- Amazon’s Regional Creatives Fund returns for 2026, offering multiple grants of up to £30,000 for Edinburgh charitable organisations upskilling people for creative industries careers
- Three Edinburgh charities received £68,000 in funding from the 2025 Regional Creatives Fund
- The fund supports Edinburgh charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) that run programmes aimed at boosting skills and increasing access to creative industry careers in performing arts, music, TV, podcasting, gaming, fashion, photography, journalism, comedy and more
- The fund is open for applications today from single charitable organisations and consortiums in Edinburgh and across the UK. Applications close on 2nd August 2026
Up to £30,000 of funding is available for charitable organisations in Edinburgh following the announcement that the Regional Creatives Fund is returning for 2026.
The Regional Creatives Fund, established by Amazon in 2025, offers grants of up to £30,000 to UK charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs) and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) that develop creative industry career pathways. The Regional Creatives Fund is open to charitable organisations in Edinburgh and across the UK that help underserved communities access careers in the arts, TV, podcasting, gaming, fashion, photography, journalism, comedy, and more.
Applications are open today here and close on 2nd August 2026. In 2025, three Edinburgh charities received grants from the Regional Creatives Fund totally £68,000. Cutting Edge Theatre was awarded £30,000, Turn the Tables received £28,710 and Youth Theatre Arts Scotland received £9,600.
The 2026 Regional Creatives Fund, launched at The National Theatre in London by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, exists to widen access to creative industry careers for people in underserved communities and aligns with the Government’s Creative Places Growth Fund[1].
Applications are welcome from single organisations and from consortiums whose members are based in the same region, provided they already run skills projects making a real difference and are looking for further funding to grow, maintain, or reimagine that work.
Single organisations meeting the criteria are invited to apply for up to £30,000, while partnerships applying together can access as much as £100,000. By backing charitable organisations with established creative upskilling work, the Regional Creatives Fund gives community organisations the freedom to tackle their most urgent priorities.
The Regional Creatives Fund welcomes applications from organisations working across the creative industries, including:
- Music — performance, production, artist development, sound engineering, music business
- Performing Arts and Live Events — theatre, live performance, events production, stage management, technical production
- Screen and Audio — film, TV, animation, podcasting, radio, audio production
- Digital and Interactive — gaming, XR, AI-enabled creative tools, digital design, social media production
- Publishing and Communications — books, journalism, copywriting, PR, advertising, podcasting
- Fashion, Craft and Visual Arts — fashion, textiles, fine art, illustration, photography, graphic design
- Comedy — stand-up, sketch, sitcom, comedy writing, character comedy
- Cross-disciplinary — projects that genuinely span two or more of the above
- Other — creative industries where a strong fit is demonstrated
Applications are open for small to mid-size charitable organisations who are registered in the UK[2]. Applicants must currently be running a programme that focuses on upskilling people from underserved communities for careers in creative industries. Creative Access, the UK’s leading inclusivity organisation in the creative industries, defines underserved communities as a population proven to be under-represented[3] in the sector.
One-of-a-kind support from Amazon creative teams
Through Amazon’s network of creative industry professionals, the Regional Creatives Fund also provides charitable organisations with pro bono upskilling programmes, including mentoring, work experience, placements, and digital training. This support is available for the staff at community organisations and the people they support, delivered by creative minds from Amazon Music, Prime Video, Amazon Games, and more.
Applicants must be able to show the grant will expand or sustain an existing programme that’s already making a difference, whether that’s placements in game development studios, music production training, or portfolio development for the advertising creatives of tomorrow.
An independent expert judging panel will award funding to Regional Creatives Fund applicants. The panel includes senior leaders from Amazon, The National Theatre, BAFTA, Arts Council England, NI Screen, Creative Wales, Help Musicians, Audible and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
Funding applications will be assessed across five key areas. Strong proposals will reflect the fund’s spirit with energy, optimism, and a clear creative purpose; deliver real impact through skills, access, and industry links; show a smart, achievable plan with confident delivery; centre inclusion by amplifying underrepresented voices; and build on existing programmes to grow what’s already working.
More information on the judging criteria is available here.
The Rt Hon Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The UK’s Creative Industries are the best in the world, from film and TV to theatre and music production.
“The Creative sector is a leading driver of economic growth and a provider of good jobs. This Government is determined that access to those jobs should be spread across the country, and available to everyone, everywhere.
“I’m really pleased to have worked with Amazon during the recent Greater Together LA conference to secure further investment in their Regional Creatives Fund, a great scheme that is investing directly in people’s potential.”
James Dibbo, Amazon VP and CFO for Global Entertainment, said: “Amazon is significantly invested in the success of the UK’s creative industries.
“This includes working together with the UK government to unlock creative opportunities across every nation and region of the country. After seeing the incredible impact of our first awardees, we are delighted that the Regional Creatives Fund is now reopen for applications.
“Where you start should not determine how far you go – and we want to help build a future where creativity belongs to everyone, everywhere.”
The UK is one of Amazon’s global creative hubs. In 2025, Amazon announced £40 billion of investment in the UK over the next three years, including the acquisition and planned redevelopment of the iconic Bray Film Studios.
Amazon has invested billions of pounds into the UK’s creative economy, with over 2,000 people working across books, film, TV, sport, music, and fashion – alongside the wider network of creatives Amazon partners with every day.
Amazon makes significant film and television production investments across the UK. Amazon MGM Studios is seeking planning permission to expand production capacity at Bray Studios. Bray most recently hosted the production of Highlander, which also filmed across the Scottish Highlands.
Under Amazon’s long-term contract at Shepperton, the studio was home to season three of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, as well as Project Hail Mary. Season three of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power also filmed on location throughout England and Wales. Additionally, season one of the new Amazon series Tomb Raider is filming at Shinfield Studios.
The Amazon Literary Partnership supports non-profit literary organisations, writing centres and community engagement programmes across the UK and Ireland, helping to create opportunities for aspiring writers of all ages and stages.
Now in its seventh year in the UK, and having expanded to the Republic of Ireland in 2024, the partnership has awarded grants to organisations dedicated to nurturing creative talent, amplifying underrepresented voices, and empowering more people to experience and contribute to the power of storytelling through the written word.
As part of the National Year of Reading 2026, Amazon is expanding its Literacy Champions programme to help inspire a new generation of readers across the UK.
Delivered in partnership with the National Literacy Trust, the initiative trains Amazon volunteers to lead shared reading and storytelling activities in schools and communities, helping children build confidence and develop a lifelong love of reading.
Launched in 2023, the programme supports the National Year of Reading’s ambition to recruit 100,000 new reading volunteers by the end of 2026 and increase access to positive reading role models for young people nationwide.
Amazon Music is committed to expanding access to UK music talent. Partnerships with the BRIT Trust and Amplify support new creative professionals entering the industry. The Step-Up Fund, delivered with the Featured Artists Coalition, enables artists to fund new recordings, touring costs, marketing campaigns, PR activities, video production, and content creation.
To find out more about the Regional Creatives Fund, visit:
https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/community/amazon-regional-creatives-fund
