Live comedy promoters support sector wide fund
The Stand Up And Give Fund, set up by the Live Comedy Association to support those working in the UK grassroots live comedy sector, has raised over £30,000 thanks to donations from live comedy promoters and individuals. Donations have been received from Komedia (Bath), Leicester Square Theatre (London), The Frog & Bucket Comedy Club (Manchester), Big Fish Comedy Club (Cumbria), The People’s Comedy (Bristol & London) as well as around 100 individuals. The Live Comedy Association (LCA) aims to reach £50,000 and donations can be made by visiting https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/stand-up-give
The fund was set up in September 2025 and is the second crowdfunding campaign led by the LCA. In 2021 the membership organisation launched the Save Live Comedy fund and raised £77,000 which was distributed to people working in the sector affected by the pandemic. The Stand Up And Give Fund aims to support comedians and people working in the sector with training, events and free advice as well as continuing to lobby government and public agencies for additional funding and recognition. Membership of the LCA is free to anyone working in live comedy sector across the UK and details of the organisation can be found by visiting www.livecomedyassociation.co.uk
Komedia Bath hosted a Live Comedy Day fundraising show with comedians John Bishop, Jarred Christmas, Dani Johns and Ignacio Lopez which raised just over £12,000 for the fund. Adrian Boreham, Venue Manager at Komedia Bath said “we were so proud to be part of Live Comedy Day, and welcome Jarred Christmas, Dani Johns, Ignacio Lopez and headliner John Bishop to our venue. The live comedy industry is under real pressure with rising costs, no government support and no formal recognition as an art form. The Live Comedy Association is representing the entire grassroots live comedy sector and pushing to change things are we are proud to stand with them and help support the Stand Up & Give Fund. We are delighted to be able to help the industry have a more powerful collective voice.”
In addition to the show in Bath, Komedia Brighton also hosted a fundraising show on Live Comedy Day and the ticket proceeds have been donated to Stand Up And Give Fund. Other promoters who are supporting the Fund include Soho Theatre, The Glee Club, The Stand and Museum of Comedy.
Jessica Toomey co-Chair of the LCA, said “We want to say a massive thank you to Komedia Bath and all those who have donated money to support the Fund. When we set up Stand Up And Give in autumn 2025 we set an ambitious target of £50,000 and we are thrilled to be getting ever closer to that total. We know there is more support to come and will be shortly announcing the process forpeople to apply to the fund and receive financial support.
The importance of a loud voice to represent our sector is vital. We are proud that we are the only membership organisation in the UK that represents people working in grassroots live comedy. The louder we shout, the more likely it is that our sector will get similar resources to that which grassroots live music has received.”