons, instrument/equipment purchase or hire, and music courses within the classical genre. We focus on supporting those at the start of their classical musical journey and so regrettably cannot accept applications from students studying music at university/conservatoire level. *Schools based in the UK and Eire – with funding for classical instrument purchase to support peripatetic lessons.

We Do Not Support: Applications from individuals based outside the UK or Eire. *Applications for non-classical music lessons, instruments or courses. *Applications from higher education students (university/conservatoire). *Applications for funding over £1000. *Applications from schools for class packs of instruments.

Please Note: *We do not fund items retrospectively. You are not eligible for financial assistance under this scheme if you have already paid for your instrument/equipment/course/music lessons, or if you pay after you submit your application but before funding has been offered (this includes entering into a loan agreement). If you receive funds from another source after submitting your application to the Foundation, please inform us as soon as possible. *Any funding offered by the trustees cannot be used as a deposit on an item, it may only be used to cover the whole cost or as a final instalment. Should you be awarded funding you will have a limited time in which to claim it (fixed claiming deadlines are included with each offer letter), so please keep this in mind when deciding if it is the right time for you to apply.

You are eligible to make this application only if you have been resident in the UK & Eire for a minimum of three years and are either a British citizen or a national of a member state of the European Economic Area, or have been granted leave to enter or remain in the UK for an indefinite period or hold a certificate of right of abode in the UK. You are not eligible to make this application if you are present in the UK only for the purpose of education or attending a course of study.