Grants of between £10K and £70K available for grassroots music venues
Deadline for applications: Wednesday 3 February 2021
In response to the impact that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic is having on art and culture in Scotland, on December 20, 2020 the Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop, announced an additional £4m in emergency funding for the Grassroots Music Venues Stabilisation Fund, delivered through Creative Scotland.
The purpose of the fund is to provide grassroots live music venues that were financially sustainable before Covid-19 with the funds to prevent permanent closure and stabilise until end June 2021.
Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotlandsaid: “In these extremely challenging times, this additional £4m in support of Scotland’s grassroots music venues is enormously welcome.
“Grassroots music venues are a vital part of Scotland’s cultural ecology, developing music and audiences as well as supporting talent. They will play a vital role in Scotland’s cultural recovery as and when we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The awards for the first round of the Grassroots Music Venue Stabilisation Fund were announced on Tuesday 22 September, when £2.2m in emergency support was provided to 68 venues across Scotland.
Creative Scotland has launched Creative Scotland Crowdmatch 2021 in collaboration with Crowdfunder – the UK’s largest crowdfunding platform – offering expert coaching and match funding, to support Scotland’s creatives to run successful crowdfunding campaigns.
The second iteration of the programme will launch with a series of introductory, free to attend webinars:
From Monday 25 January, interested parties will be invited to express their interest in participating by noon Monday 8 February.
A shortlist of projects, selected by Crowdfunder and Creative Scotland, will receive tailored coaching support from the expert Crowdfunder team to set up their campaigns.
Jason Nuttall, Programme Director, Crowdfunder said: “We were blown away by the successes of the projects involved in Creative Scotland’s 2020 initiative.
“The range of ideas and the creativity shown in things like the rewards offered was fantastic to see. We have high expectations for this competition, and are looking forward to supporting the chosen projects to being their campaigns to life in 2021.”
Jackie Stewart, Creative Industries Officer, Creative Scotlandsaid: “This is a fantastic opportunity for practitioners and organisations across Scotland to raise funds for creative projects as well as grow awareness of their work and foster meaningful relationships with audiences.”
Expressions of interest are invited from all artforms, and shortlisted projects will be announced on Tuesday 16 February.
Thanks to National Lottery players, Creative Scotland will contribute a total of £75,000 of match funding, and entrants can receive up to £10,000 towards their projects.
Eligibility criteria, information about the initiative and about Crowdfunder is available on the Crowdfunder website.
The first phase of the programme which launched last year, saw 18 projects achieve their target crowdfunding campaign figures with many stretching beyond their original targets.
The recording and production of experimental focus musician James Lindsay’s second album, Torus was made possible through the first iteration of Creative Scotland Crowdmatch.
James Lindsaysaid: “I couldn’t have done a pre-order self-release like this independently to the same effect.
“The crowdfunding process gave people the drive to help the project and the tutorials offered by Crowdfunder were very helpful in helping me bring some shape to the campaign”
Eligibility criteria, information about the initiative and about Crowdfunder is available on the Crowdfunder website.
UNCON 3.0 is the third iteration of a biannual festival, designed for and by young people, celebrating the best in youth arts and creativity in Scotland.
The coronavirus pandemic has had an enormous impact on every aspect of children and young people’s lives, including on art provision, and their opportunities to participate and progress within the arts, screen and creative industries.
During the virtual UNCON on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 January 2021, partners from across the youth arts sector will share reflections on the challenges of the past year and consider how children’s voices and aspirations can be heard in the recovery process.
The programme will feature a mix of pre-filmed and live performances, presentations and panel discussions, artwork and manifestos created by children and young people.
Children, young people, policy makers and anyone with an interest in children and young people’s rights are invited to join the conversation. The programme includes live events which are free to access. Full details of the programme and information about how to register is available on the Creative Scotland website.
Fiona Dalgetty, Fèis Rois said: “Young people from Fèis Rois and the Highland Youth Arts Hub have taken part in every UNCON to date, and we are excited to participate online this year.
“Overcoming the challenging move to a digital event, the team at Creative Scotland have put together an ambitious programme and we are excited for the audience to see the video our young people have created.”
Katie Brennan, Collective said: “For this year’s UNCON, we’ve been working in partnership with Edinburgh Young Carers on a postal project, asking young people to reflect on their experiences of lockdown and hopes for the future through mail art.
“We look forward to UNCON as a space in which the hopes, concerns and priorities of young people from all backgrounds will be heard by organisations and policy makers.”
