As part of our charitable objectives, each year, BABS gives around £18,000 to its member clubs, individual members, and members of the public, to help to educate the world about barbershop singing.

Harmony College Scholarships

One of the benefits that BABS provides for the barbershop community is a number of scholarships, enabling some who will benefit most from the experience to attend, when they might not otherwise have been able to afford to do so.

The number of scholarships available varies year on year, but there will always be the following four scholarships available. 

• Joe Liles Scholarship: Any BABS Youth member (under 26 on first day of HC) who wishes to enrol on any stream
• The John Grant Barbershopper Of The Year: Winner gets free place place on a stream of their choice
• The Joe Berry Young Barbershopper of The Year: Winner gets free place on a stream of their choice
• Chorus Recruitment Champion: Winning chorus gets one free place on a stream of their choice

Scholarships are not stream specific, are open for anyone to apply,  and will be awarded on a case by case basis. 

Harmony College Scholarships become available to apply for around Mid June, and succesful applicants will be notified by the end of July.

Time to Sing Grants

Time to Sing courses, also known as Learn to Sing, are one of the most popular and effective ways of growing your chorus.

 
In a nutshell, these courses involve inviting prospective members to a fixed-length series of rehearsals (usually 3-8 weeks), during which time they are taught the skills required to become a member of your chorus. Often the attendees will also learn a song or two  as part of the course.

BABS wants to encourage clubs to run these courses as frequently as possible, as we’ve seen this format drive significant growth in some clubs. Successfully delivered, a Time to Sing course can have a profound impact on your organisation.

Each year, BABS makes available a number of grants - currently £100 each - to be awarded to clubs seeking to run a Time to Sing course. In order to apply for one of these Grants, you just need to be a BABS Club in good standing, planning a Time to Sing course. In addition, after the course has finished, we ask that you provide an article for Harmony Express, as well as feedback collected from your attendees.

Please note that the number of available grants may be limited, and are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

General Grants

The Board of Trustees are always happy to consider grants that do not fall into the above categories. 

If you are applying for a Grant as an Individual or as a Quartet, you will need to fill ensure your application comes with a completed Grant Referee Form.

If you are applying for a Grant on behalf of a Club, there is no such requirement.

Please fill out the relevant application form below.

Application forms

If you wish to apply for any of the above grants, please fill out the appropriate form below.