Skip to content
Partner Log in
What we do in 1 minute
PiPA Programme
PiPA Pledge
Research
Our Impact
For carers & parents
PiPA Partners
Strategic Partners
6 reasons to join
PiPA Cymru | PiPA Wales
Mission & Values
Anti-racism
Our story
Meet the team
Work with us
Invite us to your event
Newsletter

PiPA Monthly Opportunities and Support July 2026

Each month Parents and Carers in Performing Arts shares free support and opportunities for our community of parents and carers.

We highlight financial support, wellbeing resources, and career support that might make life a little easier. If you have a resource you’d like listed, please email paige@pipacampaign.com with a link, the dates it is available and the subject line NEWSLETTER.

You’ll find information about each opportunity on the hyperlink.
The PiPA team have done our best to source these links, but we are not responsible for them. Please contact the owner of the opportunity for more information.

Please note: some of these resources, while available to and useful to parents and carers, may not be specifically designed for parents and carers. 

Image – PiPA Partner Liverpool Playhouse © Emma Hillier
1

Never miss a monthly update...

At PiPA, we know that life as a parent or carer in the performing arts can be hectic. That’s why we compile resources from across the industry each month for you – we’re trying to take care of some of your mental load.
Be the first to get these updates straight to your inbox 👇sign up👇

Send it directly to me!

2

Financial Support

Music

The MU has partnered with Howden for specialist cover for home and car insurance for members (good for touring musicians or those with home studios).

Help Musicians Fast Track is a bursary of £500 to support you to make the most of an opportunity in your music career.

 

Theatre

The Actors Children Trust have a few options for grants – find out more.

 

Dance
Are you a dancer, dance teacher or choreographer looking for support? The Dance Professionals Fund might be able to help.

 

Cross Sector

The Black Artists Grant (BAG) offered by Creative Debuts as a no-strings attached financial support to help Black artists. Grant amount is £500 and is open to all creative disciplines, eg painters, musicians, directors, jewellers, set designers, sculptors, choreographers etc.

The Hugo Burge Foundation is a major new arts funding body. Grant funding is focused on three key areas: Creative Education, Creative Communities, and Creative Individuals. Applications close 31st July 2026.

Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) from Arts Council England is a funding programme that supports you as an individual creative and cultural practitioner to focus on your career development.

Arts Council England (ACE) can fund childcare costs as part of their National Lottery Project Grants and other funding programmes, such as Developing Your Creative Practice.
These are classified as Personal Access Costs to enable individuals to carry out their creative work.

Creative Scotland ‘Open Fund for Individuals’ will fund short-term childcare costs for attending a conference or skills development session that is unpaid and essential for your professional development, or one-off childcare expenses incurred specifically for project-related activities, inclusive of creche provision for participants – under Project Access costs.

Arts Council Wales support reasonable childcare costs where it’s necessary to allow individual freelancers to take part in the project – read more here.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has opened a range of funding programmes to support the work of individual artists.

 

3

Childcare & Parenting Support

Music

PRS Members’ Fund has launched its Summer Support initiative for 2026. Summer Support offers funding for school uniform and breaks to help take some of the financial stress off parents and guardians over the summer holiday period. Applicants must have been PRS members for seven years or have earned £500 in royalties – closes September 4th.

The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) has launched Wellbeing Gateway, a new online wellbeing platform for members, which includes parenting advice and support.

Cross Sector

The Government announced on Thursday 21 May VAT cuts for children’s tickets for theatres and cinemas, children’s meals, and reductions in ticket prices for everyone for attractions like adventure centres and theme parks. Badged as ‘Great British Summer Savings’, the scheme runs from 25 June to 1 September 2026 and slashes VAT from 20% to 5% on eligible tickets and activities.

4

Wellbeing & Mental Health

Music

RSM and BAPAM: Free webinars to support healthy practice in musicians. This month is on the link between Vocal Health and Mental Health. 29th July.

 

Theatre

Actors’ Trust have free counselling available for actors and stage management professionals. Who can apply: Actors and people in stage management with at least two professional credits in the past two years, an average of one professional credit per year since the start of their career, or ten professional credits or more over their career.