Paul Sullivan of CELCIS said “We know the importance of creativity in helping children and young people to develop new skills, express themselves and have fun. COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on every aspect of children and young people’s lives, including their opportunities to access creativity.
“Our hope for UNCON is that through showcasing the creative skills of a number of talented care experienced young people and projects, we can further highlight the need for creative opportunities to be protected for children and young people all across Scotland.”
Sarah Mcadam, Time to Shine Manager, Creative Scotland said: “As with so many things, the lead in to this UNCON has felt very different to previous years. We know that the coronavirus will continue to have a significant impact on children and young people’s futures and it’s more important than ever to make sure we are listening to what is important to their lives.
“As this UNCON takes place at the beginning of a new decade, we look forward to working with a youth arts sector that meets these challenges head-on and continues to support Scotland’s children and young people to thrive in and through the arts and creativity.”
Scottish musicians will be in the global spotlight this month when more than 100 leading music promoters, record label representatives and agents from across the world will gather virtually, for the 21st annual Showcase Scotland event at Celtic Connections.
From Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 January, the music industry delegates from 25 countries will experience performances from Scottish bands and musicians including Elephant Sessions, who will appear in a stream from Ironworks in their hometown of Inverness; Siobhan Miller, who was recently awarded BBC Alba Scots Trad Award’s Scots Singer of the Year, as well as emerging artists as part of the online Danny Kyle Awards.
A virtual trade fair will also take place, allowing promoters to meet artists, their representatives and cultural organisations.
The event, which is supported by Creative Scotland and organised by Active Events on behalf of Celtic Connections, provides invaluable opportunities for the artists to raise their profile and secure new opportunities, as well as highlighting the dynamic music scene in Scotland.
The average annual income from gig and concert bookings and album sales generated for Scotland-based artists from the usual invited delegation to the Showcase is in the region of £3million.
Each year, as part of Showcase Scotland, Celtic Connections partners with a country to help create new international links and advance opportunities for their musicians. In this 21st anniversary iteration of Showcase Scotland, Scotland is the selected country and a special focus on Gaelic artists will feature through a specially commissioned film, Gaelic the Untold Story.
Produced with support from BòrdnaGàidhlig and Creative Scotland, Mary Ann Kennedy tells the story of the language, arts and culture in a 30-minute documentary, highlighting the importance of music and song in keeping the language alive.
Donald Shaw, Creative Producer for Celtic Connectionssaid: “It’s brilliant to see Showcase Scotland celebrate its 21st edition, albeit in a different way than originally planned.I am delighted to see the Gaelic language take centre stage as part of this year’s showcase.
“As a festival we connect with international cultures and indigenous languages through music, especially this year as we take Celtic Connections to the world, so using this opportunity to showcase one of the languages of our own culture to delegates and audiences on a global scale is fantastic.
“Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections continues to provide opportunities for Scottish musicians, and it is great to see it continue this year.”
Alan Morrison, Head of Music, Creative Scotlandsaid: “Showcase Scotland’s 21st anniversary presents a fantastic opportunity for us to come together from near and far.
“As ever, we’ll be shouting from the rooftops about Scotland’s traditional music and the world-class artists who are eager to get back out and performing in the months and years to come.
“At Creative Scotland, we’ve worked hard with the Scottish Government to keep the music industry afloat in this most difficult of years. We hope that Showcase Scotland will provide the bridge that’s needed to ensure our musicians have a bright future playing the towns and cities in your part of the world.”
Lisa Whytock, Active Eventssaid: “It’s important to stay connected with the international music industry and for our artists to remain in the spotlight.
“It’s been a very difficult year for a lot of people and for artists they have not worked since March. This edition will bring together the industry from as far away as Australia, the US and Canada to all corners of Europe in a very different, but immensely important edition of Showcase Scotland.”
Brian O hEadhra, Partnerships Manager, BòrdnaGàidhligsaid: “Gaelic is important to Scotland’s identity both at home and internationally.
“We are happy to support the Gaelic Showcase once again this year and hope that festival organisers will see the wealth of Gaelic artists there are, and in return give Gaelic artists the opportunity to take the language across the world.”
Joe Frankland, CEO, PRS Foundationsaid: “Following a very successful Virtual Visit event in 2020 which set the tone for how the global live sector can engage with outstanding Scottish talent online, we are very pleased to be supporting this week’s Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections event.
“With so many barriers to music export, it’s vital Scottish artists and bands are seen by industry delegates around the world. The combination of virtual showcases, trade fairs and informal networking will no doubt get great results this year, and we can’t wait to gather again soon for more of the same.”
