With so many announcements of late, we want to provide you with a status update on the Scottish Government’s emergency funds for creativity and culture being delivered through Creative Scotland, to keep you informed through these times.

These funds have been put in place to help mitigate the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on the creative and cultural sector. There are five new emergency funds which were announced by the First Minister on Friday 28 August and which are being delivered through Creative Scotland as follows:

• £15million Culture Organisation and Venues Recovery Fund which opened for applications on Thursday 17 September with a deadline of Thursday 24 September. 348 applications have been received totalling over £22million. Application assessments are now taking place and decisions will be communicated early November.

• £5million Creative Freelancer Hardship Fund, for which an open call for partner organisations to help us distribute this fund was launched on Friday 11 September, with a deadline of Friday 25 September. 18 notes of interest have been received and funding partners will be announced during the week commencing 5 October, with the aim of distributing funds from October. The Screen element of these Hardship Funds opened for applications on Tuesday 22 September.

• £3.5million Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund, which opened for applications on Monday 14 September with a deadline of Monday 5 October.

• £12.5million Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund which has reached 79 venues across Scotland. Recipients were published on Thursday 24 September and full information on awards made can be read in our news.

• £2.2million Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund which has reached 72 venues across Scotland. Recipients were published on Tuesday 22 September and full information on awards made is available in this news release.

• £3.5million additional funds (part of the £5million Sustaining Creative Practice Fund, referred to in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government) for Creative Scotland’s Open Fund. The Open Fund is open for applications to individuals and organisations now, and in the week commencing 5 October will increase its application threshold from £50K to £100K.

• £3million Youth Arts funding package comprises of at least £1.2million through the Access to Youth Arts Fund which will be open to applications until Thursday 12 November; the £700,000 Small Grants Scheme which launched on Thursday 24 September and will be open to applications until Monday 2 November; £50,000 assigned to the Time to Shine Nurturing Talent Fund, and an additional £1,050,000 allocated to support a number of targeted national and local area youth music and wider youth arts organisations. These organisations will be invited to apply for the Youth Arts Targeted Fund by Tuesday 13 October.

• £1.5million for the Culture Collective programme (part of the £5million Sustaining Creative Practice Fund, referred to in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government), supporting organisations employing freelance artists to work in and with communities across Scotland. More details to be announced in the coming weeks.

Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on the Creative Scotland website and publicised through media and social media communications.

Background

• The Scottish Government emergency funds being administered through Creative Scotland are part of the Scottish Government’s announcement of Friday 28 August of £59million emergency funding for culture and heritage. That funding comes from the £97million in UK Government consequentials for the culture and heritage sectors.
• This is in addition to the £23.5million previously awarded through the Creative, Tourism, Hospitality and Hardship Fund and £128million through the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund.
• More information about Covid-19 funding and resources can be accessed via FindBusinessSupport.gov.scot, and through Creative Scotland’s Resource Directory for COVID-19.

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here. We distribute funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.

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Media Contact

Claire Thomson, Media Relations & PR Officer 
Claire.Thomson@creativescotland.com

Funding Enquiries

enquiries@creativescotland.com