GRANT ROUND 3 IS NOW OPEN! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO APPLY

We are thrilled to have reached our Grant Round 3 launch target of £100,000 and to have opened for grant applications on 11 January 2022. Round 3 grants will support projects taking place between April and September 2022.

The objective of this round of grants is to provide the funds and confidence needed for ensembles to plan and carry out a range of artistically excellent projects that will create employment for freelance musicians. We also wish to encourage projects across the UK, particularly in underserved regions, and the touring of programmes.

Round 3 will also feature a new eligibility category designed to support more recently formed ensembles which may have lacked the performance history needed to apply successfully for our 2021 grants. Continuo is keen to help these groups, hindered by Covid restrictions and cancellations from their start, to gain performing experience and visibility. 

The application submission deadline is 7 February and decisions are expected by 18 March 2022.  

Eligible ensembles will be UK-based professional groups of at least three musicians playing period instruments, or faithful replicas, and focusing primarily on music repertoires from the Middle Ages up until the early 19th century. The proposed project may include vocalists, as long as the instrumental ensemble applying has at least three instrumentalists. Projects may also include new works commissioned for period instruments or combine early and contemporary repertoires in their programmes.

For avoidance of doubt, existing Continuo Foundation grantees are eligible to apply. 

The main objective of our grants is to mobilise projects of outstanding artistic merit which create work for as many freelance period musicians as possible, and which bring period-instrument music to engage new audiences across the UK. The key criteria for assessing applications are:

• the artistic merit and originality of the proposed project; 

• the number of instrumentalists engaged and the proportion of the grant funds dedicated to artists’ fees;

• the extent to which new live or virtual audiences will be engaged; and

• for recently formed ensembles, the extent to which the project proposed is realistic and will contribute to establishing the group's credentials and visibility.  

In choosing which projects to support, in addition to the considerations above, there will be an assessment of the artistic excellence and recent activity of each ensemble. For the avoidance of doubt, ensembles do not need to meet all of the criteria below; the list is designed to give a sense of the areas being looked at by the Advisory Panel and Trustees in their decision-making. These include: 

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• public performances since 2019, including those cancelled due to Covid-19

• critically acclaimed recordings (including CDs, broadcasts, videos, etc.) since 2019

• support of early-career instrumentalists and vocalists 

• innovative programming, including works by diverse composers 

• diversity of performers and administrators 

• involvement in outreach and education projects 

• registered UK charity 

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The Trustees will also consider the quality of the application itself, as we believe this is a reflection of the ensemble's ability to carry out the project to a high standard.

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RECENTLY FORMED ENSEMBLES - EVALUATION CRITERIA

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For ensembles formed between ca. June 2019 and June 2021, the Advisory Panel will consider the areas set out below:

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• evidence of public performances (including any that were cancelled) 

• background information on the musicians comprising the ensemble

• the rationale for the formation of the group 

• repertoire being explored, aspirations, etc.

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The applicants in this category are asked to submit a 10-minute, unedited video of the ensemble performing together. This can be an extract from a live-streamed concert, or part of a performance filmed on a smart phone. If there is no film footage from performances, we will consider a video from a rehearsal. The video does not need to be professionally filmed - we will look for the quality of the ensemble playing, not the quality of the video. 

NB - In order to be eligible, an ensemble must have had at least one public performance before 31st December 2021.  

If you are a professional UK-based ensemble of at least three period instrumentalists, and have a project you would like to carry out in the UK between April and September 2022, we welcome you to apply. 

• To apply, ensembles should complete the Grant Application Form below and submit online.

• We recommend that you prepare your answers in advance on a Word document that can be saved and kept as a record of your submission.

• Please input all answers without special formatting.

• We strongly suggest you use the Guidance Notes to complete the application

• No applications from individual musicians, venues or promoters will be considered in this grant round.

• The Trustees will not enter into pre-application consultations.

• Submission deadline: Monday 7th February 2022, 5pm

• Grant decisions expected by 18th March 2022

To apply, please complete the Grant Application Form below.

Before you start, please download the Project Budget template and submit your completed Excel file using the upload button within the form. There is a video to help with completing the Project Budget template (Excel file) available on our YouTube channel. 

We strongly suggest you read the Guidance Notes to assist with completing the application. 

If you would like to keep a record of your responses, you may wish to screenshot each page before continuing or submitting.