Simon Thoumire, Hands Up for Tradsaid: “It’s brilliant to be going live for Showcase Scotland 2021! If we can’t be there in person at least we can bring you some live streamed music from afar.
“It will be great to see all the delegates again even if it is only one a screen!”
Breabach’s Megan Henderson said: “It’s great to have such a brilliant focus on Scotland and in particular Gaelic artists this year.
“Showcase Scotland really delivers opportunities for artists and for us was the catalyst to collaborations with the likes of Sydney Opera House. It’s great to see it happening and to so many of the international music industry being involved.”
Creative Scotland has published the findings from independent research looking at public attitudes to cultural participation and attendance in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Surveying a representative sample of the population in Scotland, this is the second wave of research, following the first wave which was completed in August 2020. The survey provides valuable insight regarding how the Covid-19 pandemic has changed attitudes towards, and engagement with, cultural activity and also looks at public attitudes towards cultural participation in the future.
Key findings include:
More than half the population (56%) say they really miss attending cultural venues and events
However, there is wariness amongst the culture-going public as regards returning to venues and events as restrictions ease, more so than with many other leisure activities
The vast majority of the population (98%) are engaging with cultural activity from home during the Covid-19 pandemic but only a small proportion (17%) say they are willing to pay for cultural content that has moved online due to the pandemic
Audiences are nevertheless looking forward to attending cultural activity when they can; are open to trying new experiences at different types of venue (70%); and audience levels look likely to return to pre-Covid levels, or increase, once a vaccine is widely available
Iain Munro, Creative Scotland Chief Executivesaid: “The impact on Scotland’s art and culture sector by the Covid-19 pandemic has been severe. This important and ongoing research helps us understand that impact from a public perspective and is helping inform our ongoing discussions with partners, including Scottish Government, regarding current and future support.
“The research also provides invaluable insight that will help shape our collaborative work with the sector in terms of recovery and renewal as we emerge from the impacts of the pandemic through 2021.”
The report summarising the findings from the research can be found on the Creative Scotland website. A further wave of this research is planned for Spring 2021.
Three youth arts and civil society organisations have received a total of £223,530 to help the recovery of youth arts provision across the city of Edinburgh, ensuring employment for youth arts practitioners and creative opportunities for children and young people continue despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Toddsaid: “Youth music and youth arts organisations across Scotland are playing an important role in the lives of young people during these difficult times.
“This funding will widen access to high quality opportunities for young people, allowing them to participate and engage with music and other art forms. It will also provide welcome employment opportunities to more than 200 youth arts practitioners, including freelance musicians, across Scotland.”
Genevieve Kay-Gourlay, Depute to Director, North Edinburgh Artssaid: “North Edinburgh Arts (NEA) is delighted to be awarded funding from Creative Scotland to deliver a youth arts residency programme, in partnership with Independent Arts Projects (IAP), for freelance artists and creative practitioners working across a range of artforms.
“The programme will empower freelance arts practitioners to take the lead in the design and delivery of accessible creative opportunities for children and young people living in Muirhouse and North Edinburgh.
“Artists will be supported through mentoring, advice and training, and will have access to a regular peer forum; trying out ideas as part of new or longer-term piece of research and development, whilst strengthening and broadening longer-term connections with the individuals and organisations involved.”
Paul Carberry, Director for Scotland, Action for Children said: “We are very pleased to have secured funding from Creative Scotland to undertake youth arts projects within our services in Scotland.
“This money will allow our services to deliver a range of arts projects, with the young people themselves deciding the arts they want to explore.
“This fund will also enable us to work collaboratively with a range of artists across the country, allowing the children and young people we work with to benefit from a rich and diverse creative experience to support them.”
The organisations will open for individual grant applications early in the new year.
Gaynor Milne, SambaYaBambasaid: “SambaYaBamba are delighted to be involved in this exciting new way of distributing funds from Creative Scotland directly to practitioners in the street band network.
“This will open up opportunities for freelancers to create their own youth projects, with support from our organisation. We’re really excited to welcome applications from individuals in early 2021, and look forward to seeing the new projects that emerge from this process.”
Giles Agis, Carnival and Community Manager, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festivalsaid: “Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival’s Small Grants Fund project ‘Routes to Roots’ will see a diverse range of freelance musicians, dancers, circus artists, spoken word performers, street theatre artists and carnival costume makers re-imagine Edinburgh Festival Carnival 2021 through ‘artists led’ projects.
“The selected artists will work with children and young people across Edinburgh’s diverse communities, creating new mobile performance work which will animate our annual carnival parade, or static work which will be performed in Princes Gardens after the carnival has finished.”
