2025-03-31-accounts

Music for All Trustee Directors’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Management and oversight

The Board of Trustees provides governance for the charity and the Trustees are also Directors of the company and are supported by a hard-working office team which includes a part-time General Manager and a part-time Projects Coordinator. In addition, it uses additional specialist freelancers when required (for administration, communications, PR and fundraising). The charity carries out annual pay reviews for salaried staff as outlined in the pay policy. This is a single percentage figure awarded based on performance, cost of living, market data and budgetary requirements. The review is managed by three people (including at least two trustees).

The Trustees continue to ensure the charity has the appropriate level of available resources to be managed effectively for all stakeholders. The charity has in place:

• e an awards sub-committee;

• e afinance and risk sub-committee;

• @ anincome sub-committee;

These sub-committees enhance governance in these crucial areas and report to the main board. The awards sub-committee oversees the awarding of instruments/funds and future award categories according to parameters set by the main board and our developing need analysis. The finance and risk sub-committee provides support and advice to the board on financial policies and procedures, compliance and risk matters. The income sub-committee oversees the fundraising strategy and instrument donation pipeline.

Public benefit

Music for All's charitable purpose is to advance the public participation in making music and music education in all its forms, including the promotion of understanding, and advocating for, the benefits of making music.

The benefits of making music are proven and wide-ranging and apply equally to both individuals and groups. They include enhanced health and mental well-being, educational attainment, development of social skills, creativity, confidence and self-esteem, reduced stress and anxiety and the alleviation of degenerative conditions. These outcomes also potentially benefit not just those experiencing music making, but also their families, friends and wider circle of contacts, spreading out into the community to contribute to the national social good.

Objectives and activities

Music for All's mission is to enable and inspire everyone, regardless of circumstances, to discover the mental, social and physical benefits of making music. To achieve this mission Music for All:

• e Donates musical instruments and accessories, and awards cash grants towards the purchase of instruments and music tuition.

• e Advocates for, and promotes the life-changing benefits of making music through campaigns and events, and in collaboration with aligned organisations across the music, health, care and charity sectors.

• e Brings free 'Learn to Play' experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds.

• e Supports and promotes other like-minded events such as Make Music day.

• e Supports and organises fundraising events, activities and campaigns that are in harmony with Music for All’s mission.

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Music for All Trustee Directors’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2025

The activity of Music for All is chiefly focused on supporting disadvantaged communities and individuals who are unable to access music making due to financial, health, social or cultural circumstances. All the activities of Music for All are carried out with careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit.

Through Music for All’s regular awards programme the charity has been able to target specific and previously identified areas of need such as support for those with mental health issues, degenerative conditions and limited mobility, as well as providing additional support to educational establishments with limited budgets for music education.

The continual decrease in funding for music education in state schools has contributed to Music for All’s increasing support for this sector so the incredible work being carried out by music teachers across the UK can be continued and enhanced through grants awarded by Music for All.

Through this focus on disadvantaged communities and individuals and by providing direct support to music education in schools, Music for All can continue to work towards providing equality of access to music making for those most in need.

With the above in mind and to allow the charity to help and support a wider audience, during 2024/25 Music for All:

• e Increased the volume of awards, benefiting nearly 21,000 recipients - an increase of nearly 75% on the previous year.

• e Thanks to increased music industry support, scheduled an ‘instrument only’ awards round, resulting in increased volume of applications to these awards.

• e Continued to invest in awards to support identified areas of need in education, health and wellbeing, social and economic circumstances for both individual and community applicants. This includes the inaugural year of Power of Music fund grants, which supported music making activities for people living with dementia and their carers.

• e Grew the Learn to Play programme, supporting charity providers with small grants to enable their music making activities.

• e Expanded numbers of partners and supporters of the Music Makers’ Charter campaign which calls for greater investment in music making as well as greater awareness of the wider benefits of music making.

Achievements and performance

The significant need for support is demonstrated by the continual oversubscription of the charity’s awards. Over 720 requests for support across 2024/25.

In 2024/25, we distributed 170 awards, which included cash grants and instruments of a value of over £225,000. These cash grants allowed 55% of recipients to engage in music lessons, 22% to purchase instruments and 23% to access specialist teaching or purchase much needed accessories.

In addition we continued our programme of substantial awards to schools, allowing recipients to embark on more ambitious and sustainable projects via the Harris Foundation Schools Progression Award (up to £5,000 per award). This award was made possible through a generous donation from one of our supporters.

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Music for All Trustee Directors’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Our flagship event Learn to Play also made great strides forward during the year. Held in early October the event was able to:

• e Increase the number of Learn to Play providers offering free taster music lessons at Learn to Play to pre pandemic levels of over 100 events.

• e Extend Learn to Play activity across three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).

• e Offer greater support for not for profit organisations hoping to hold a Learn to Play event.

• e Increase the number of post event Learn to Play awards, allowing even more disadvantaged individuals to continue to benefit from Learn to Play by supporting their pursuit of music making.

Music for All is delighted to have become a partner in the Power of Music Fund which was launched by the National Academy for Social Prescribing, partnering with UK Music, Music for Dementia and Arts Council England to provide more than £2.6 million to transform the care and support for people with dementia through music.

