Music brings great joy in our lives and I believe it can also be a force in helping social cohesion in disadvantaged societies where there is deeply-rooted discrimination and suffering, especially among underprivileged young people. I have been actively involved in the charitable sector my whole life and I know there are many organisations in the world which can do this through music of one kind or another. BBT Community Grants are my pledge to seek out and help these valued enterprises.

Ilaria Borletti Buitoni

Established in 2019, BBT Community Grants support organisations that harness the joy and healing power of classical music to improve the well-being and social engagement of marginalised communities throughout the world including:

• those suffering the impacts of disease or poor health
• children and young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds
• wider disadvantaged communities e.g. those in prison, or living in socially-deprived areas
• refugees and asylum seekers who suffer trauma, discrimination and isolation through displacement
• communities facing challenges in social cohesion and mutual understanding.

Building on our evaluation and learning from previous funding rounds, for the first time our 2025 Community Grants will support four organisations with three-year project funding, providing more stability and support over a longer time frame.

BBT Community Grants have already reached and impacted positively on the lives of tens of thousands of people, from disadvantaged communities in Italy and the UK, young people in Kenya, Rwanda and Palestine, and displaced people now living in Berlin, Manchester and the Netherlands. With these new awards, BBT Community Grants will have supported 21 organisations to deliver 25 projects across Europe, North America, Africa and the Middle East.

See the BBT Communy Grants 2025

Selection Procedure

The Trust is unable to accept direct applications from organisations for BBT Community Grants and no direct approach may be made to any of the trustees or members of the Artistic Committee.

For the 2025 funding round, the trustees considered past evaluations to select and approach a small number of organisations that we have supported in previous rounds, inviting them to propose continued or new projects to run over the three years from 2025. These projects will be evaluated over the duration of this period, and this evaluation will inform the next BBT Community Grants funding round in 2027.