In the battle to save London’s nightlife scene, Mayor Sadiq Khan has taken the next step to aide the cultural community. The newest program is called Culture Seeds, and it is a £1 million microgrant system designed to give small grants of £1,000 to £5,000 to creatives and cultural advocates.
According to the U.K. government’s press release, Culture Seeds will launch with its initial efforts including:
- Culture Seeds will offer £1 million in small grants to support brilliant grassroots cultural activity across the capital.
- Grants of between £1,000 and £5,000 will be made available to individuals and small organizations, particularly those who may not have access to public funding.
- Plans for summer campaign in the capital – Sounds Like London – with gigs and events promoting grassroots music venues.
The Sounds Like London program will aim to promote Culture Seeds. The events will include “gigs and events promoting London’s grassroots music venues and shining a light on emerging talent and young women in the music industry.” It will be backed by various corporate and private partners to encourage people to innovate and apply for the microgrants. Partners of the event that have already been announced include a show from the Airbnb and Little Concert partnership, BBC Music Introducing, Boiler Room, Fabric, Music Venue Trust, and more.
Sounds like London will include Fightback London gigs which specifically support grassroots venues and young female promoters.
