NYCOS exists to help young Scottish singers reach their potential. We are very proud of our track record of offering discounted memberships to those young people who would otherwise not have been able to join our Choirs. Bursary-supported NYCOS members have gone on to study music at some of the world’s most prestigious institutions and now perform professionally. We celebrate their achievements and use their stories to help us raise funds for the next generation of talented singers.

 

The following document should provide families with the information they need but please do not hesitate to contact us at financial-assistance@nycos.co.uk if you feel you do not fit into any of these scenarios but still require financial assistance.

General Policy Overview

Recent fundraising success has allowed us to review, extend and simplify our bursary scheme. The changes we have made should ensure that the vast majority of individuals receive at least the same level of assistance as historically – in many cases they may well receive more.

 

• NYCOS is able to offer full (100%) and partial (50% and 20%) bursaries to qualifying choir members. The vast majority of our 100% bursaries are funded by a generous three year grant from the Leverhulme Trust made for under 18s; the partial bursaries are funded by a combination of philanthropic and corporate backers, as well as a new ‘Paying It Forward’ fund created for those families who are bursary funded but wish to make a small contribution in recognition of the experiences their children receive. To enable us to give the greatest amount of support to the greatest number of people we award bursaries in two distinct ways:

 

• Automatic Qualification will be based on two measures: household income/benefit receipt (see information below) alongside application using the online form. For Regional Choirs the deadline is 10 October . The National Choirs deadline will be advised following auditions. While these are not awarded on a first in, first served basis, we do ask that qualifying families apply as swiftly as possible, to enable us to monitor demand and assess what resources we will have left for Assessed Bursary Awards. One application is needed per member .

 

• Assessed Qualification is for candidates who either miss the initial deadline OR who have mitigating household circumstances that may qualify them for a bursary. These mitigating circumstances might include (but are not limited to) – an unexpected income drop which puts NYCOS membership at risk (for example due to parental illness or relationship separation); or the oldest child in a multi-membership family. Single child families who would struggle to afford both Regional and National Choir membership can also retrospectively apply for a Regional Choir bursary, although given the National Choir residential fees are more expensive we would generally recommend that a bursary application be made for National Choir membership instead.

 

 

• To keep applications streamlined, you will not have to provide proof of income in the initial online form. However, as in previous years, a proportion of recipients will be asked to provide follow-up proof of their financial circumstances – and failure to do so will lead to the application being denied. This is a condition insisted upon by our auditors, and one which as a charity we must follow.

 

Automatic Qualification

In the past we offered nine levels of discounts based on household income levels; we now offer three. The income bands below have been reviewed in light of Scottish median household income, benchmarked against other Scottish student finance and arts organisations, and analysed against our own record of recent bursary awards. All members who previously qualified for financial assistance still will – in fact we’ve actually increased the household income thresholds to allow more to qualify for our 100%, 50% and 20% discounts.

 

Household income before tax	Bursary offered
£0-£25,000	100% of fee
£25,001-£35,000	50% of fee
£35,001 – £42,000	20% of fee

 

Appendix One provides more detail on how these bursaries apply across the different fee tiers at Regional and National Choirs.

 

We anticipate that the income bands above will include many households who are currently receipt of benefits, all of whom are warmly encouraged to apply for financial assistance. We have also provided a list of benefits which also qualify households for fully funded free places below. If you are in receipt of Government regular or one-off benefits not listed here please note them in the Additional Information part of the online form , and we will take those into account.

• Universal Credit
• Young Carer Grant
• Carer’s Allowance/Carer Support Payment
• Income Support
• Education Maintenance Allowance
• Scottish Welfare Fund
• Guardian’s Allowance
• Income-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Contribution-Based Job Seeker’s Allowance
• Income-Based Employment And Support Allowance
• Support Under Part VI Of The Immigration And Asylum Act 1999
• Personal Independence Payment

 

 

Assessed Qualification

Applications for Assessed Bursaries will be monitored continuously and evaluated on at least a monthly basis by a Committee comprising our Chief Executive, our General Manager and a choir representative.  The longest you should therefore have to wait after filling out our application form is four-five weeks, although we aim to get back to you sooner.

 

Whether your application has been successful or unsuccessful, our office team will get in touch to discuss rebates or any remaining fees owed. We can also discuss and agree a bespoke payment method at this time. We recognise that many are facing ongoing cost-of-living pressures, and we are keen to do all we can to ensure keen singers are able to access our courses.

 

Pay It Forward Fund

Thanks to the help of the Leverhulme Fund, the number of free places we can offer to under 18s via our bursary scheme has more than doubled this year. As such, we anticipate that many members who previously received 70%, 80% or 90% discounts may now qualify for 100% bursaries: good news for them and for us!

 

However, we want our bursary programme to help everyone who needs support and so would ask all families receiving discounts to consider making a contribution to our new Pay It Forward Fund.  Details will be included in your financial assistance confirmation email.

 

This is our first year piloting this approach, so we do not have targets or suggested contribution levels, but we can promise that each and every donation will be reserved to fund future bursary offers. As a famous brand once said, every little helps! If you’d like to tell us you’ve donated please do, we’d love to hear whether the process was straightforward.

 

Additional Terms

Bursary decisions are made by the NYCOS Head Office team based on the information submitted by families. Regional Choir Directors, Coordinators and staff are focused on delivering brilliant weekly sessions and do not play any part in the application or assessment process.

 

Our ambition is to be able to provide at least some support to all Regional Choir members who require it; however this ability depends on our fundraising record, and the resources available for bursary grants will fluctuate year on year. We will use application trends during 2025-26 to assess whether any further amendments are required to be made to this scheme; if so these will be advised in advance of the 2026-27 session.

 

In the event there are multiple Assessed Applications that exceed the funding available we will map applicant postcode against the Scottish Multiple Index of Deprivation to help determine bursary awards and levels.

 

Those in receipt of Bursary grants may also be contacted by NYCOS Head Office to secure testimonials/feedback that will help us evaluate the success of the scheme.

 

Please contact us at financial-assistance@nycos.co.uk if you have any questions about the Financial Assistance policy or would like help determining your family’s eligibility.

 

 

Appendix One.

 

CHOIR	ANNUAL FEES / per instalment	50% /per instalment	20% / per instalment
Junior Choir	£237 / £79	£118.5 / £39.50	£189.60 / £63.20
Intermediate Choir	£260 / £86.61	£130 / £43.30	£208 / £69.33
Senior Choir	£281 / £93. 67	£140.50 / £46.83	£224.80 / £74.93
Chamber Choir	£303 / £101	£151.50 / £50.50	£242.40 / £80.80
National Boys Choir Training Choir	£550 / £183.33	£275 / £91.67	£440 / £146.67
National Boys Choir	£665 / £221.67	£332.50 / £110.83	£532 / £177.33
Changing Voices	£665 / £221.67	£332.50 / £110.83	£532 / £177.33
National Girls Choir Training Choir	£550 / £183.33	£275 / £91.67	£440 / £146.67
National Girls Choir	£665 / 221.67	£332.50 / £110.83	£532 / £177.33
NYCOS Training Choir	£710 / £236.67	£355 / £118.33	£568 / £189.33
NYCOS	£770 / £256.67	£385 / 128.33	£616 / £205.33