Wednesday 21 October 2026
To address class barriers in the UK’s creative sector, iconic London youth charity and multi-arts venue Roundhouse has launched an initiative which will provide coaching, mentoring, and one day a week of paid time for two working-class entrepreneurs.
The Development Bursary is a new initiative from Roundhouse Works, the award-winning coworking space and development programme for early stage creative freelancers and entrepreneurs aged 18-30. In a six-month intensive pilot, the Development Bursary will provide two fully funded places for working-class creative freelancers and entrepreneurs facing systemic financial barriers.
With younger adults from working-class backgrounds four times less likely to work in the creative industries compared to their middle-class peers (Sutton Trust), the Development Bursary will give those who can’t afford to sacrifice paid work the space to work on their business.
The Bursary will include one day per week paid at the London Living Wage, alongside personal mentoring and access to the Roundhouse Works co-working space. As a member of Roundhouse Works, the two recipients will also be able to access talks and networking events with established creative leaders. The Membership also includes peer-to-peer skill-sharing sessions and practical workshops covering topics like finance, marketing and business planning.
Nathan Tuft, Head of Young People at the Roundhouse, said: “If you’re working to cover your rent and bills, finding time to establish yourself as a creative freelancer or develop a business can be difficult, however committed you are or how strong your ideas might be.
“With the Development Bursary, we want to give two young creative freelancers or entrepreneurs some paid time to focus on their development, alongside mentoring, workspace and a community of other creatives. It’s about recognising the financial pressures that young creatives are working around and putting practical support in place so they have more room to develop their ideas and build sustainable careers.
“Amazing ideas are everywhere. We want to help make sure that class barriers aren’t holding back young people’s creativity, and help create pathways into the industry so they have the opportunity to take those ideas forward.”
Applications for the Development Bursary, as well as the next cohort of Roundhouse Works Memberships, are open now. Find out more here.