With the combined effects of Black Lives Matter and Covid-19, in which people of colour have died disproportionately, it’s more important than ever to take a critical look at how diversity and inclusion is reflected in what we do.

Here at the Fund we are committed to better support all PRS members, while doing our part to deal with all forms of inequality within the music industry.

We developed our own Diversity & Inclusion Pathway to Progress to keep track of our D&I initiatives which form part of our strategic objectives.

Below are the main projects and initiatives we are working on:

1. The Fund is regularly engaging in discussions with the team and trustees to work towards increasing diversity and balance of age differentiation, disability, ethnicity and gender within our organisation.
2. We are aligning ourselves with the PRS Diversity & Inclusion Taskforce objectives and initiatives to explore how we can reduce inequality.
3. We are aligning with PRS for Music policies, where possible, to ensure a diverse pool of candidates in every recruitment process.
4. We are enhancing our collective understanding of racism in the industry and what being anti-racist means with access to learning & development opportunities.
5. We have implemented the collection of data on ethnicity for applications to the Fund to ensure we are supporting members from any background.
6. We have improved our communications through our website, social media and email marketing to highlight the support available across diverse community groups.
7. We have signed up to the UK Music Ten-Point-Plan to help increase diversity and boost inclusion within the music industry.
8. We have partnered with PRS Foundation’s Power Up programme to create real opportunities for talented Black music creators and industry professionals and will offer mental health and well-being support to PRS member participants including grants towards the cost of specialist treatments and therapies.

Furthermore, our plan includes working with other music charity CEOs to determine why people from black and minorities background do not occupy leadership positions within grant-making organisations and how the music industry might address those inequalities.

We readily acknowledge the contribution made by black people within the creative industries. That’s why we want to take this opportunity to recognise the enormous contribution that black songwriters and composers have made and continue to make to our industry and society in general.

Last year we remembered the Jamaican singer-songwriter Millie Small, who died in May 2020. To celebrate the virtual edition of PRS Presents: celebrating Black History Month, we interviewed Millie’s daughter Jaelee Small and our trustee Mike Lindup, founder member, keyboard player and vocalist of the band Level 42.

The interviews and testimonials can be seen here.

We will continue to work with industry organisations to raise awareness of the support available to people of colour, especially as a result of the pandemic, while playing our part in dealing with all forms of inequality and prejudice within the music industry.