Guidance for Applicants
Use the contents on the left hand side, or the navigation buttons below, to read the guidance for applicants. You can also download a Plain Text version below.
Alternative Formats, Languages, Access Support and Contacting Enquiries
Creative Scotland is committed to offering clear and accessible application processes that are open to everyone. We have several ways of supporting you in making an application.
Alternative Formats and Languages
Our published materials, including funding guidance and application forms, are provided in alternative formats and languages. On request, they can be made available in other formats, as required.
We can accept applications and supporting materials which are written in English, Gaelic or Scots.
Access Support
Access support contributes to costs for services to help applicants overcome barriers to applying for our funds.
We offer access support to individuals or the lead applicant of a group who self-identify as d/Deaf, hard of hearing, disabled or living with chronic illness, mental illness or neurodivergence, such as dyslexia, autism or ADHD.
For information on the types of support available, how to request assistance, and how to include access costs in your funding application, please visit the Access Support section of our website .
If you need further assistance after reviewing this information, please contact us at: [email protected]
If you are a d/Deaf BSL user, you can access our services with the Contact Scotland-BSL programme. Visit www.contactscotland-bsl.org for more information.
Contacting our Enquiries Service
If you require technical support, further information or have any other queries, contact our Enquiries Service by emailing: [email protected]
What is the Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance?
The Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance supports professional theatre and dance productions of varying scales to tour across Scotland. This includes outdoor, circus, interdisciplinary and site-specific work.
You can apply for funding to support:
The fund aims to bring high quality performances to more places and people across Scotland, supporting a mix of artists, producers, venues and companies.
Key information
Background
The fund was created after a 2017 review involving wide consultation with the sector. It addresses the practical delivery of touring work and is just one part of Scotland’s wider touring system.
A range of work has been supported previously, for more information, see examples of funded work from July 2022 , December 2022 , December 2023 , June 2023 and December 2024 .
Eligibility
Who can apply?
All applicants must be based in Scotland and involved in the production and/or touring of professional live theatre and dance .
We welcome applications from:
All applicants must have a UK bank account. Please ensure the name on your funding application matches the name on your bank account, as we cannot pay into an account with a different name. Visit the Applicant’s Legal Name page of our website for more information .
If you need assistance from a friend, colleague or support worker to complete your application, you must create an online account with Creative Scotland. You can then grant them access to your funding application. Visit our Sharing Access to Your Funding Application webpage for more information.
Who cannot apply?
Supported activity and costs
What activity and costs can the fund support?
The fund supports the creation and touring of live professional theatre and dance in Scotland, including:
What does this fund not support?
If your project does not meet the criteria, you may be eligible for other funding, such as through our Open or Targeted Funds. Visit the Funding Programmes section of our website for more information.
How much can I apply for?
There are no set limits on how much you can apply for.
You should request the full amount needed to produce and tour your work and we will only reduce your request if your budget includes ineligible costs.
Please note , the fund is highly competitive, and demand is expected to exceed the available budget.
The budget for previous rounds of this fund have been set at £2,000,000 and a similar level is anticipated for this round.
How many applications can I submit at each round?
Timeline
When should the activity take place?
There is no defined touring period for work supported through this fund. However, we expect to see evidence of sufficient planning time for effective delivery within your chosen tour dates.
We anticipate a further round of the Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance in 2026.
Application timeline
How to apply
All applications must be made through Creative Scotland’s online Funding Management System .
For information on how to register, access and complete the application form, visit: my.creativescotland.com/user-guide .
If you aren’t already, register on the Funding Management System at my.creativescotland.com/signup and verify your email address.
Once registered, log in and select the Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance application form.
Use the Apply Now button to begin your application.
Complete the form as instructed. Use the Review your Progress button at any time to preview the questions and see your progress.
You can save your application and return to it at any time before the deadline of 2pm, Wednesday 24 September 2025 .
If you need access support during the application, click on the ‘Access Support’ button. This will inform the support team of your requirements, and you will be contacted as soon as possible.
Submit the completed application form before the deadline. Once submitted, it will not be possible to amend the application, so ensure you thoroughly review and check before submission.
Once submitted, you will receive a confirmation message with a reference number .
Supporting Material and Safeguarding
Essential Supporting Material
Alongside the completed application form, you must provide the following materials:
Optional Supporting Material
You can include up to three examples of past work and any of the following to help us better understand your work, these materials are not required but recommended:
Please do not include programming notes or expressions of interest from venues or promoters - these will not be considered part of your application.
Safeguarding
If your tour involves direct engagement with children, young people, or protected adults, you must have a safeguarding policy in place . This applies even if you're working in venues that have their own policies, you still need your own and must understand the venue’s procedures too.
Creative Scotland is not a regulator, but we expect all Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance recipients to take safeguarding seriously. We will review your safeguarding policy as part of the assessment. If you don’t have one and your project involves the direct engagement of these protected groups, you’ll need to create one before applying.
Please note that the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 came into force from the 1 April 2025, which changes the PVG scheme. Individuals who are to carry out a regulated role with children, young people or protected adults, must ensure they are a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme (PVG). We would recommend that you review your PVG processes to ensure that they are in line with this updated legislation.
