Caption: Two accessible instruments; Touch Trombone & Touch Harp.

Please note that we are no longer accepting expressions of interest for this opportunity.

Seed funding to get your Accessible Instrument Designs off the ground!

We are thrilled to announce that applications are now open for our third round of funding grants to support the creation of new accessible musical instruments.

Skip to information in alternative formats (text only, large print, Easy Read, Audio and BSL)

About the seed funding

At DMLab we are proud to have supported several new accessible instrument designs that help to overcome barriers faced by Disabled musicians.

We want to continue supporting makers with ideas for new accessible devices. We are therefore offering two seed funding grants of £1,000 each to support the development of brand new accessible musical instruments!

This is an incredible chance for innovators and makers to get your ideas off the ground and create something new to showcase at our future DMLab events.

About DMLab

DMLab is a project for Disabled and Non-Disabled musicians, technologists, and makers to come together and explore accessible music making. We hold regular meetups and events to help build more inclusive music making opportunities. 

DMLab London is supported by the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Foundation and public funding from Arts Council England.

Who can apply?

We welcome applications from all creative minds, whether you’re an individual maker or part of a team. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Disabled or Non-Disabled musician, an instrument maker, or a developer – your ideas are invaluable to us. We are specifically seeking Expressions of Interest from those with innovative concepts aimed at addressing specific access requirements for yourself or others.

You must be over 18 and based in England to apply.

Looking for inspiration?

Check out the links below:

Our 2023-24 Grantees presenting their instruments at DMLab London

Previous news about instruments and projects we’ve been involved with

Information about our accessible musical instrument collection

How to apply?

To register your interest, simply complete the short  Expression of Interest form, along with our Equal Opportunities monitoring form.

You can also submit answers in audio or video format if that is more accessible for you.

The Expression of Interest form will give you the opportunity to introduce yourself briefly, describe your proposed instrument, and outline the access requirement it aims to fulfil. There is space to provide links to your previous work as well as upload any sketches or images of your idea.

Applications will open on Monday 28th July 2025. The deadline for submitting your Expression of Interest is  Sunday 31st of August 2025.

If you have any questions about this opportunity or require support to make an application, please email Deborah Borg Brincat at info@drakemusic.org.

We are looking forward to receiving your applications and supporting your creative journey to make music more inclusive and accessible for everyone.

What happens next?

Monday 28th July: Application opening

Sunday 31st August: Deadline for expressions of interest

Monday 15th September: We’ll let you know if you’ve been shortlisted

Monday 29th September /Tuesday 30th September: Meetings with shortlisted applicants

Monday 6th October: We’ll let you know if you’ve been selected

Once you have submitted your expression of interest, we will reply as soon as we can to acknowledge that we’ve received it. We appreciate that a lot of time and effort goes into submitting an expression of interest.