Today we launch the first grant intake for the Nell Smith Memorial Fund less than 18 months after we lost our wonderful, talented, beautiful daughter.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported the fund. It’s been humbling to see the outpouring of support for creating this initiative in Nell’s memory.
What we are most excited about is the fact that we get to support young musicians in Nell’s memory. It’s a legacy of determination, assertiveness, overcoming fears and following your dreams.
In this first intake there are awards available for musicians from Nell’s hometown of Leeds in the uk as well as British Columbia in Canada.
If you apply for the Leeds opportunity, applicants will need to live in LS postcodes (clarify) and if you are applying from BC, you will need to have your registered home address in BC.
2026 Grants are offered as follows
Grants are available for the following activities:
Recording, mixing, engineering
Live performance (touring, specific equipment required for touring, for example mics, mic stands, cables etc - not guitars, amps, keyboards - if new instruments are required please reach out and we will consider this)
Video Production
British Columbia, Canada: One award of $5,000 CAD
UK: Two awards of £1,200
2026 intake key dates
Applications open: Tuesday January 29 2026
Application closing date: Midnight, local time March 13 2026
Award announcements: April 27 2026
Application form link
Review the scoring rubric