We suggest the following resources for planning and ensuring Safeguarding and Child Protection:
Completing the online application form - Risk, Finance and Access Costs
What risks have you identified when planning your project? (approx. 300 words)
How will you manage the financial elements of the touring project? (approx. 300 words)
Risk Assessment
Your risk assessment should go beyond just health and safety. We expect you to think about the specific risks involved in touring and how you plan to manage them. This could include:
If your project involves outdoor arts, circus, or unconventional staging, your risk assessment should show a clear understanding of the unique risks involved in those artforms and how you’ll reduce or manage them effectively.
Budget Requirements
You must upload a detailed, balanced budget with your application showing how you have calculated each item in your budget. Your budget should be clear and realistic.
Your budget should cover the entire cost of making, restaging and touring the work, broken down into:
If your application is successful, a payment schedule will be agreed. The first payment will be made once you sign the agreement with Creative Scotland.
In addition, you also need to complete the two budget tables in the application form:
Budget format
Rates of Pay
You should refer to appropriate industry standards when calculating pay for all the personnel involved in your project and pay at least industry minimum rates. See Independent Theatre Council and our Rates of Pay Guidance for more information.
The Real Living Wage is required for directly employed staff - this is a requirement of all organisations funded by Creative Scotland.
Understudies
Costs for retaining understudies are not eligible for support. However, if a member of your company acts as an understudy and is required to work additional hours they must be paid from contingency.
Rehearsing a pool of performers for rotating performances is eligible for support. The selected performers would be paid per day of performance/travel. This may be an appropriate approach for tours with non-consecutive performances.
Co-productions
If a venue/promoter provides extra resources (e.g. technical support, rehearsal space, marketing support), this should be reflected in the budget.
Multi-Year Funded co-producers should provide a cash contribution to any co-production.
Box Office Income
For Artists/Companies/Producers
Box Office Split:
For Consortia
High-Income Tours
Performances in larger scale venues (e.g. The Kings’ Theatre/Theatre Royal Glasgow, Capital Theatres Edinburgh main auditorium, His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen, The Empire Eden Court Inverness) must cover their own costs through box office income.
Income from these shows should help cover:
Large-scale tours may also include middle and small-scale venues, which can be covered by the fund with an 80/20 split in the venue’s favour.
Applicants can submit one application for a tour expected to earn significant box office income but must meet all other fund criteria.
Royalties
Contingency
Theatre Tax Credit
Applications from companies should make full use of the Theatre Tax Credit, but this shouldn’t be included in your budget, although we will need you to record this in your end of project monitoring report. This, along with the 20% of box office income, can help sustain applicants between projects.
Access Costs
There are two types of access costs, Personal Access Costs which are treated separately from your main budget and Project Access Costs which should be included in your project budget.
For detailed information on what qualifies as eligible personal and project access costs, as well as a breakdown of eligible and non-eligible expenses, please visit our website .
For further information or guidance on access support and costs please email: [email protected]
You may also be eligible to apply for support from the UK Government’s Access to Work Fund , which can help cover some of the extra costs of carrying out your job, or travelling to, from and during work if you are disabled.
Decision Making Process
Stage 1: Submission and Initial Checks
If incomplete, you’ll be given a short period to provide the missing information. If you do not supply this, your application will not be assessed, and you’ll be notified by email.
Stage 2: Assessment
Creative Scotland staff with expertise in theatre, dance, outdoor arts and circus assess your application and any supporting materials, with input from colleagues with specialist knowledge where appropriate.
Stage 3: Recommendation
Stage 4: Decision
If successful, you’ll receive:
An award letter with grant conditions (if applicable)
A Funding Agreement outlining the terms of your award
Details of any conditions that must be met before funding is released (e.g. proof of additional funding, insurance or project milestones)
Recommendations to help achieve your project goals (these are optional)
A fund welcome pack
On request, a copy of your full assessment.
If unsuccessful, you will receive feedback and can request the full assessment.
Stage 5: Payment and Conditions
After reviewing your Funding Agreement, if you have any questions about the agreement, conditions or recommendations, you should contact your assessing officer.
First payment (15%)
After returning your signed funding agreement, meeting any conditions and having your bank details verified, you will receive your first payment. You’ll need to confirm all tour venues and start booking – this payment helps to cover this work. It also helps ensure that tour personnel are paid early in the process.
In special cases, this first payment can be more than 15%, for example, if the project is brand new or needs extra support to be completed before touring.
You must create an audience development plan with your venues. Use the tour planning spreadsheet and FST Touring Code of Practice to guide this.
Creative Scotland will announce awards on our website and social channels. From this, programmers may contact you to book your show. We advise listing your tour on Tourbook , so they can find and reach you.
Second Payment (75%)
After your tour is confirmed and you submit a completed tour planning schedule, you’ll receive the second payment.
