Overview
Funding available for between £1k and £50k
The fund aims to enable individuals and organisations to explore ways of working that will help them to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances
The overall budget for the Open Fund for Individuals and the Open Fund for Organisations totals £7.5m of National Lottery money
The Open Fund for Organisations will not be in competition for funding applications for individuals
The fund is Open all year round, with no deadlines and can support activity for up to 12 months.
Sustaining the Creative community during and after COVID-19
Creative Scotland is committed to ensuring that people are supported to develop excellence and experimentation in a wide range of arts and creative activity, reflecting Scotland’s diverse and dynamic cultures. We want to ensure that the experience of the arts and creative activity benefits as many people as possible across Scotland’s communities and places. We have a key role in ensuring that Scotland’s creative workforce and businesses have opportunities to develop, evolve and flourish.
We have launched our Open Fund in a difficult context. The disruption of COVID-19 is a situation without precedent. The creative sector is facing significant challenge. We understand that you will be considering the impact of this emergency and its after-effects on what you do. You may be thinking about new ways of working. If you aim to reach people with your work in performance spaces, for example, you may be looking at new ways to achieve this. You may be looking at ways to stabilise your existing activity. You may be reimagining what you do, and as part of this process, you may wish to take creative risks.
This fund is designed to support you to sustain your practice in a changing world. We are asking you to tell us what you want to do, and how it will help you and/or others in the months and years to come.
Who can apply?
Funding for Individuals
Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners in Scotland can apply for projects supporting the development of their practice. You may apply for funding to work with others if your practice is collaborative. You must have a UK bank account.
Funding for Organisations
This fund is for organisations and groups based in Scotland whose work or project involves the arts, screen and creative industries. All applicants must have a UK bank account.
How much can I apply for?
Funding for Individuals
We can accept applications between £1,000 and £50,000.
Our aim is to support as many individuals as possible to sustain their practice and we expect that most applications will be up to £15,000. We do understand, however, that your needs will be dependent on the nature of the work proposed. For example, collaborative projects and projects of scale may require a higher level of funding.
Funding for Organisations
You can apply for a grant from £1,000 to £15,000 or for a grant from £15,000 to £50,000.
For both Individuals and Organisations, if you are applying for a grant from £15,000 to £50,000 you will be asked some additional questions and be asked to complete a separate form for assessing risk.
What is the overall budget for the fund?
We anticipate a total annual budget of around £7.5m across our Open Fund for Individuals and Open Fund for Organisations. This money comes from the National Lottery through Creative Scotland.
When can I apply?
Applications are now open.
There are no deadlines for this fund. You can apply at any time during the year. Please note that our longer-term funding approach and priorities are currently in development. We ask that you regularly check our website for updates.
For more information, please visit: https://www.creativescotland.com/funding/funding-programmes/open-fund-sustaining-creative-development