Lorraine McLaren, Director, Wheatley Foundationsaid: “Many people in our communities just don’t have the opportunity or the means to access the arts. We’re always keen to find new ways to support tenants and their families to take part in art, drama or music and this tranche of funding will enable us to do exactly that.
“We’re looking forward to working with Creative Scotland and artists to bring some great projects to our communities right across central and the south of Scotland.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotlandsaid: “These vital emergency funds being delivered by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government are ensuring that creative opportunities continue to exist for young people and across Scotland at this critical time and provide important work for freelance artists whose opportunities have been so severely impacted by Covid-19.”
Action for Children has received £50,000, Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival £30,000, North Edinburgh Arts £36,025, SambaYaBamba £27,505 and Wheatley Foundation £50,000.
These organisations are five of 18 across Scotland to have received a share of share in over £690K funding.
The full list of recipients is:
Organisation (Trading name)
Local Authority Area
Funding Amount
Aberdeen City Council, Creative Learning
Aberdeen
£50,000
Action for Children
Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Clackmannanshire
The Small Grants Scheme is the second strand of funding to be announced as part of the Scottish Government’s £3million funding package for Youth Arts, being delivered through Creative Scotland. At least £1.2million has already been distributed through the Youth Arts Targeted Fund and £50,000 assigned to the Nurturing Talent: New Routes Fund.
Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on this website and publicised through media and social media communications.
Image: Zoo Arts participants, project led by Alice Betts at North Edinburgh Arts
From today, Thursday 10 December 2020, applications are invited from the dance, theatre and multi artform sector for a share in £600K National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland, for live performance tours from Spring 2021.
In this latest round of theTheatre and Dance Touring Fund, applications are invited from Scotland-based dance and theatre artists, companies and organisations, independent dance and theatre producers and venues, for the making and touring of new work or the restaging of previous work for presentation to live audiences under Covid-19 restrictions, in a minimum of three locations across Scotland.
Iain Munro, Creative Scotland’s CEOsaid: “Supporting Scotland’s theatre and dance touring infrastructure is important, helping high quality theatre in Scotland to flourish and creating opportunities for more people across the country to experience and enjoy it.
“Made possible by the generosity of National Lottery players who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, this round of the Theatre and Dance Touring Fund responds directly to the challenging position that theatres, venues, producers, artists, companies and their audiences are in due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Creative Scotland is also seeking five external panel members to work alongside Creative Scotland staff to decide the successful applications in this round of the Fund.
Panel members will be expected to hold credible professional knowledge and expertise of the Theatre and Dance Touring sector in Scotland, either from a programming perspective or as a maker/producer of touring work.
The Deadline for applications is 12 noon, Thursday 7 January 2021 through the Scottish Government e-Tendering System, Public Contracts Scotland.
A debut poetry collection, a collaborative funk and soul album, and the publication of four new books by female authors are among the Edinburgh-based creative projects and research and development initiatives sharing in over £820K of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding through Creative Scotland in the latest round of Open Fund awards.
Award-winning poet Sam Buchan-Watts has received funding towards debut collection Path Through Woods, which draws on the writer’s experience of working with asylum seekers and oral histories. The funds will also support Sam to widen the audience for his work by building on relationships with small publishers.
Sam Buchan-Watts said: “This funding has made possible the development and completion of my first book-length poetry collection, centred on the means of listening to vulnerable subjects.
“I am enormously grateful for the work Creative Scotland does to make writers and artists feel valued – especially in a time when many struggle to stay buoyant, spiritually and materially.”
Funk and soul band James Brown is Annie have also received funds to create a collaborative album with award-winning jazz and folk artists.
Featuring eight original tracks written during lockdown, the album will be produced by platinum-selling Scottish musician Hamish Stuart. Hamish is best known as the frontman of Average White Band and has previously worked with artists including Sir Paul McCartney and Aretha Franklin.
Polygon have also been awarded funds to publish four new works from female authors at various stages of their careers.
Iain Munro, Chief Executive, Creative Scotland said: “The Open Fund is enabling creative people and organisations to explore ways of working that is helping them to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about as a result of Covid-19.
“From researching and developing new work and practices, to exploring safe ways to reach and engage audiences, these projects reflect the resilience, innovation and determination of Scotland’s creative community in the face of extremely challenging circumstances.
“Made possible by the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, and the Scottish Government, these awards are helping to sustain the immense value that creativity adds to our lives.”
Further awards from the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund
Thirty further organisations across Scotland have received a total of £1.4million through the Scottish Government’s Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund.
