Department for Communities announces £750,000 for musical instruments scheme

Delivered by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the programme is open to individual musicians, professional and non-professional performing groups and bands – including marching bands, brass bands, melody and concert bands.

The programme will distribute £750,000 in funding to support the purchase of new musical instruments with the aim of increasing the quality of music-making within Northern Ireland.

Minister Lyons said: 

“I am pleased to announce the launch of this year’s Arts Council of Northern Ireland’s Musical Instruments Programme. Through the financial support provided by my Department, I am committed to increasing the quality of music-making in Northern Ireland and would encourage musicians, bands and groups to make an application. We can all appreciate the importance of music and how it contributes to, and enriches, our cultural experiences.”

The Musical Instruments Programme is designed to help musicians in Northern Ireland replace their old, worn-out instruments and purchase new ones.

A total of 119 grants were awarded through the Programme last year, which saw 75 bands, 13 professional and non-professional performing groups and 31 professional musicians receive funding.

Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: 

“With much appreciated capital investment from the Department for Communities, the Arts Council is delighted to announce the opening of the Musical Instruments Programme 2025/26.This valuable scheme offers bands, musical groups, schools and professional musicians the opportunity to buy new instruments, helping to increase skills for all players, from young musicians just starting out, right through to highly trained performers. Applications are now open on the Arts Council Northern Ireland website, with grants available across three tailored programmes.”

Ciaran Scullion, Head of Music and Opera at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: 

“This investment is fantastic news for the music sector. We are acutely aware of the impact this funding has in communities across Northern Ireland and we have recently opened a consultation process with bands sector to hear their views on how we can harness their passion for music and possibly evolve this programme in future years. More details on the bands consultation will be announced shortly. In the meantime, this year the three strands of the programme will remain the same and full details of how to apply can be found on our website.”

The Musical Instruments Scheme will have three strands:

Musical Instruments for Bands Programme
Grants of up to £10,000 will be available. This funding is designed to help bands replace worn –out instruments and purchase new ones. It is open to bands based in Northern Ireland, which are constituted, including marching, accordion, brass, concert, flute, pipe and wind bands. Application deadline: 12noon, Friday 1 August 2025: For more information go to: https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding/funding-for-organisations

Professional and Non-Professional Performing Groups Programme
Grants of up to £30,000 will be available. This strand is open to schools and to professional and non-professional performing groups in any genre of music, including community, youth and resource organisations. All organisations must be constituted and instruments applied for must be used for rehearsal, tuition and performance. Instruments must be owned by a constituted group which operates as not-for-profit, that is, a voluntary or charitable body with its own separate bank account. Application deadline: 12noon, Friday 1 August 2025: For more information go to: https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding/funding-for-organisations

Individual Professional Performing Musicians Programme
Grants of up to £10,000 will be available. This strand is designed to provide support for highly-skilled performing musicians based in Northern Ireland, working at a professional level, who seek support for the purchase of high quality instruments that are central to their performing career. Application deadline:12noon, Monday 28 July 2025 For more information go to:https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding/funding-for-individuals

For more information on Arts Council funding programmes go to www.artscouncil-ni.org/funding