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AIF Launches Sustainability Step Change Fund
The UK’s Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has launched a new Sustainability Step Change Fund aimed at supporting independent festivals across the UK in adopting more environmentally sustainable practices.
The initiative is backed by an initial £40,000 pledge from Ticket Tailor’s Earth Invest fund.
According to AIF, the Sustainability Step Change Fund will generate capital to enable the association to work more closely with its UK members to minimise their impact on the climate and accelerate the adoption of more sustainable event practices.
AIF members are invited to submit an expression of interest to benefit from the fund as they begin or fast-track their sustainability efforts. The association described the initiative as forming a “coalition of the willing,” with participating festivals working alongside AIF to deliver meaningful and measurable environmental improvements.
The AIF represents 170 UK music festivals, whose combined annual ticket sales exceed 1.3 million.
Part of the framework for the fund will draw on the recently published Show Must Go On Report from Vision for Sustainable Events. In particular, AIF will reference the “30 Climate Actions For Events” checklist as a foundation for supporting festivals in developing climate transition plans.
Ticket Tailor, a UK-based independent ticketing platform, reported that in 2025 more than 68,000 event creators across over 100 countries issued more than 25 million tickets through its platform. The company operates as a certified B Corp, is carbon neutral and donates to climate causes with every ticket sold.
Earth Invest is Ticket Tailor’s dedicated environmental impact fund, described as a pool of capital set aside to support organisations, partners and initiatives working to drive sustainability improvements across the events industry.
AIF CEO John Rostron said: “AIF has worked hard over the years in an effort to raise awareness and improve practices among both music festival fans and promoters on this issue. With the Sustainability Step Change Fund, we can now take those efforts to the next level, providing pockets of financial support, new resources, skills and expertise directly to our members to enable them to facilitate real change. This contribution from Ticket Tailor`s EarthInvest is a great launchpad for the fund and for the independent festival sector.”