The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020
This campaign has always been a fantastic way for us to raise funds but this year we need your support more than ever. We will be sharing the link to our campaign page at 12 noon on Tuesday 1st December, and we would be so grateful if you could make a donation then. Thank you in advance for helping us change young lives through music.
What is the Christmas Challenge?
The Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest online match-funding campaign which helps UK-registered charities raise funds for their projects.
During the Christmas Challenge donors to the London Music Fund will have their donation doubled.
Who matches the donations?
The matching pot used to double donations is made up of two parts.
Part of the matching pot is funding that we hope to secure in the run up to the campaign. The other part of the pot is funding from external 'Champions', ours is The Childhood Trust.
How does the London Music Fund benefit?
Every time someone donates to us through the Big Give during the Christmas Challenge their donation will be DOUBLED.
This means that a £50 online donation made to us during the Christmas Challenge will be doubled to £100!
What are we raising funds for?
Our vision is that every child who demonstrates significant musical ability, enthusiasm and commitment to learning an instrument is given the opportunity to develop their potential. Since 2011 we have been striving to ensure that as many young Londoners as possible who meet these criteria have access to the provision they need due to the difficulty many low income families face when trying to fund music lessons.
A recent report by the Musicians Union found that those from low income families are half as likely to have a child learning an instrument as families with a high income so it is clear that this is still an ongoing issue for which we must take action.
Our donors ensure that these young people are given the support they need to make significant progress in their instrumental studies and enable them to develop a love of music which will stay with them for life. Many of our graduate Scholars have moved on to study at high-profile music schools such as the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal Academy of Music and Centre for Young Musicians.
We support children like 10 year old Bishop, a drum Scholar from Hackney.
During the first lockdown in spring 2020 Bishop told us:
“It is a great joy to be a London Music Fund Scholar. I have had the opportunity to practise my drumming, which I enjoy so much. I have missed all my friends and music teacher during the lockdown. I always go on YouTube to watch other London Music Fund Scholars. It gives me the courage to overcome my challenge of being at home."
Bishop's Scholarship has provided much needed stability over the past uncertain and turbulent months. He has thrown himself into his music and shown true resilience. Bishop was a runner up in our 'Scholars Making Music' video competition earlier this year and won vouchers which he spent on some drum pads so he could practise easily in his flat. We love hearing from Bishop's mum about how he is getting on with his music and can't wait to share his most recent video with you all. If you aren't in the festive spirit yet you will be after watching it!