Stage 6: End of Project and Final Payment
Final payment (10%)
After project completion, submit an End of Project Monitoring Form within 30 days. Once submitted, it will be reviewed and signed off by your assessing officer and the final payment will be made, as per the terms of your Funding Agreement.
Funding Terms and Conditions
For the full Terms and Conditions of the funding, please visit our website .
Please note, for larger or multi-year awards, payment terms may vary.
Subsidy Control and Data Protection
Subsidy Control
As a public body Creative Scotland must comply with the subsidy control rules in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 and Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK Government and the European Union. More information can be found at: UK subsidy control regime - GOV.UK
Any award made through this fund will require the recipient to acknowledge that the grant comes from public funds and confirm that the support provided is compliant with the Subsidy Control rules.
Where applicable, the recipient must agree that Creative Scotland will publish information relating to the grant and that the recipient will keep reasonably detailed records to demonstrate compliance with the Subsidy Control rules and shall provide a copy of such records to Creative Scotland upon reasonable request.
If it is deemed to be non-compliant with the Subsidy Control rules, the recipient may be required to repay the entire grant (and any other sums due) immediately.
Data Protection
Creative Scotland requires some personal information about you/your organisation to consider your application for funding. Without this information we will be unable to process your application.
If you would like to see a breakdown of the personal information we require, why it is required, what we do with that information and how long we keep it, please refer to our Privacy Notice on our website .
Creative Scotland may share your personal information with third parties to comply with the law and/or for our legitimate interests and/or the third parties concerned.
Where the personal information you have provided to Creative Scotland belongs to other individual(s), please refer to our Privacy Notice. Please ensure you share this Privacy Statement and Creative Scotland’s Privacy Notice with the respective individual(s).
You have some rights in relation to the personal information that Creative Scotland holds about you under data protection law. Information on how to exercise these rights is contained in our Privacy Notice or you can contact our Data Protection Officer .
If you have any concerns with how we have processed your personal information, you should contact our Data Protection Officer in the first instance, as we would welcome the opportunity to work with you to resolve any complaint. If you are still dissatisfied, you can submit a complaint to the Information Commissioners Office .
Dignity at Work
Everyone working in Scotland’s creative and cultural sectors is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect, whether they are an employee, freelancer, contractor, board member or volunteer. Creative Scotland does not tolerate bullying, harassment, or victimisation under any circumstance, and expects the same of any organisation that we support with public funding.
Those applying for activity that involves employing other people should ensure that they have appropriate safeguards in place to ensure dignity at work, including approaches to ensure best practice in areas such as equality and diversity, harassment and bullying, disciplinary procedures and whistle blowing.
Creative Scotland has produced guidance on what we mean when we describe dignity at work and what our expectations are of those we fund. You can read this on the Dignity at Work page of our website .
While we are primarily a funding body rather than a regulator, we expect all grant recipients to adhere to safeguarding and dignity at work standards. Failure to do so could result in payments being suspended or grants withdrawn.
Appendix 1 - Independent Producer Indicative Job Description
Independent producers play a vital role in the theatre, dance, outdoor, circus and multi-artform sectors. Creative Scotland is researching how sustainable this career path is and, as part of that, we’ve created this guide to help explain what producers do. This isn’t a strict definition, just a helpful overview based on input from experienced producers.
What Does a Producer Do?
A producer makes sure a creative project - like a show or performance - happens successfully on time and within budget. The producer typically defines what ‘on time’ and ‘in budget’ actually mean for each project. They also help raise the money needed to make it all happen.
Producers work closely with artists, collectives or organisations to realise, deliver and report on a project or portfolio of work. They often work across different artforms and bring specialist knowledge about different forms and presentations styles. Their role can vary depending on the on the needs of the project and the people involved.
How Producers Work
Fees and Pay: Producers have different financial models and will set their fees based on experience and using industry union recommended rates, including ITC/Equity, SAU and BECTU as a guideline. They may also be calculated dependent on the level of input required for each project.
Project Timeline: Producers are usually involved from the very beginning (research and development) to the very end (final reporting and follow up). Their fees are often paid in stages, with the last payment coming after the project is fully completed and reported. This can create cashflow challenges.
Working with Artists
A strong and effective producer-artist relationships starts with clear conversations. It is important to agree on:
Some artists want creative input from the producer; others just need administrative support. Some artists prefer to collaborative closely, while others will want to lead and delegate tasks. What matters most is that both sides agree on how they’ll work together.
Every producer’s operating model is distinct, and this list of responsibilities is not exhaustive. Producers may react to approaches from artists or instigate projects. Producers may have ongoing relationships with artists, collectives, organisations or work on a project-to-project basis.
Producing roles and responsibilities may include:
Producing
Management and Administration
Provide or source appropriate insurance
Project Administration/Coordination
Booking travel and accommodation
Finances
Communications, Audiences and Partnerships
Marketing and PR or engaging and supporting Marketing and Press professionals including marketing coordinator, press and media liaison/PR, social media coordination, graphic designers, photographers and filmmakers
Technical and Production
HR
Managing recruitment, induction, training, appraisal and exit processes of project personnel using knowledge of relevant union terms and conditions
