History

Since the Foundation was set up, over 1500 grants totalling more than £2.25 million have been awarded.

Throughout this time the majority of awards have been made to subsidise the public performance of works by living composers – these have included performances in standard concert halls, churches, railway stations and other spaces. Awards have also been made to fund scholarships and bursaries at academic institutions or summer schools.

In 1994 the first Hinrichsen Composition Bursary was awarded: to date six awards have been made totalling £70,000, the first three direct to composers and the other three in association with institutions.

In 2012 a New Initiatives Scheme was introduced to provide multi-year support for larger scale projects.  Over a period of three years seven awards were made totalling £150,000, to support a variety of projects including performances, recordings, workshops, commissions and bursaries.

The sale of Edition Peters in 2023 has created an opportunity for the Foundation to set a new and confident strategy in relation to the contemporary music sector: further information will be provided once this is formulated.