The Visual Artist and Craft Makers Awards (VACMA) are a programme of small grants schemes with a range of local authorities and art agencies across Scotland to support Scotland-based visual artists and craft makers in their creative and professional development.
Established by Creative Scotland, these partnerships give support at a local level and work with local panels to offer funds to support practitioners at all stages of their career who have demonstrated a commitment to their work and in developing their practice through new work, new skills or new opportunities.
Awards of between £500 and £1,500 are available. We hold deadlines in October and February.
We have introduced a £500 bursary for recent graduates/emerging artists and Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow also run a Development/Mentoring Bursary of £1500 with added support through the year.
See the links below for further information about local schemes in your area. Each partner is holding drop-in information sessions ahead of the October deadline.
We are currently working with partners in 25 local authorities across Scotland. We are always looking to expand our network of Local Authority partners. If you are interested in developing a local scheme please contact Stephen.Palmer@creativescotland.com.
| Local Authority | Status and next deadline |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Aberdeenshire | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Angus | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Argyll and Bute | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Ayrshire (North, South and East) | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| City of Edinburgh | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Dundee | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| East Lothian | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Fife | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Forth Valley & West Lothian | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Glasgow | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Highlands and Moray | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| North Lanarkshire | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Orkney | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Perth and Kinross | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Renfrewshire | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Scottish Borders | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
| Shetland Islands | Final deadline for 19/20 was 4 Feb 2020. Future deadlines TBC |
Whenever schemes are launched or deadlines are imminent, these will also be posted on Creative Scotland’s Opportunities website. Also follow the Twitter hashtag #VACMAScotland for the latest announcements.
These schemes run alongside our support for individual artists, available through the Open Project Fund.
