The Music Venue Trust has launched a new grant scheme to support small venue across the UK.

The Pipeline Investment Fund will offer grants of up to £5,000 to grassroots venues in an effort to help support them with small-scale development projects related to elements such as lighting, sound, ventilation, staff training and diversity initiatives. Funding is open to any venue operator or organisation that complies with any of the Music Venue Trust's three requirements for a grassroots music space, as detailed here.

Launching the fund, Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd said in a statement: "We have been working on music industry-based funding support for grassroots music venues since 2018. The launch of the Pipeline Investment Fund is an important indication of how the grassroots sector supports and nurtures each other.

"It provides a targeted opportunity for individuals, companies and organisations right across the industry to get involved and provide direct and meaningful financial assistance to the venues which support artists to launch and build their careers. We hope that the industry will see this as a real chance to make a genuine difference."

Find out more about the Pipeline Investment Fund, and how to apply for a grant, here.