With nearly a million people in the UK already affected by dementia, demand for support has never been greater and Music for All’s partnership provides grants supporting the cost of specialised music therapy and/or the cost of hosting such events. Our inaugural round of Power of Music fund grants were awarded in August 2024.

Research has shown that music engages the brain in a unique way, with demonstrable benefits for people living with dementia including increased engagement, joy and wellbeing, and a reduction in anxiety, medication and feelings of isolation.

After launching this new fund in November 2023, Music for All was able to award grants in August 2024 of up to £2,000 to 32 groups, benefiting nearly 7,000 people living with dementia and their families.

This partnership has brought considerable benefits to Music for All, connecting the charity to numerous organisations in the health and music sectors, thereby reaching a broader audience of potential award recipients and supporters. Given the strong alignment with our charitable objectives and the tangible benefits that these awards provide to those living with dementia, the charity is delighted to be continuing our work as part of the Power of Music fund for an initial three years, and is proud to be part of the Power of Music Consortium.

Fundraising

The charity's fundraising activity is overseen by the Income Committee, a trustee-led group with minimum three trustees in attendance and supported by the office team. The group works towards a Board approved Income Plan which is focused on increasing the income of the charity and achieving higher income across the duration of the Business Plan.

Focuses include:

• e Developing a project based approach to fundraising. The Power of Music Fund is part of this development.

• e Achieving greater success in the area of trusts and foundations with the introduction of a working group (comprising office staff and trustees) meeting each month to focus efforts.

• e Streamlining the process regarding donated instruments. Significant agreements with large providers such as Hal Leonard, Gear4Music, PRS Guitars, Orange Amps and pBone demonstrate the generosity of these organisations.

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Music for All Trustee Directors’ Report For the Year Ended 31 March 2025

Policy

The trustees aim to maintain free unrestricted funds at a level which equates to approximately six to nine months of administrative costs expenditure. This includes all direct and indirect costs (including staff salaries and committed campaign costs and grants).

The trustees consider that this level provides sufficient funds to respond to applications for grants, and ensure that support and governance costs are covered and ensure a timely solvent wind down of the charity should there be a need to do so. Reserves in excess of this level are available for charitable purposes.

Reserves are maintained in a mixture of current accounts and high interest bearing bank accounts.

The balance held as unrestricted reserves as at 31 March 2025 was £154,387 (2024: £128,669) which represents a shortfall slightly below our ideal reserve midpoint. Over the last year we have purposefully reduced our surplus reserve in pursuit of our charitable objectives. While reserves currently fall slightly below the midpoint, they sit close to our six month minimum threshold. We continue to closely monitor expenditure and income to maintain reserves within the policy's outlined range. The balance held in restricted funds as at 31 March 2025 was £31,223 (2024: £92,621).

The trustees review the reserves policy on an annual basis to ensure that as the charity develops sufficient reserves are held to cover estimated future running costs and grants.

Future plans

The year covered by this report has seen a substantial increase in the income and charitable activity of the charity and we hope to continue this growth over the coming year using our five year Business Plan as a basis for our plans.

This includes:

• e Seek more multi-year funding from donors, trusts and foundations. e Develop a series of events to cultivate donors and fundraisers. e Refine our applications to trusts and foundations to improve conversion. e Invest in our staff to grow capacity and skills for fundraising activity.

• e Extend our strategy to identify specific projects to present to specific funders.

• e Identify and target strategic partners with a prospectus of partnership packages. Learn to Play has the potential to scale up significantly with the right partner(s).

• e More targeted approach to instrument donors, focusing on those who can provide volume and the instruments most commonly needed.

With this approach, the Trustees hope to not only ensure the future of the charity and its ability to meet its charitable aims, but also to evolve Music for All into a more widely known force for good by encouraging a greater understanding of the power of music making and its unique ability to change lives, enhance wellbeing and health, and the education of everyone.

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Music for All Notes to the Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 March 2025

1.4 Expenditure

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to that activity. Expenditure includes attributable VAT which cannot be recovered.

Where costs cannot be directly attributed, they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of the resource.

• 1.5 Stock In accordance with FRS102 and the SORP, new donated instruments in stock are valued at retail selling price, and pre-owned donated instruments are valued at £nil .

• 1.6 Debtors

Accrued income comprises amounts due from funders and is recognised when the charity is entitled to the grant, receipt is probable and the amount can be measured reliably. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid.

• 1.7 Cash at bank and in hand Cash at bank and in hand comprise cash on hand and call deposits, and other short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to a known amount of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of change in value.

• 1.8 Creditors Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are recognised at their settlement amount.

1.9 Taxation The company is a registered charity and is therefore not liable to corporation tax to the extent that income and gains are applied to the charitable objectives of the charity.

• 1.10 Pension contributions

• The Charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme. The scheme and its assets are held by independent managers. Contributions are recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities in the period in which they become payable in accordance with the rules of the scheme.

• 1.11. Fund accounting General funds are unrestricted funds receivable or generated for the objects of the Charity without further specified purpose and are available as general funds.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds earmarked by the Trustees for particular purposes.

Restricted funds are to be used for specific purposes as laid down by the donor. Expenditure which meets this criterion is charged to the fund, together with a fair allocation of management and support costs.

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