Applications from musical instrument retailers based in England to join the Take it away scheme are now being accepted.

Take it away is an Arts Council England initiative run in partnership with our bank partner, Moneyway, that aims to make musical instruments more accessible to children and young people. The scheme provides individuals with interest free loans to spread the cost of purchasing musical instruments, and is currently offered through a network of over 300 musical instrument retailers across England. Funding is currently confirmed for the scheme until March 2013.

How to apply

Interested retailers should first read the Guidelines and criteria for membership to see if they are eligible to apply. If you believe your business meets the criteria, you should then complete the application form.

The application process involves an assessment of the compatibility of each outlet with our scheme criteria, and will include an unannounced site visit to the retail premises in order to assess customer service and other quality standards.  Successful retailers will be able to offer Take it away from April 2012 and must adhere to the Scheme Rules.

Please note the deadline for submitting your completed application form  has been moved back to 5pm on Monday 9 January 2012 

Please submit all applications to:

Take it away
Arts Council England
14 Great Peter Street
London
SW1P 3NQ

As well as the completed application form you will need to enclose:

• Full accounts (not in draft form) for the previous year's trading (NB - applicants must have been trading for at least 12 months)

• A completed Moneyway application form providing details for our bank partner.

We only accept applications on an annual basis, and unfortunately cannot accept late applications.

If you would like to receive a hard copy application pack in the post, or have any questions about the application process, please contact us at takeitaway@artscouncil.org.uk or on 020 7973 6452.