Actors’ Trust and BAPAM are hosting free wellbeing webinars for actors and stage management professionals. The final session is in collaboration with PiPA. Every week from 20th July.

Freelancers Make Theatre Work have a new resource available on how perimenopause and menopause impact freelancers.

 

Cross Sector

BAPAM are hosting a free webinar/community discussion for performing arts professionals working in creative health on August 3rd.

 

5

Career & Industry Support

Music

CULT Cymru and the MU host a webinar on reasonable adjustments for musicians. Understanding reasonable adjustments is essential to building inclusive creative spaces where disabled creatives and workers can fully participate, contribute, and thrive. Thursday 2nd July.

 

Theatre

Scottish Theatre Federation’s Emporium 2026 – Applications open for Early Dialogue Day. Taking place on Day-1 of Emporium on Tuesday 27 October, Early Dialogue Day provides artists/companies the opportunity to discuss plans for new work or early-stage work with programmers and presenters from across Scotland.

Creu Cymru have an upcoming Access Forum, open to all on to share developments and questions around access and disability equity in the arts for Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent visitors, artists and staff. Thursday 16th July 2026.

Creu Cymru Expanding Stage opportunities provides bursaries for Creu Cymru member organisations to attend arts events that expose individuals to work not commonly programmed in Wales. Rolling applications, see the website for more.

Dance

One Dance UK are offering a free online safeguarding course, built with sector specialists to deliver the latest guidance and industry thinking. The course is being offered for free by High-Speed training to dance, sports and physical activity clubs across the UK.

Dancers Career Development SHIFT Hip Hop enables dancers to expand their careers within and outside the dance industry. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to develop their skills and explore career interests, beyond dance performance; through bespoke mentoring, career coaching and personalised learning programmes. Closing 10th August

 

Backstage Professionals

ASDP (Association for Sound Design and Production) offer a mentor/mentee programme for Professional, Future Professional, NCO and Associate members of the ASDP and aims to connect anyone working, preparing to work, or in enforced pause from work in theatre sound, to helpful and inspiring one on one conversations with peers or mentors.

The Caldicot Stage Management Training Bursary is a partnership between The Theatrical Guild and the SMA to offer hardship grand funding for a range of up-skill training opportunities. Application enquiries can be sent to admin@stagemanagementassociation.co.uk.

The Theatrical Guild has training funds (for short courses only) available to anyone working in a Backstage or Front of House Theatre role (i) who has completed a min of 3 years professional employment & (ii) where personal hardship may restrict your access to training. & (ii) where personal hardship may restrict your access to training. Training applications are specifically for the advancement of your theatre career and to provide greater employability within the industry. Apply here.

 

Cross Sector

Unlimited are currently offering: Anti-Exploitation Academy.
This is a free, self-paced online course for individuals to understand how systemic inequality shows up in their working life and supports them build the knowledge and confidence to advocate for fair treatment and for yourself.

6

Community & Peer Support

Theatre

Equity’s July meeting is dedicated to responding to recent EHRC with a view to supporting trans+ rights. 8th July 2026

Cross Sector

The Motherhood Letters are part of Clore Leadership’s Motherhood Series, sharing open and honest reflections from cultural leaders navigating motherhood and leadership. Creating space for connection, understanding, and conversation across the sector.

Making Art After Making Life: MatriArt at Aberystwyth Arts Centre Inclusive, supportive workshops for m/others rediscovering their creative fire. BYO baby, or not. 23rd September 2026

Two people stand on stage at a production in the Liverpool Everyman Theatre. One is holding a long list and the other is trying to grab it.

FREE Toolkit for Parents and Carers Working in the Performing Arts

Managing The Juggle is a FREE toolkit created to help parents and carers manage their caring responsibilities with the demands of a career in the performing arts. Get it to your inbox today.

Image courtesy of PiPA Partner Liverpool Everyman Theatre (Tell Me How It Ends – Emmy Stonelake as Aster & Luke Sookdeo as Marc © Andrew AB Photography)