MOBO Trust, the charitable arm of the MOBO Organisation, and Help Musicians, the 99-year-old charity for musicians, have expanded the MOBO Help Musicians Fund to offer support across artists’ creative output, business skills and health and wellbeing in year 4 of the successful collaboration.
Having run three hugely successful rounds of the MOBO Help Musicians Fund since 2017, resulting in 50 projects receiving support, this year’s Fund grows from a £60,000 to a £100,000 investment into artists creating music of black origin. MOBO and Help Musicians have also examined the further needs of musicians and bolstered the package of support to empower musicians to drive forward their businesses at a crucial time. .
The 2020 MOBO Help Musicians Fund will offer awards of £3,000 towards creative output, plus 1:1 business advice sessions tailored to each awardee’s individual needs and delivered via experienced music industry professionals, as coordinated by ThinkMusic. Furthermore, the Fund will also offer 1:1 health consultations with British Association for Performing Arts Medicine professionals, covering all aspects of a musician’s health, including physical and mental health needs and specialist referrals where required.
Full guidelines and application forms for the MOBO Help Musicians Fund will be available from June 29 on the Help Musicians website.
Kanya King, Founder, MOBO said: “In times of trouble we have always looked to music and our musicians to provide a sense of relief, express our feelings and emotions and to share messages of hope.
In these challenge times, we could really do with some hope.
This is why MOBO are proud to continue our partnership with Help Musicians as we go further than ever to support our musicians as they face the uncertainty of a Post COVID-19 world and what it means to be a working artist. We stand in unity to support them”
Claire Gevaux, Director of Programme, Help Musicians said: “Help Musicians is incredibly pleased to not only continue our partnership with MOBO but also to expand the support package offered by the MOBO Help Musicians Fund into something that contributes to a musician’s personal sense of balance. We believe that having access to business knowledge has a unique ability to empower artists, and when combined with the right health and wellbeing support, plus the funds to create, musicians have a stronger opportunity to thrive in their careers as well as their lives. ”
MOBO Trust:
MOBO Trust, the charity branch of the MOBO organisation, was established in 2016 to provide life-changing opportunities and support to exceptional talent in music and beyond often from disadvantaged backgrounds.
MOBO Trust initiatives include the MOBO Help Musicians Fund, which was created to support the career ambitions of exceptionally talented artists and groups with grants of up to £3k alongside 1:1 business advice and mentoring.
Other opportunities provided include the annual MOBO UnSung competition, which sees countless entrants and provides an artist development programme for the Top 10 finalists.
Help Musicians:
Help Musicians is an independent charity with an extraordinary history. For nearly 100 years, it has provided a broad spectrum of help, support and opportunities to empower musicians aged 18+, at any stage of their career or retirement, from times of great need to times of opportunity, providing a lifetime of support when it is needed most.
The charity is uniquely placed to take a personalised approach with each individual supported through its integrated programme that offers emerging and established professional musician’s assistance across health and wellbeing, business skills and creative development.
Help Musicians aims to make a meaningful difference to the lives of professional musicians and is passionate about creating a world where musicians thrive.