It also supports music professionals throughout their working lives when a crisis such as an accident or illness can have a devastating impact and, in later life, with challenges that face older people.

Each year, the Fund helps more than 1,500 music professionals and makes career development awards to over 200 outstanding young musicians. In 2009 it made grants to the value of £1.8m to musicians in need or crisis.

In addition to supporting professional and retired musicians, the Musicians Benevolent Fund also plays a major role in education, through its remit to encourage the next generation of professional musicians. This is based on providing financial support to outstandingly talented young musicians. In 2009, over 350 young people, ranging from school age to those at the outset of their professional lives, benefited from awards totalling over £478,000. In addition, almost £375,000 was awarded to over 60 organisations which provide advanced training and performance opportunities to outstanding young musicians. Below are details of some of the awards currently available to young people.

These awards provide funding of up to £1,000 to successful applicants who are under 18. The funding can go towards the cost of an instrument, private music lessons or fees. Funding for musical instrument purchase is also available to musicians who are 18 and about to enter their first year at university or college. The closing date is Friday 11 June 2010.

The Guilhermina Suggia Gift of £3,000 is for exceptionally talented cellists under the age of 21 following competitive audition. The award was established in 1955 in memory of distinguished Portuguese cellist Guilhermina Suggia to benefit young cello students, particularly those aiming to become solo artists. The Guilhermina Suggia Gift has, over the past 50 years, been awarded to some of the world's foremost cellists including Jacqueline Du Pré, Steven Isserlis, Robert Cohen, Raphael Wallfisch and Julian Lloyd Webber and more recently, rising young cellists Guy Johnston and Bartholomew La Follette.

The next closing date for applications will be in Autumn 2010 and further details will be available on the website from Summer 2010

The Guilhermina Suggia Gift of £3,000 is for exceptionally talented cellists under the age of 21 following competitive audition. The award was established in 1955 to benefit young cello students, particularly those aiming to become solo artists.

These awards are available to talented young songwriters who are studying on an undergraduate or postgraduate popular / commercial music course in the UK. Applicants should be nominated by their head of course and the closing date for applications will be in the Autumn.

Awards are offered to outstandingly talented instrumentalists (including accompanists and repetiteurs) and singers to help with full-time postgraduate study costs or towards the costs of buying a musical instrument. The awards may range between £1,000 and £5,000. There are also named scholarships available through these awards of up to £5,000 each. The next deadline will be February 2011.

The Sybil Tutton Awards are offered to outstandingly talented singers on full-time postgraduate opera courses to help with study costs (fees and maintenance). A special Richard Van Allan Award may be offered to a suitably outstanding male singer. Individual awards will range from £1,000 to £5,000 and the next deadline is 23 April 2010.

Awards of up to £5,000 are made to outstanding musical theatre performers to help with full-time postgraduate or the final year of undergraduate musical theatre study costs (fees or maintenance).

Applications for funding for the 2010/11 academic year will be accepted in the spring. The next closing date for applications will be in May 2010.

The Maggie Teyte Prize and Miriam Licette Scholarships place particular emphasis on the interpretation of French mélodie. These awards are open to female singers in full-time postgraduate vocal study or in the first year of entering a professional career. Applicants must be able to demonstrate considerable success at this level.

Available to female singers, the Maggie Teyte Prize is £2,000 together with a recital in association with the Friends of Covent Garden for the Royal Opera House. The winner will also be awarded a Miriam Licette Scholarship of £1,500 for advanced study and further scholarships may be available.

Applications for the Maggie Teyte Prize 2011 will open in the autumn of 2010.

The Peter Whittingham Jazz Award of £4,000 is for a project and is awarded annually to an individual jazz musician or group showing talent and innovation. This project may be in recording, composition or performance and must be in the field of cutting-edge jazz.

The next closing date for applications will be in Autumn 2010.

In addition to these individual award schemes, the Fund provides an indispensable online database of sources of funding called the Funding Wizard. The database lists the various Awards that the Fund offers, as well as many others by other organisations.

If you have any questions about student funding through the Musicians Benevolent Fund then please call the Awards and Professional Development Department on 020 7239 9119 or email awards@mbf.org.uk.

For more information about the Musicians Benevolent Fund including the Awards, closing dates for applications, the Funding Wizard and the work of the Fund in general visit mbf.org.uk or contact:.

Musicians Benevolent Fund
7-11 Britannia Street
London
WC1X 9JS
Tel: 020 7239 9100
E-mail: info@mbf.org.uk