FAC's UK Artist Touring fund to launch in Q1 of 2026, as LIVE Trust backs programme

The UK Artist Touring fund (UKAT) is set to launch in Q1 2026, delivering targeted financial support to UK artists, to help make touring more sustainable, viable and accessible. Developed by the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC) in partnership with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the Musicians’ Union (MU), UKAT will provide vital top-up tour support to emerging and mid-tier artists at a time when rising costs are increasingly preventing artists from performing live.

UKAT has been awarded funding as part of the LIVE Trust’s Phase One grant strategy, which is distributing £500,000 to programmes supporting the grassroots live music ecosystem. Established by LIVE, the representative body for UK live music, the Trust channels voluntary £1-per-ticket contributions from large-scale shows into initiatives that strengthen artists, venues, promoters and festivals. The Trust aims to deliver immediate and long-term support where it is most urgently needed.

UKAT has been created in response to the growing financial barriers facing artists on the road. Spiralling touring costs, combined with the cost-of-living crisis and a concentration of spending on high-ticket shows, have made it increasingly difficult for emerging and mid-tier artists to tour without incurring losses. UKAT will help artists build sustainable careers, reach new audiences and bring live music to more communities across the UK. By enabling artists to tour, the programme will also stimulate the wider grassroots ecosystem, benefiting venues, promoters, crews and local audiences.

The FAC is delighted that UKAT has been funded in Phase One of the LIVE Trust’s programme. In this initial phase, we will test processes, refine funding models and develop best practice, to ensure the fund delivers meaningful impact for artists and the wider live sector, creating a transparent, efficient and open funding route that is fit for the future. The FAC will continue to evolve the programme in close collaboration with the LIVE Trust and our partners, with the ambition of establishing UKAT as an ongoing, sustainable opportunity that supports artists across the UK for years to come. UKAT will support the development of artist careers and the growth of new audiences, and will support the supply chain of workers and services that rely on live activity for their income.

To be kept up to date on the UK Artist Touring Fund, including eligibility criteria, application timelines and programme developments, sign up as an FAC member. 

“Artists are the biggest employers in live music, yet rising touring costs have pushed many to the brink of not being able to get on the road at all. The inclusion of the FAC’s UK Artist Touring Fund - which has been built in partnership with the Musicians' Union and the Music Managers Forum - within LIVE Trust’s Phase One process is an important acknowledgement that without artists, there is no live sector to sustain.

We’re proud to be part of this work and to be collaborating closely with the Trust to help rebalance the system and make domestic touring viable again. This fund reflects what can be achieved when the whole industry works together with a shared commitment to the grassroots. It’s a meaningful step towards a more equitable, artist-centred live ecosystem, and we’re proud to support the Trust as this vision begins to take shape.”

David Martin, Featured Artists Coalition / UK Artist Touring Fund