Two Years of Impact from the Paul Seed Fund
Two Years of Impact from the Paul Seed Fund
March 2026 marks two years since the Paul Seed Fund was established at London Community Foundation with the intention of boosting London’s music sector by supporting live music activities coordinated through the London Arts Council and the London Music Office.
“Building a business from passion has shaped my life, and I respect those who pursue their craft with purpose. Supporting the arts through London Community Foundation helps artists make a living doing what they love,” said the fund’s founder, Paul Seed, who is also the Founder and CEO of London-based IT company StarTech.com.
Paul Seed (centre) performing with the The Jeremy Fox Band at StarTech.com’s 40th anniversary celebrations in 2025.
Paul’s passion for music showed in StarTech’s 40th anniversary in 2025, where Paul ensured live music was part of the celebrations, and as a musician himself, was part of them.
As well as supporting regular events across London, the partnership between the Paul Seed Fund, London Community Foundation, London Arts Council, and London Music Office has led to three new streams of funding to support artists: Music For Good, Musical Performances by Charitable Ensembles, and – launching in March 2026 – Music For Festivals.
Music For Good: Enables charities, non-profits, and community groups to bring live music to their events. A maximum of $2,000 is available per event and is paid directly to the performers and technicians.
Musical Performances by Charitable Ensembles: Supports ensembles – such as choirs, bands, and chamber groups – with registered charitable status with performance costs of up to $5,000 per group, per year.
Music For Festivals: Available to London-based for-profits, non-profits, and community groups to bring live music to their festivals with an event budget of less than $75,000. Up to $2,000 is available for musicians and $1,000 for technicians per festival.
Music For Good, established in November 2025 and the first of the funding streams, has already funded live music at events organized by Ark Aid, Business Cares Food Drive, Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre, London Children's Museum, Merrymount Children’s Centre, Museum London, Palace Theatre, Spoken Culture, Tampon Tuesday, United Way, and WeBridge Community Services to name but a few.
Sam Pico performing at the London Children’s Museum’s one-year anniversary celebration of its move to 100 Kellogg Lane.
Danny, Gideon, and Lord-Emmanuel (left to right) perform at WeBridge Community Services’ community Christmas celebrations.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Paul Seed Fund for the generous support provided through the Music For Good grant. Because of the funding, Sam Pico’s live performance elevated our one-year anniversary at 100 Kellogg Lane into an intimate and deeply memorable evening - an experience our budget would not have allowed without the fund’s help,” said Jackie Ellefsen, Director of Development at London Children’s Museum.
“Through sponsorship of live band performances, Music For Good helped create inclusive, culturally rich, and emotionally uplifting experiences for community members across generations. Music acts as a bridge across cultures, generations, and personal experiences, reinforcing the importance of inclusive arts programming for older adults,” said Massah Tarawalley, Executive Director at WeBridge Community Services.
These events demonstrate the benefits of having live music, which is never a given because of non-profit organizations’ tight budget constraints. By helping non-profits create more memorable events and experiences, the Paul Seed Fund is strengthening relationships between organizations and their careholders across the non-profit sector while supporting London artists.
To learn more about the Paul Seed Fund and how it can support live music at events run by your organization, visit www.paulseedfund.ca.