New opportunity for traditional music communities

photo by Jennie Caldwell

Traditional Music Development Manager Jordan Price Williams writes about the current state of traditional music in Wales and the support which will be provided Tŷ Cerdd's new funding initiative.

We’re really excited to share the launch of Cronfa Tradd Fund, a new grant fund from Tŷ Cerdd created to support and celebrate traditional music across Wales. 

Traditional music in Wales has shown remarkable resilience. Across generations, traditions have been carefully through periods of change, challenge, and underinvestment, held by committed individuals, grassroots groups, and strong community bonds. Whether rooted in Welsh traditions or in the many other musical heritages that now form part of Wales’s cultural life, traditional music continues to adapt, respond and thrive through collective effort. 

That resilience, however, should not be taken for granted. The traditional music community in Wales is strong, skilled, and resourceful, but it is also stretched. Much of its activity relies on voluntary labour, personal commitment, and limited resources. Cronfa Tradd exists to recognise both the strength of the sector and the reality that resilience needs active support to be sustained. 

This fund has been shaped in response to the Traditional Music Review, which highlighted the depth and cultural value of traditional music in Wales, alongside the need for greater access and appropriate funding pathways. The review emphasised the importance of supporting grassroots activity, community-led practice, intergenerational learning, and artist-driven development; Cronfa Tradd is a direct response to those findings. 

Cronfa Tradd is designed to be encouraging, flexible and rooted in trust, supporting projects that develop, sustain and reimagine traditional music in Wales. This might include creative development, learning and transmission, research, documentation or community activity grounded in tradition. We welcome projects reflecting the full range of traditional music practices found in Wales today, recognising that tradition is something that lives through people, place and participation. 

The fund is open to constituted groups, and we warmly encourage applications from organisations, ensembles, and collectives, whether long-established or newly formed. If your work is embedded in community, supports participation and skills-sharing, and contributes to the future health of traditional music practice in Wales, Cronfa Tradd is likely to be relevant to you. 

At its heart, Cronfa Tradd is about backing a community that has already shown its strength. It is an investment in people, knowledge, and cultural continuity, recognising that while traditional music communities are resilient, they should not have to survive through goodwill alone. 

Full guidance and application details are available via Tŷ Cerdd, including clear information on priorities, eligibility, and deadlines. We encourage potential applicants to reflect on how their work connects to the wider themes of the Traditional Music Review, particularly around sustainability, access, and long-term support. 

We look forward to seeing the ideas, care, and creativity that Cronfa Tradd will help to realise, and to supporting the continued vitality of traditional music in Wales. 

Find out more about Cronfa Tradd Fund