London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama will offer substantially more financial support to its students, following a major grant from the Leverhulme Trust.
In 2021, the trust has committed more than £15 million worth of scholarship funding to various organizations — a 50% increase from previous years.
According to the trust, the extra money is intended to provide support for outstanding students whose financial situation may have been affected by the pandemic and to reduce any barriers that might prevent such students from embarking on a course of study.
The Guildhall's grant is the second largest of the 57 institutions that have received funding. The school has divided the money into 200 separate scholarships, to be awarded over three years.
Both undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships are available, and some of the scholarships will support the school's Young Artists program, which is aimed at students under the age of 18.
Additionally, the money will be used to develop Guildhall's new Young Artists Online initiative, which will help the school reach an international audience.
"I am incredibly grateful to the Leverhulme Trust for their continued support of Guildhall School," said Jonathan Vaughan, the Guildhall's Interim Principal. "With the generous support of our donors, in particular the Leverhulme Trust, Guildhall School is committed to aiming to ensure that no student faces financial barriers to studying with us."
“We are acutely aware of the great hardship in the sector and particularly amongst those starting out on their careers," said Niall FitzGerald, the Chairman of the Leverhulme Trust Board. "Our hope is that the extra funding will draw in new and diverse organizations who are helping the widest possible community of talented artists.”
