Sony Music U.K. has announced five new beneficiaries— Key4Life, Milk & Honey Bees, Bruce Grove Youth Space and a scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music—of its U.K. Social Justice Fund.
Sony Music Group’s Social Justice Fund was created in June to tackle racial injustice in the wake of the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd and the global phenomenon of the Black Lives Matter movement. The fund aims to support social justice, equal rights and anti-racist initiatives around the world; the first phase of U.K. funding focused on grassroots initiatives.
Key4Life works with young men who have been in prison. The money will help to fund its At Risk rehabilitation program that supports young ex-offenders through music, football, equine therapy and mentorship.
The grant for young women and girls network Milk & Honey Bees will go toward the development of the Creative Connection project for 16- to 25-year-olds, which provides skills, mentoring and a broad curriculum to help black women access employment opportunities in the creative industries.
Sony’s funding for the Tottenham-based Bruce Grove Youth Space will support its existing music program, which is run by a Sony Music mentor. At The Royal Academy of Music, Sony is funding a four-year scholarship for a student starting in September 2022, alongside mentorship from alum/Sony-signed composer and pianist Alexis Ffrench (pictured).
Beneficiaries were chosen by an advisory board representing labels and divisions across Sony Music U.K. The co-chairs of the U.K. fund team are Damaris Rex-Taylor, Dorothy Hui, and Jessica Carsen, who are supported by Charlotte Edgeworth, a corporate social responsibility consultant specializing in grant-making. The partnerships will launch formally in 2021 and funding for other initiatives will continue in further rounds.
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