Tramlines Festival has allocated £58,000 in funding for local and national projects in 2025, continuing its long-standing support for community initiatives through the Tramlines Trust and other partnerships. Since relocating to Hillsborough Park in 2018, the festival has raised more than £319,000 for charitable causes.
This year, 42 organisations benefited from the Tramlines Trust’s funding round, which prioritised projects improving access to music and the arts, addressing food and fuel poverty, supporting mental health, and providing opportunities for young people. Notable contributions included over £20,000 to the Sarah Nulty Power of Music Foundation and £5,000 to Doctors Without Borders as part of a new charity partnership. Since 2022, the Tramlines Trust has awarded over £120,000 in small grants, much of it generated from onsite donations during the festival.
Local initiatives received targeted support, including Hillsborough Arena, Holme Lane Community Garden, and Soundpost’s Green Open Spaces Walking Trail. S6 Foodbank also benefited from a community campaign linked to the festival’s artist announcement. In November, Tramlines ran a playful “Spill the Beans” campaign, mailing fans tins of beans revealing a 2026 artist name and encouraging donations to the S6 Foodbank, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to local causes.
Across Sheffield, funding supported a wide range of organisations. Roundabout continued music education workshops in partnership with RiteTrax for young people in supported housing. Disability Sheffield expanded inclusive sports provision, and Bloom Sheffield extended its Winter Wellbeing programme to help socially isolated women. Under the Stars returned with its Stars Band, supported by the Tramlines Trust, enabling performers with learning disabilities to take to the stage and showcase their talents.
Additional projects funded in 2025 included grief support books for children, free community hiking and holistic wellbeing days, arts award access for young people with additional needs, food distribution through local schools, and a women’s football team in Lowfield backed by Football Unites, Racism Divides.
Tramlines Festival Coordinator Pia Scattergood said: “Tramlines has always been about more than music, and it matters to us that the festival has an impact beyond the weekend. The Trust helps us stay connected to what’s happening around Hillsborough, while also supporting projects across the city. It means we’re learning from local groups and celebrating the arts and community work that make Sheffield what it is.”
