Creative Scotland is committed to ensuring that people are supported to develop excellence and experimentation in a wide range of arts and creative activity, reflecting Scotland’s diverse and dynamic cultures. We want to ensure that the experience of the arts and creative activity benefits as many people as possible across Scotland’s communities and places. We have a key role in ensuring that Scotland’s creative workforce and businesses have opportunities to develop, evolve and flourish.
We have launched our Open Fund in a difficult context. The disruption of COVID-19 is a situation without precedent. The creative sector is facing significant challenge. We understand that you will be considering the impact of this emergency and its after-effects on what you do. You may be thinking about new ways of working. If you aim to reach people with your work in performance spaces, for example, you may be looking at new ways to achieve this. You may be looking at ways to stabilise your existing activity. You may be reimagining what you do, and as part of this process, you may wish to take creative risks.
This fund is designed to support you to sustain your practice in a changing world. We are asking you to tell us what you want to do, and how it will help you and/or others in the months and years to come.
Please read the guidance documents below for full information about this fund including eligibility.
Updated: January 2021
The Open Fund: Sustaining Creative Development guidelines outline risk as a key factor in our decision making. One of the key risks to creative activity is currently COVID-19 and our approach is informed by the Scottish Government guidance on this issue, which is regularly evolving.
Whilst Scottish Government guidance and/or legislation around public safety takes precedence and will, at all times, inform all of our funding decisions for the foreseeable future, we have put in place a particular approach to risk for Open Fund: Sustaining Creative Development decision making.
We will maintain and evolve this approach which, by necessity, will need to align with information on COVID-19 measures and plans from the Scottish Government.
Whilst Creative Scotland wishes to continue to support creative and experimental practice in the arts, for legal and moral reasons, Creative Scotland cannot accept avoidable or unmanaged risk to health and safety and our funding approach will be cautious in this regard.
We perceive particular risk relating to the following areas and as a result funding applications are unlikely to succeed for:
This guidance was last reviewed w/c 25 January 2021.
The guidance will continue to be reviewed at eight-weekly intervals or more quickly if the Scottish Government substantially changes. Reviews will be carried out in consultation with sector bodies, government and other partners.
For the avoidance of doubt, government guidance takes precedence over any statement by Creative Scotland.
Decisions on applications made to Creative Scotland are communicated within eight to twelve weeks. Decisions will be based on the most current information available, including the most recent version of this guidance. This may vary from the version available at the time of application.
Applicants are responsible for the safe delivery of their own projects and Creative Scotland’s guidance does not represent an endorsement of approaches.
The Open Fund FAQs are available as a PDF download or can be accessed through the FAQs section of the website.
If you need more information please contact our Enquiries Service using one of the methods outlined on our Contact Us page.
