The Fishmongers’ Company is passionate about widening access to Music, Drama and Art education. It has longstanding relationships with some of London’s oldest Music, Drama and Art Schools. These include:
The Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where the Company supports two scholarships, one for Acting and one for Music, as well as outreach work for music therapy students.
The Royal College of Music, where the Company supports a number of scholarships as well as supporting the RCM’s Sparks programme to make music accessible to young people from less affluent backgrounds.
City & Guilds of London Art School, where the Company provides funding to support the development of the school’s strategic plan and projects such as a new BA Illustration Course and widening access to the arts for young people. The Fishmongers’ Company was one of the London Livery Companies involved in the founding of the City and Guilds Institute in 1878 which later joined with the Art School.
We have also more recently given additional grants to help widen access to music and drama teaching for disadvantaged young people at the following:
London Musical Theatre Orchestra, where the Company provides funding towards the delivery of the Upbeat programme, providing Key Stage 3 and 4 students with the opportunity to learn an orchestral instrument over several weeks and experience playing as part of an ensemble.
Trinity Laban, where the Company is funding Fishmongers’ Jazz Pioneer Scholarships for two Trinity Jazz students, as well as supporting Trinity Laban’s Jazz in Schools programme.
Lyric Theatre, Belfast, where the Company is funding bursaries for Lyric Drama Studio students to continue their training in the UK or Ireland, as well as travel bursaries for those applying for places at drama colleges in the UK and Ireland.
The Company also maintains its centuries-long connections with Gresham’s School in Norfolk and Christ’s Hospital School in Surrey (but originally based in the City of London) alongside a more recent connection with the Faraday School in Tower Hamlets, providing life-changing bursaries to students at both primary and secondary level.
It has also reinvigorated its relationship with the Ballykelly Primary School in Northern Ireland, which was founded by the Company in 1828, by awarding it a three-year grant (2024-27) to reduce underachievement and improve access to the Arts, especially in music.