The funding provides welcome emergency support to a range of venues and organisations covering comedy, music, nightclubs, performing arts, publishing, visual arts, as well as festivals and cultural support infrastructure.
Designed to protect jobs and support the sustainability of organisations threatened with insolvency by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, today’s news follows the announcement of £11.75million awarded to 203 organisations and venues through this fund on Thursday 5 November.
Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop said: “The £15 million Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund is crucial for supporting the culture sector through this pandemic, and is designed to help organisations cope with the immediate issues they are facing and to help save jobs.
“This emergency funding will be a lifeline for a wide range of organisations from craft to theatre, galleries to production companies.
“We are determined to do everything within our powers to support the culture sector and we will continue to work closely with stakeholders and Creative Scotland to provide additional help where needed.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “In addition to those announced previously, these funds provide much needed emergency support to even more venues and organisations across Scotland which are experiencing significant difficulties as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Today’s announcement forms part of a broader package of support for people and organisations that we are working at pace to deliver on behalf of the Scottish Government, with more to come.”
The further 30 organisations receiving funding from the Scottish Government’s Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund are:
Organisation (Trading name)
Funding Amount
Local Authority Area
Active Events
£15,000
North Ayrshire
A-Line Group
£70,000
Aberdeenshire
Alzatar Ltd (B Bar)
£65,000
City of Edinburgh
BD 2011 Ltd (Blue Dog)
£16,000
Glasgow City
Ceilidh Club
£29,917
Midlothian
Charco Press
£15,000
City of Edinburgh
Compass Gallery
£42,203
Glasgow City
Cove Park
£20,795
Argyll and Bute
Cuba Club Ltd (Club Cuba)
£37,517
City of Edinburgh
East Ayrshire Leisure
£71,000
East Ayrshire
Edinburgh Open Workshop
£30,000
City of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Science
£115,000
City of Edinburgh
Elderco (Word Up)
£104,482
Inverclyde
F4F event services Ltd.
£50,000
Fife
Flag Promotions Ltd
£15,214
Glasgow City
Great Junction Events Ltd (Old Dr Bells Baths)
£75,000
City of Edinburgh
Hemelvaart Bier Cafe Ayton Ltd
£24,000
Scottish Borders
Kelburn Arts Limited (Kelburn Garden Party)
£65,000
North Ayrshire
Panoptic Events
£15,299
Glasgow City
Red Bridge Arts
£85,000
Fife
Rogue City Productions
£26,500
City of Edinburgh
Scottish Sculpture Workshop
£36,580
Aberdeenshire
Shazam Theatre Company
£20,000
Aberdeenshire
Skye Live
£40,000
Highland
SS Press
£40,000
City of Edinburgh
The Birchvale Players
£15,746
Dumfries and Galloway
The Biscuit Factory
£50,000
City of Edinburgh
The Dovecot Foundation
£125,000
City of Edinburgh
Venue 45 Ltd (the SpaceUK)
£40,000
City of Edinburgh
West End Festival (Glasgow)
£24,000
Glasgow City
Total
£1,379,253
Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on this website and publicised through media and social media communications.
Image: Sparks from the iron furnace at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop’s 40th birthday celebrations (Creative Scotland)
A broad range of 203 organisations and venues across Scotland have received a total of £11.75million in emergency support through the Scottish Government’s Culture Organisations and Venue Recovery Fund.
Support has been provided to a range of venues and organisations working in comedy, festivals, music, nightclubs, performing arts, publishing, visual arts, as well as the cultural support infrastructure.
Designed to protect jobs and support the sustainability of organisations threatened with insolvency by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, eligibility criteria and guidelines for applying to the Fund were published on Thursday 10 September ahead of opening for applications on Thursday 17 September. 348 applications were received totalling over £22million.
This is the first tranche of awards to be made from this Fund, which is being delivered through Creative Scotland, and a further announcement will follow regarding the remaining applications and funds within the next two weeks.
Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslopsaid: “The Scottish Government is determined to do everything within our powers to see the sector through this crisis.
“This emergency funding will provide vital support to a wide range of cultural organisations and venues across Scotland currently facing extreme challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. It has been designed specifically to help organisations cope with the immediate issues they are facing and to help save jobs.
“I am pleased to see such a wide range of organisations supported, from comedy clubs and theatres to galleries and production companies.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotlandsaid: “The funds being announced today offer some further welcome support to help protect jobs across a wide range of businesses in Scotland.
“The negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on Scotland‘s creative and cultural sector are clearly ongoing, and we will continue to keep focussed, with the Scottish Government and other partners, on helping those people and organisations in most need.”
