If you are a working musician in the UK or Ireland, Feb 2026 is shaping up to be a period of serious structural funding rather than symbolic gestures. Here’s what’s live, confirmed or opening soon.

🇮🇪 Ireland: Structural Support Expands

Ireland has confirmed that the Basic Income for the Arts scheme will continue from 2026 to 2029. This follows the three-year pilot that provided €325 per week to 2,000 artists and creative workers.

Details and FAQs:
https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/publications/basic-income-for-the-arts-scheme-2026-2029-faq/

This is not a project grant. It is income support designed to reduce financial precarity so artists can actually create. Applications are expected to open in 2026, so it is worth preparing documentation early.

Alongside this, the Arts Council of Ireland has multiple rolling and deadline-based schemes across music, touring, recording and project development.

Funding portal:
https://artscouncil.ie/funding/

2026 funding schedule:
https://artscouncil.ie/news/2026-funding-schedule/

If you are planning a release, tour, residency or collaborative project, align your timelines with their published calendar now. Waiting until the week before deadline is how good ideas die.

For instrument and equipment support, the Music Capital Scheme remains one of the most practical funds available.

Music Capital Scheme:
https://www.musicnetwork.ie/what-we-do/music-capital-scheme

This covers instruments and related capital items. Emerging and established musicians are eligible, depending on criteria.

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom: Targeted & Project-Based Funds

The UK does not currently have a basic income model for artists. Funding remains competitive and project-based.

The PRS Foundation continues to offer support for new music creation, touring and talent development.

PRS Foundation funding:
https://prsfoundation.com/funding-support/

This includes initiatives supporting women, genre-specific projects and international touring. Always read the guidance carefully. PRS Foundation funds music creators, not general business costs.

The Hinrichsen Foundation supports the performance and recording of contemporary music, particularly composers.

Hinrichsen Foundation overview:
https://www.hinrichsenfoundation.org.uk/application-form/

Grants are typically focused on new composition and performance, not marketing.

Musicians in the UK should also monitor the Musicians’ Union funding guidance pages, as they regularly list trust funds and touring support streams:
https://musiciansunion.org.uk/career-development/career-guides/financing-and-funding-your-work

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Strategic Advice for Artists

Funding bodies are increasingly data-driven. They want:

• Clear project outcomes
• Audience development strategy
• Realistic budgets
• Evidence of previous activity
• Community or sector impact

Do not submit vague artistic statements and hope for magic. Show a track record. Show reach. Show who benefits.

In Ireland, the funding landscape is structurally stronger at the state level right now. In the UK, it is more fragmented but still viable if approached strategically.

The musicians who win funding are rarely the “most talented”. They are the most prepared.

Treat funding like part of your release strategy, not an afterthought. And just go for it, if you are not in, you can’t win. What’s the harm?

Because survival in music now is not just about songs. It is about infrastructure.